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| Typhoons are a violent tropical cycle of storms that occur especially in the South China Sea. Typhoons destroyed the early rice crops that were grown in the south. |
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| Urbanization is the growth of cities. Urbanization increased during the Song dynasty as more and more people moved to cities and towns. Urbanization also stimulated culture. |
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| Warlords are military leaders that operate outside the control of the government. As a result of corruption, warlords fought against the emperor and amongst themselves. |
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| A bureaucracy is a highly organized body of workers with many levels of authority. The Han dynasty governed china with the help of a bureaucracy. |
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| Alchemy is a combination of science, magic and philosophy that was practiced in the medieval times. Gunpowder was invented by alchemists. |
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| To inoculate is to protect against a disease by transmitting a disease causing agent to a person to stimulate the body's defensive reactions. The chinese discovered how to inoculate people against small pox. |
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| A tributary is a country or ruler that pays tribute to its conqueror. Under the Ming dynasty , China had a lot of tributaries. |
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| Meritocracy is the rule by officials of proven merit. During the song dynasty the idea of scholar officials reached its height. This created a meritocracy. |
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| Buddhism is an Indian religion brought to china. Under the Tang dynasty, Buddhism became a major part of chinese life. Buddhist monks and nuns didn't have to pay taxes. Many chinese converted to buddhism. |
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| An aristocrat is a member of the ruling class of noble families. During the Tang dynasty, aristocrats filled most of the government jobs. Even the civil service exams favored aristocrats. |
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| Zheng He was an advisor of Emperor Chengzu and was given the title of 'Admiral of the western seas.' He traveled to many countries in his own big ship. |
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| The chinese rulers based their right to govern on the Mandate of Heaven. The chinese believed that Heaven would support the dynasty as long as they ruled well. A natural disaster was thought of as a sign that the Heaven was displeased. |
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| When ambassadors visited China they had to kowtow before the emperor. When you kowtow, you kneel to the floor 3 times and each time you kneel you touch your head to the floor 3 times. |
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| The silk road was a trading route that caravans followed. The silk road is 6300 mile long. For some time the silk road was dangerous because of fighting in Central Asia. |
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| A canal lock is a gated chamber in a canal that is used to raise or lower the water level. The canal lock is a really important invention that was invented during the song dynasty and can raise the water as high as 100 feet. |
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| A barge is a boat with a flat bottom. A barge can travel 45 miles a day. Water transport was also cheaper than land transport. |
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