Geography and cultural influences
Agricultural or trading economies
Geography
 Between China and India
 Two parts:
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Mainland region from the Chinese border to the tip of the
Malay Peninsula.
Archipelago= Chain of islands
 Present-day Indonesia and the Philippines
 “Golden Region”, or “Golden Islands”
 Densely populated and highly advanced.
 Several mountain regions and river valleys.
 Might explain why SE Asia is one of the few regions in
Asia that was never unified under a single government.
Formation of States
 500-1500 states developed in SE Asia.
 Used models from China and India.
 Vietnam
 Conquered by China in 111 B.C.
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Chinese wanted to make Vietnam part of China
10th century Vietnam finally overthrew Chinese rule.
Took Chinese model of centralized government.
 Called Dai Viet (Great Viet).
 Adopted Confucianism
 Used Civil Service examination
Angkor
 Present-day Cambodia
 Jayavarman= united the Khmer (kuh-MEHR) people.

Crowned god-king of his people.
 Destroyed by the Thai in 1432.
Thailand
 Appeared in 6th century as frontier people in China.
 11th-12th century moved southward.
 Set up capital at Ayutthaya (ah-YU-tuh-yuh).
 Converted to Buddhism
 Borrowed Indian political practices.
Burma
 People who had migrated from the highlands of Tibet
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in 7th century A.D. (probably to escape the Chinese
armies)
Pastoral people, but adopted farming when arriving in
SE Asia.
Founded Pagan (pah-GAHN)
Converted to Buddhism
Adopted Indian political institutions and culture.
The Malay World
 Tied to the trade that passed from East Asia in the Indian
Ocean.
 Numerous separate communities
 Two organized states emerged:
 Srivijaya (SHREE-vih-JAY-uh)
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Dominated the trade route passing through the Strait of Malacca,
Wealth = Depended on trade
 Kingdom of Sailendra
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Emerged in eastern Java.
Wealth= Depended primary on farming
 Both influenced by Indian culture!
Melaka
 Islamic state around 1400
 A peninsula between the Indian Ocean and the South
China Sea.
 Major trade port.
 The entire population of the region was converted to
Islam and become part of the Sultan of Melaka.