Asian Transitions in an Age of
Global Change
Chapter 22
The Asia Sea Trade Network (#1)
• Divided into three main zones
– 1. Arab – glass, carpet and
tapestry products
– 2.India – cotton trade and
textiles
– 3. China – paper, porcelain
(Ming), silk textiles
– Peripheral regions like
Indonesia, Japan and East
Africa provided raw materials
only
• The vast extent of this trade
was relegated to following
coastal routes (NO OPEN SEA
SAILING)
• Two critical characteristics
– 1. Central control by the
Arabs
– 2. military/naval force was all
but absent
The European Coming
• The first Portuguese arriving in India in
the 1500s discovered their products,
apart from gold, were too primitive for
profitable exchange for Asian goods
• They saw Islam as a blockage to
commerce and spread of Catholic
Christianity
• They also saw that political divisions
divided Asians who did not understand
the threat posed by their presence
Portuguese Force (#1)
• Since they did not have
acceptable goods, the Portuguese
decided to muscle their way into
the Asian trade network
• They took advantage of political
divisions where found and vastly
outgunned the only viable navy
(Chinese)
• They constructed trading forts
(similar to their African slave
forts) at Ormuz, Goa and
Malacca
• Ormuz and Malacca were
positioned on strategic waterways
that allowed for control of trade
throughout a vast region.
Rise of the Dutch and British
Companies (#2 and 3)
• Portugal’s East Asian network lasts very briefly, as
the nation had neither the manpower or number of
ships to maintain its control…and several outposts
ignored the crown and became corrupt
• By the 1600s, the Dutch and British dominate sea
trade
• The Dutch capture Malacca and build their own fort
at Batavia in Java and focus SOLELY on
controlling spice trade.
• The British followed the same suit, however, were
limited to India (both sides) and China
The European Tribute System
• Remember, Europe now controlled the seas but had
little inland dominance in this era
• Despite have the technological advantages, the vast
number of Asians was overwhelming…so
Europeans accepted the power of Asian rulers in
return for trading rights
• War with Asian populations only occurred in a few
places
– Sri Lanka, Java and the Philippines
• The tribute system established mirrored the Spanish
system in Latin America…the indigenous peoples
lived under their own leaders while paying tribute in
manufactured products to Europeans.
Spreading the Faith in Asia (#4)
• Protestants did not use the missionary
clause in Asia like the Spanish and
Portugal did in Latin America
• Though both Portuguese and Spanish
tried (Francis Xavier), their
conversion success was minimal as
Islam and Hinduism proved to be
strong foes to Christianization
• While conversions in India were
scarce due to previously established
religions, in the Philippines, not such
major religion existed. Christian
missionaries had much more success
in spreading their faith there, though
it did blend significantly with tribal
customs.
Ming China
• Ruled from 1368 – 1644
• Best organized government in
the world and strongest
military of its day
• Re-established the
examination system ensuring
the revitalization of a strong,
educated elite in China
• First emperor was Zhu
Yuanzhang (later took name
of Hongwu)…was a peasant
military leader who helped to
force out the Mongols
The Scholar Gentry Revival (#5)
• Though Zhu (Hongwu) was suspicious of
the scholar-gentry, he recognized that they
were necessary for reviving Chinese
civilization
• He made sure that despite the fact family
connection was still vital in establishing
membership in the scholar gentry, that all
persons took/passed the required exams in
seeking advancement
• This made sure that only the most talented
individuals gained a high place in Chinese
bureaucracy
Hongwu’s Reforms #5
• Aside from making sure the scholar
gentry had only the most qualified
bureaucrats, Hongwu made every
attempt to limit their power
• He took over the role of chief minister
and took on more powers
personally…officials who failed their
tasks were publicly beaten…imperials
had to choose wives from humbler
families (attempt to limit
rivalries)…writings that displeased
Hongwu were censored
• Later Ming rulers lapsed some of these
rules.
Ming Growth (#6 and 7)
• The early part of the dynasty
saw massive economic and
population growth (by 1800
there were 300 million Chinese)
• Products from Columbian
exchange arrived in China (as
well as Spanish silver) and
expanded agriculture into areas
previously thought as unfertile
• The Ming opened Macao and
Canton to European trade…a
merchant class emerged,
gaining significant wealth
• Ming arts became desired
worldwide…paintings, novels
(thanks to the innovation of
woodblock printing) and vases
Rise of Tokugawa Japan
• In the late 1500s, the fierce daimyo
Nobunaga used firearms he procured from
Portuguese traders to contest for power in
Japan…he succeed in overthrowing the last
Ashikaga Shogun in 1573, but was killed
himself in 1582 before solidifying power
• Nobunaga’s general Toyotomo Hideoyoshi
continued the struggle and became master
of Japan by 1590...he died in 1598
• Tokugawa Ieyasu took up the struggle and
was eventually named supreme Shogun by
the emperor in 1603…his family would
rule Japan from Edo (Tokyo) for the next
250+ years
• Tokugawa ruled single-handedly from his
centralized point at Edo (Tokyo). He ended
the years of civil war that had plagued
Japan…he mainly reorganized the land
holdings of daimyo and put the outlying
provinces of Japan under a watchful eye
The European Challenge and
Isolation (#8 and 9)
•
•
•
•
Europeans were frequently visiting Japan in the early 1500s (before isolation)
The vast exchange of goods included firearms, clocks, printing presses for silver, copper
and locally manufactured goods…Christianity was brought in as well.
Fear of Europeans began to consume the mind of Hideyoshi…during his rule strict
measures were put in place to limit the influence of Europeans and Christianity and open
persecution of Japanese converts began…Christianity was later banned by Tokugawa in
1614
By 1616, the merchant class was confined to few cities (Nagasaki being one)…by 1630
Japanese ships were not allowed to sail overseas…by 1640, trade from Europeans was
limited to exchange at Deshima Island (Nagasaki)…despite this isolation, some Japanese
elites still managed to make intellectual contact with traders at Nagasaki, bringing in
some western ideology into Japanese daimyo nobility. Even with limited western
contact, Tokugawa established the school of National learning to emphasize distinct
Japanese culture and tradition while also devaluing all things foreign.