THE FIRST GLOBAL AGE: EUROPE & ASIA

The desire for a share in the valuable spice
trade spurred Portugal & Spain to search for
new trade routes to Asia. Aided by better ships
& other technological advances, Europeans
explored the world, coming upon the Americas
in their travels. Europeans established trading
posts in Asia. India, too, established a
presence in Southeast Asia, where geography
contributed to the development of a number of
diverse Southeast Asian cultures.
Exploration Unit:
ENCOUNTERS IN EAST ASIA
WARM-UP
 The
terms isolation, Hermit Kingdom, &
closing the door pertain to East Asia
between the 1500s & 1700s.
 What
might these terms indicate about
East Asian foreign policy during this
period?
ANSWER TO THE WARM-UP
 After
the Ming dynasty, the Qing (ching)
dynasty brought some changes to China.
However, both dynasties limited contact
with the West.
 Korea, stung by Japanese & Manchu
invasions, isolated itself & became known
as the Hermit Kingdom.
ANSWER TO THE WARM-UP (CONT.)
 In
Japan, the Tokugawa shoguns first
welcomed foreign merchants but then
barred them from the country.
 What
does it all mean?
In short, China, Korea, & Japan limited
contact with western nations between
the 1500s & 1700s.
SETTING THE SCENE

Europeans who
reached Asia in the
1500s often made
poor impressions on
locals.
 Asians thought that
Europeans were…
Ignorant
Wanting in
ordered life
Very dirty
Had no manners

Europeans, however,
were impressed with
who & what they found
in East Asia.
EUROPEAN TRADE WITH CHINA
 “Since
our empire owns the world,
there is no country on this or the
other sides of the seas which does
not submit to us.”-document from the
Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty ended overseas
exploration in mid-1400s
EUROPEAN TRADE WITH CHINA
 Portuguese
reached China by sea in 1514
To the Chinese, they had little to offer in
exchange for silks & porcelains
European textiles & metalwork were
inferior to Chinese products
Therefore, the Chinese demanded gold
or silver
EUROPEAN TRADE WITH CHINA


Strict Limits on Trade
Eventually the Ming opened a trading post at Macao
where Portuguese, Dutch, English & other Europeans
could trade w/ Chinese merchants, but under strict
limits.
 For example…
 trade could only be conducted under the
supervision of imperial officials
 once trading season ended, they had to sail
away
MACAO
EUROPEAN SCHOLARS & MISSIONARIES
A few European scholars, like Jesuit priest
Matteo Ricci, did make a positive impression
on Ming China.
 1580s, Ricci learned to speak Chinese &
adopted Chinese dress.
 Ricci & other priests had little success
spreading their religious beliefs
 But Chinese rulers welcomed the chance to
learn the arts & sciences of Renaissance
Europe.

THE MANCHU CONQUEST
 By
the early 1600s, the Ming dynasty
was decaying.
 Revolts erupted & Manchu invaders
from the north pushed through the
Great Wall.
 In 1644, victorious Manchu armies
seized Beijing & made it their capital.
QING (CHING) RULE
 The
Manchu set up a new dynastyQing
Manchu barred intermarriage
between Manchus & Chinese
Manchu women were forbidden to
follow the traditional Chinese
practice of foot binding
FOOT BINDING
FOOT BINDING
FOOT BINDING
FOOT BINDING
FOOT BINDING
QING RULE
For each top government position, the Qing
chose two people, one Manchu & one Chinese.
 Manchu troops stationed across the empire
ensured loyalty.
 Two rulers

 Kangxi
(kahng shee) 1661-1722, extended Chinese
power into Central Asia & promoted Chinese culture
 Qianlong (chyehn lohng) 1736-1796, expanded the
Chinese borders
PROSPERITY UNDER QING DYNASTY
The Chinese economy expanded under both
emperors.
 New crops from the Americas, such as potatoes
& corn, boosted farm output, which in turn
contributed to a population boom.

 Population
rose from 140 million in 1740 t0 over
300 million by 1800.

Further growth in handicraft industries,
including silk, porcelain, & cotton.
QING DYNATY’S RESPONSE TO WESTERNERS
 The
Qing maintained the Ming policy
of restricting foreign trade.
 Still, Europeans kept pressing to
expand trade
1793, Lord Macartney arrived in
China as part of a British diplomatic
mission.
LORD MACARTNEY’S VISIT TO CHINA

Brought samples of British-made goods, which
the Chinese thought were gifts offered as
tribute to the emperor
 Took



offense because they were cheap, crude
products.
When Macartney met with the emperor, he refused to
perform the traditional kowtow, touching his head to
the ground to show respect.
Spoke of the superiority of the English
Do you think the Chinese liked him? NO!!!!!!
KOREA & ISOLATION
Like China, Korea restricted outside contacts in
the 1500s & 1600s.
 The Choson dynasty embraced Confucian
ideas.
 Like the Chinese, Koreans felt that Confucian
learning was the most advanced in the world.
 The low status of merchants in Confucianism
led Koreans to look down on foreign traders.

WHAT IS CONFUCIANISM?

Ethical & philosophical system developed from
the teachings of the Chinese philosopher
Confucius. It is a complex system of moral,
social, political, philosophical, & quasi-religious
thought that has had tremendous influence on
the culture & history of East Asia.
KOREA & ISOLATION

Other events led Korea to turn inward…
A
Japanese invasion in the 1590s devastated the
land of Korea.
 In 1636, before overrunning Ming China, the
Manchus conquered Korea.
In response to all of this, Koreans chose
isolation, excluding all foreigners except the
Chinese & a few Japanese.
 When European sailors shipwrecked on Korean
shores, they were imprisoned or killed.

JAPAN & FOREIGN TRADERS
Unlike the Chinese or Koreans, the Japanese at
first welcomed western traders.
 1543, Portuguese reached Japan; later the
Spanish, Dutch, & English.
 They arrived at a turbulent time when there
was a struggle for power.
 The Japanese quickly acquired western
firearms & built castles modeled on
European designs.

JAPAN & FOREIGN TRADERS
Japan was much more open to European
missionaries than China.
 Jesuits, like Spanish priest Francis Xavier,
found the Japanese curious & eager to learn
about Christianity.
 The Tokugawa shoguns, however, were
increasingly hostile toward foreigners.

TOKUGAWA SHOGUNS
After learning how Spain had seized the
Philippines, they saw Europeans as agents of
an invading force.
 They also disliked competition from Christian
missionaries; therefore, they had them expelled
& brutally persecuted Japanese Christians,
killing many thousand.
 By 1638, they had barred all western
merchants & forbidden Japanese travel abroad.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?
How
might limited contact
with the West have both
strengthened & weakened
the countries of East Asia?