Chapter 13 – The spread of
Chinese Civilization: Japan,
Korea, and Vietnam
•The people of China’s borders naturally
were influenced by their great neighbor
•Japan “borrowed” heavily from China
during the 5th and 6th centuries
•In all 3 regions, Buddhism was a key
force in transmitting Chinese civilization
•Japan – The common
people looked to Buddhist
monks for spiritual and
secular assistance and
meshed Buddhist beliefs
with traditional religion
•*Taika reforms (646 CE) – Attempts to
remake the Japanese monarch into an
absolutist Chinese-style emperor;
included attempts to create professional
bureaucracy & peasant army
•Taika reforms failed; the aristocracy
returned to Japanese traditions
•Heian – Japanese city later called Kyoto
– built to escape influence of Buddhist
monks
•*Bushi – regional warrior leaders in Japan; ruled small kingdoms
from fortresses; administered the law, supervised public works
projects, and collected revenues; built up private armies (Samurai)
•Similar to Feudalism in Europe – local nobles carved out
estates and reduced the peasants to serfdom
•Samurai – mounted troops of the bushi;
loyal to local lords, not the emperor
•The aristocrats lived in palaces
and gardens; the basis of their life
was the pursuit of enjoyment
•Sinfication– Extensive
adaptation of Chinese culture in
other regions (from previous
chapter)
•Japanese peasants were
reduced to the status of serfs with
the rise of the Samurai
•Bakufu – Military government established by the Minamoto;
retained an emperor, BUT the real power resided in military
government and samurai
•Shoguns – Military leaders of the Bakufu
Similarities of
Japan and
Western
European
Feudalism
•BOTH were not able to sustain more centralized political forms
•BOTH embraced elite militaristic values
•BOTH of their women were excluded from inheritance
•Warfare based on spying, timely assaults, wise command, and
organization of professional armies.
•Japanese determined aristocratic rank by birth, thus
blocking social mobility (think of the Indian caste system!)
Korea
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Not until 3rd century CE was Korea
independent of China
Korean bureaucracy admitted members
almost exclusively by birth rather than test
scores
– “It’s not what you know, but who you know.” ;-)
•Buddhism supplied the key
links between Korea and
China
•Korea, because of its
proximity to China, was more
profoundly influenced over a
longer period than any other
state
•Three competing kingdoms
emerged in Korea: Silla,
Koguryo and Paekche
•Koguryo* – Tribal people of
northern Korea; established
an independent kingdom in
the northern half of the
peninsula; adopted cultural
Sinification*
•Silla* – southeast Korean
kingdom was successful in
establishing a unified and
independent government in
Korea although they paid the
Tang tribute.
Korea’s Three Kingdoms
Southeast Asia
•Vietnam, Cambodia,
Thailand, Burma, & the
Malay Peninsula
•Located between China
and India (and south of
China)
•More rights for women
than in India or China
VIETNAM
•they had their own culture (remained
distinct, in spite of Sinfication)
•They were prepared to receive the
benefits of Chinese civilization but not to
lose their identity
•Their spoken language was not
related to Chinese
•Vietnamese women had more freedom
and influence than Chinese women did
Vietnam adopted Chinese
model of government as
well as Confucianism as
state religion/philosophy
•The expanding Han Empire first secured tribute from Vietnam;
later, after 111 BCE the Han conquered and governed directly
•Viets attended Chinese schools, learned Chinese scripts
•Chinese techniques made Vietnamese agriculture the most
productive in Southeast Asia
•Geography, environment,
and movement in Vietnam
divided the nation into two
cultural divisions – one in the
south along the Mekong River
and the other in the north
along the Red River
•The conflict between north
and south left the
Vietnamese oblivious to
outside threats from the
French and the Catholic
Church.
The Khmer Empire Cambodia
•Kingdom of Angkor in 9th century
•Jayavarman (King) united Khmer
Empire
•Thai people invade and
destroyed the Khmer capital in
1432
•Khmer set up new capital in
Phnom Penh
Thailand
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Influenced by both
China and India;
Thailand adopted
Buddhism as its state
religion and the
political practices of
India.
Malay Peninsula/Indonesia
•Heavily influenced by
Indian culture
•In the 15th c. an
Islamic state formed
around the small city
of Malacca (southwest
Malaysia)
A sultanate* is a term used for a land ruled by the authority and
office of a strictly Islamic monarchy
The Least You Need to Know
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As the Chinese Empire developed and grew
culturally and politically, so did its influence on
Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia
Geographic isolation set the stage for Japan to
develop its own unique culture and government
Although originally dominated by China, Korea
eventually emerged as a divergent nation, both
politically and culturally
In Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, the class that
most welcomed Chinese influence and culture
was the court bureaucrats (scholar-gentry;
upper-class)