Foundations of Chinese Civilization

Division ot
Unification in
Imperial
China

The Three Kingdoms to the Tang Dynasty
– 907)
(220

Jing Liu

U N D E R S TA N D I N G
CHINA

THROUGH COMICS
VOLUME
2

A GRAPHIC NOVEL HISTORY FROM STONE BRIDGE PRESS
Berkeley CA

Published by

STONE BRIDGE PRESS

OP.. Box 8208 • Berkeley, California 94707

TEL 510-524-8732 • [email protected] • www.stonebridge.com

Text and illustrations © 2016 Jing Liu.

First edition, 2016.

Book design and layout by Linda Ronan.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the
publisher.

Printed in the United States of America.

LIBRARY OF C O N G R E S S C ATA LO G I N G - I N - P U B L I C AT I O N DATA

Names: Liu, Jing (Author of graphic novels), author, illustrator.

Title: Foundations of Chinese civilization / Jing Liu.

Description: First edition. | Berkeley : Stone Bridge Press, 2016. | Series:

Understanding China through comics | Includes bibliographical references

and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016009755 (print) | LCCN 2016012382 (ebook) | ISBN

9781611720273 (alk. paper) | ISBN 9781611729184 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: China—History—Comic books, strips, etc. | Graphic novels.

Classification: LCC DS735 .L576 2016 (print) | LCC DS735 (ebook) | DDC

931—dc23

LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016009755

pISBN 978-1-61172-030-3
eISBN 978-1-61172-920-7

CONTENTS

Previously in Understanding China through Comics  6

UNDERSTANDING CHINA THROUGH COMICS: Volume 2  11

Age of Division, 220 – 589  12

Last days of the Han  14 The Three Kingdoms  21 Rise of the

aristocracy  28 Profound Learning movement  33 The Jin

Dynasty, 265 – 420  39 Barbarians conquer the capital  44

Chinese culture moves south  46 Battle of Fei River  50 The Northern

and Southern dynasties, 420 – 589  57 Buddhism spreads to China  58

Taoism becomes a religion  66 Taoist practices  70 Buddhism vs.

Taoism  72 The balance between north and south  75

The Sui Dynasty, 589 – 618   78
governance
Improved and national projects  82 A “smal”
problem shatters 94
the Sui  85 Empire collapses 

The Tang Dynasty, 618 – 907  96

Life in a golden age  104 Challenges to political stability  107
First female emperor  Tang restoration  money 
An Lushan 109 Chan Buddhism  114 120
rebellion  Buddha’s 133
“My 123 Decentralized power  128 135

flower shall slay all other flowers” 

TIMELINE

220 Han dynasty falls

Age of Division begins

249 Sima family launches coup and takes control of Wei court

265 Jin dynasty is founded

280 Jin dynasty invades the state of Wu and reunifies China

316 Nomads overrun northern China

383 Battle of Fei River

401 Northern kingdom makes Buddhism the official state religion

420 Jin dynasty falls

Northern and Southern Dynasties period begins

446 Taoist emperor bans Buddhism

552 Civil wars weaken the south

589 Sui dynasty reunifies China, ending Northern and Southern

Dynasties period

Age of Division ends

612 Emperor Yang leads 1 million troops to fight the Goguryeo

618 Sui dynasty falls

Tang dynasty begins

690 Wu Zetian founds Zhou dynasty

705 Wu Zetian falls ill and is deposed by officials who proceed to

restore the Tang dynasty

755 An Lushan rebellion

844 Emperor Wuzong launches attack on Buddhism

907 Tang dynasty falls

INTRODUCTION

When I rst met Jing Liu in 1996, he im- can understand, and enjoy this illus-
mediately
That became a big part of my life. trated and delightfully humorous look
ing
Beijing was because when I started work- at one of the world’s longest unbroken
only
mate. at seminal expatriate publication national histories and come away with a
quite
Scene , upon my arrival he was not greater appreciation of the subject.

my co-worker, but also my room-

As such, you get to know someone In Volume 2, it’s fascinating to see how

quickly. the concept of China evolved when the

country was divided for the longest pe-

I remember clearly that Jing was asked riod of time in its history. Even after re-

to come up with sample illustrations for unification by the Tang dynasty, Chinese

another author’s book on Chinese phi- culture continued to be influenced by

losophy, mostly from the perspective people from what we consider to be “out-

of idioms such as “Kill the Chicken to side” of China. As Volume 1 discussed the

Frighten the Monkey”. I don’t remember essential origins of Chinese civilization,

the name of the book, but I recall vivid- Volume 2 shows how dynamic outsiders

ly some of those drawings, and chuckle pushed Chinese civilization to change in

now even at the thought of them. It was new and exciting ways.

clearly there that the seeds for this book

and its earlier volume were sown. From an author who is truly bicultural
and
what bilingual comes a continuation of
tory
Twenty years later, Jing’s career has blos- ucate. may be the rst look at Chinese his-
news
somed not only into a successful design years designed to amuse as much as ed-
which
business, but also now into the Under- At the end of Volume 2, the good

standing China through Comics series. is that there are still over 1,000

Jing demonstrates his deep knowledge to cover, so we still have much to

of China’s vast history, but also shows to look forward.

that he perceives where foreigners may

misunderstand events and their signifi- Steven Schwankert
Poseidon: China’s
cance, and the nuances that will lead to a Author, of Britain’s Lost Submarine Secret
Salvage
fuller knowledge of the subject. Both the

young student and the old China hand

6 | DIVISION TO U N I F I C AT I O N IN IMPERIAL CHINA

Previously in Understanding China Through Comics |7

8 | DIVISION TO U N I F I C AT I O N IN IMPERIAL CHINA

Previously in Understanding China Through Comics |9

10 | D I V I S I O N TO U N I F I C AT I O N IN IMPERIAL CHINA



12 | D I V I S I O N TO U N I F I C AT I O N IN IMPERIAL CHINA

Age of Division, 220 – 589 | 13

14 | D I V I S I O N TO U N I F I C AT I O N IN IMPERIAL CHINA

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16 | D I V I S I O N TO U N I F I C AT I O N IN IMPERIAL CHINA

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18 | D I V I S I O N TO U N I F I C AT I O N IN IMPERIAL CHINA

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20 | D I V I S I O N TO U N I F I C AT I O N IN IMPERIAL CHINA

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22 | D I V I S I O N TO U N I F I C AT I O N IN IMPERIAL CHINA

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28 | D I V I S I O N TO U N I F I C AT I O N IN IMPERIAL CHINA

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32 | D I V I S I O N TO U N I F I C AT I O N IN IMPERIAL CHINA

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34 | D I V I S I O N TO U N I F I C AT I O N IN IMPERIAL CHINA

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36 | D I V I S I O N TO U N I F I C AT I O N IN IMPERIAL CHINA

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38 | D I V I S I O N TO U N I F I C AT I O N IN IMPERIAL CHINA

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40 | D I V I S I O N TO U N I F I C AT I O N IN IMPERIAL CHINA

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42 | D I V I S I O N TO U N I F I C AT I O N IN IMPERIAL CHINA

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44 | D I V I S I O N TO U N I F I C AT I O N IN IMPERIAL CHINA

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46 | D I V I S I O N TO U N I F I C AT I O N IN IMPERIAL CHINA

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48 | D I V I S I O N TO U N I F I C AT I O N IN IMPERIAL CHINA

Age of Division, 220 – 589 | 49