Question

Paragraph 2 of this section says that the Chinese described the Vietnamese as the "pacified south". Based on context clues, what do you think this means? What does the author's use of this phrase help us understand about the Vietnamese?

Answer 1

The Tang Dynasty, which ruled China from 618 to 907 CE, conquered Vietnam, and made it the southernmost province of China.

Vietnam, up until that point, had been a problematic place for China, even it it was much smaller. The Tang Dynasty was able to conquer the area, and integrate into the central bureacuracy of the Empire, this is why they began to referred to Vietnam as the "pacified south".