Two Golden Ages of China
The Brilliant Tang
After the Han dynasty collapsed in 220, China remained divided for 400 years
-Farm production expanded
-Technology slowly improved
-Buddhism spread
-Learning and arts continued
-Cities remained, even though many invaders attacked it
-Invaders adapted to Chinese culture
-Confucian values remained strong
Building the Tang Empire
-Perfected empire building
-conquered territories deep into central Asia
-Forced neighboring countries like Vietnam, Tibet and Korea to become tributary states
-States that remained independent, yet had to acknowledge Chinese supremacy and send a tribute to the
Tang emperor.
-wealth, knowledge impressed many other empires
Government and the Economy
-Rebuilt the bureaucracy
-enlarged the civil service system
-Set up a new law code
-Set up schools
-Redistributed the land to peasants
-Systems of canals encouraged trade
Decline
-Lost land to Arabs
-Government corruption
-Taxes
-Drought
-Famine
-Rebellions
Prosperity Under the Song
960, Zhao Kuangyin reunited much of China and founded the Song Dynasty
-Song controlled less territory than the Tang
-Faced constant threat of invasions from the North
-Song period was a Golden Age
Life Under the Song
-ecomony expanded
-irrigation methods increased
What increased if irrigation increased?
-foriegn trade flourished
-Chinese built better ships than Europeans
Three Levels of Chinese Society
-Under the Tang and Song, China was a well ordered society
Gentry- Wealthy landowners, valued education more than physical work
Peasants- worked the land, lived in small self-sufficient villages
Merchants- Some were very wealthy, seen as lower than peasants because they earned their money from
the labor of others
Status of Women
-ran family affairs
-in charge of finances
-discipline
-boys valued more than girls
-Footbinding started during the Song
-Feet of young girls were bound with long strips of cloth
-half the size of a normal foot
-seen as noble and beautiful
-Parents feared a daughter with big feet could not find a husband
-Parents who relied on daughters for work did not bind their feet
Chapter13 section 2
The Mongol and Ming Empires
The Mighty Mongol War Machine
Genghiz Khan was born in 1162
-from birth he was marked from greatness
-Mongols started out as nomadic people who searched for land for their sheep to graze
-Suffered major disasters in battle after his father was poisoned (too young)
-Age 15 he was taken prisoner, escaped to the mountains
-Outcast among many different clans, developed a reputation of courage
-At age 45 he was elected supreme ruler of the Mongols
Mongols in Battle
Genghiz Khan imposed strict military discipline
-demanded absolute loyalty
-tough, skilled soldiers
-travel for days at a time
-eating a few handfuls of grain
-drinking mare's milk
-Most skilled horsemen in the world
Mongol Women
-Skilled warriors and fighters
-Some commanded their own military forces
-Most took care of managing the needs of the camp
Advance to China
Faced the problem of walled cities
-Used cannons and other modern weapons to attack
Effects of Mongol Domination
-The Heirs to Khan expanded the Mongol Empire
-Dominated Asia for the next 150 years
-took over Muslim lands, to China
-Were not oppressive rulers
-Allowed people to live as they did before (paid a tribute)
-Mongols controlled the Silk Road
The Yuan: A Foreign Dynasty
-Genghis Khan conquered Northern China
-Took 70 years to conquer the South
-Genghis's grandson Kublai Khan took over the last Song emperor in 1279
Government
-Kublai tried to keep the Mongols from being absorbed into Chinese civilization
-Only Mongols could serve in the military
-Highest government jobs went to Mongols
-Uneasy mix of of Chinese and foreign ways developed
Kublai adopted a Chinese name for his empire (Yuan)
Western Visitor
Italian merchant named Marco Polo
-Spent 17 years in Kublai's service
-Amazed at the wealth and splendor of Asia
-Astonished readers in Europe
-Contact with Europe and Asia increased
-Mongols were tolerate of other people
The Ming: Restoring Chinese Rule
-Yuan dynasty declined after the death of Kublai Khan
-Most Chinese despised the Mongol rulers
-Confucian scholars retreated into their own world
-Heavy taxes, corruption, and natural disasters led to frequent uprisings
-Zhu Yuanzhang forged a rebel army that took over the Mongols, and pushed them back beyond the Great
wall
-1368, he founded the Ming dynasty which meant brilliant
-early Ming rulers wanted to assert Chinese greatness after years of foreign rule
-Ming restored the civil service system
Economic Revival
-economically, Ming China was very productive
-Fertile well irrigated plains of Eastern China supported a population of more than 100 million
-1500's, new crops reached China from the Americas (corn and sweet potatoes)
-Chinese cities were home to many industries including porcelain, paper and tools
-Repaired the broken canal system
-Better ways of printing increased the number of books
China and the world
-Early Ming rulers sent many Chinese fleets to distant waters
The Voyages of the Zheng He
-1405, Zheng He headed a fleet of 62 huge ships (longest one was 400 ft long)
-Goal of the voyage was to promote trade and collect tributes from other countries
-Made voyages around India, and Southeast Asia, even to Africa
-Brought back exotic animals like giraffes from Africa
-Showed the supremacy of the Chinese Empire to other countries
Turning Inward
1433, Zheng died, the Ming emperor banned the building of seagoing ships
-stopped the ships because they were expensive and didn't return any profit
-Confucian scholars did not have interest in oversea areas
-At this point, Chinese civilization was the most successful in the world
Chapter 13 section 3
Korea and its Traditions
Geography: The Korean Peninsula
-Korea is a peninsula
-Steep mountains cover nearly 70 percent of the Korean peninsula
-Most important mountain range called the T'aebaek runs North and South along the Eastern coast
-Korea's farming region is located in the Western coastal plains
-Hundreds of good harbors
-Thousands of islands
-depended on seafood for protein in their diets
Impact of Korea's Location
-On China's doorstep
-Received many cultural and technological influences from China
-At times, China imposed political control over Korea
-Served as a cultural bridge between China and Japan
-Koreans have adapted and changed Chinese traditions before passing them to the Japanese
-Korean language is unrelated to Chinese language
Korea United
Between 300 and 600 A.D. powerful rulers forged three kingdoms
1. Koguryo- located in the North
2. Paekche- Located in the southwest
3. Shilla- Located in the Southeast
Shared the same language and background, but often fought
668 with help from the Tang, the Shilla united Korea
Korea only had three dynasties:
1. Shilla
2. Koryo
3. Choson
Under the Shilla dynasty, Korea became a tributary state
-Koreans adopted Confucian traditions
-Women's public roles became restricted
Koryo Dynasty
-Buddhism reached its peak during this dynasty
-Produced many Buddhist texts
-Korean inventors came up with moveable type
Choson: The Longest Dynasty
1392, Yi Song-Gye founded the dynasty
-reduced Buddhist influences
-Set up a government based on Confucian principles
-Replaced the Chinese system of writing with Hangul
-an alphabet using symbols to represent sounds in Korean
-Easier for the Koreans to use, less symbols
Chapter 13 section 4
An Island Emerges
Geography: Japan, a Land Apart
-Located on a archipelago (chain of islands)
-Consists of four main islands (Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku)
-About the size of Montana
-4/5 of the land is too mountainous to farm
-As a result, people settled in river valleys along the coastal plains
-Natural barriers were obstacles for trying to unite Japan
-China was too far away for Japan to conquer
-Developed a thriving fish market
Ring of Fire
-Philippines, Indonesia, parts of Australia and South America, and Japan all lay within this ring of Fire
-Area is subject to frequent earthquakes, volcanoes and Tsunamis
Early Traditions
Yamato Clan
-Each clan had it's own chief and a special god or goddess
-Some clan leaders were women
-500 A.D. Yamato clan dominated the corner of Honshu
-Set up Japan's first and only dynasty
Shinto
-Kami (clan gods and goddesses)were generally nature spirits
-Worshipping the forces of nature became known as Shinto (meaning way of the gods)
-Evolved into a religion
The Korean Bridge
-Japanese language is distantly related to Korea's, but completely different than Chinese
-500 A.D. missionaries from Korea introduced Buddhism to Japan
-Sparked a sudden urge for Chinese knowledge
Japan Looks to China
600's, Prince Shotoku (Yamato ruling family) decided to learn about China directly
-sent young Japanese scholars to China to study
Imported from the Tang
Scholars returned to Japan
-eager to spread what they learned in China (thought, technology, and the arts)
-imported ideas about Chinese government
-Set up a bureaucracy
-believed in a holy emperor who claimed absolute power
-Old clans still remained strong in the countryside
-As Buddhism spread, Japanese adopted pagoda architecture
Selective Borrowing
-Kept some Chinese ways, or modified and discarded others
-Never accepted the Chinese civil service system
-Japanese separated themselves by using Kana (phonetic symbols representing syllables)
The Heian Period (794-1185 )
Noblemen and Women lived a fairy-tail life (pavilions, gardens, etc..)
-dressed in silk
-Men could learn Chinese, women could not
Women Writers (Heian Period)
-A women by the name of Sei Shonagon wrote a book called The Pillow Book
-gives vivid details about court life (dress, manners, etc..)
-Lady Murasaki was Shonagon's rival
-wrote The Tale of Genji considered the world's first novel
-about the life Prince Genji and his son
Chapter 13 Section 5
Japan's Feudal Age
Age of the Samurai
Emperor presided over the court in Heian
-Local warlords and even Buddhist temples formed bands loyal to themselves, and not their government
-As these groups fought, Japan evolved into a feudal system
Feudal Society
In theory, the Emperor headed society
-In fact, he was powerless (figurehead)
-Real power lay with the shogun (supreme military commander)
-Often, the shogun only controlled a small part of Japan
-He distributed land to vassal lords who agreed to support them if needed
-These great warrior lords were later called daimyo
-granted land to lesser warriors called samurai (meaning those who serve)
Bushido
Samurai were heavily armed, and well trained
-developed a code of values called Bushido (way of the warrior)
-emphasized honor, bravery, and loyalty to one's lord
The true samurai had no fear of death
-samurai who betrayed the code of bushido would be expected to commit seppuku (ritual suicide)
Women
-status declined during samurai age
-inheritance was only given to sons
-bushido did not respect women
Mongol Invasions
-During the feudal age, most fighting took place between warlords
-Mongol conquest of China, and Korea also threatened Japan
-Japanese refused to accept Mongol rule, Kublai Khan launched an attack from Korea in 1274
-Khan attacked with ships, typhoon wrecked many of his ships twice
-Japanese attributed this fortune to the kamikaze, divine winds
Order and Unity Under the Tokugawas
Kamakura Shogunate crumbled after the Mongol invasions
-Several powerful warriors united large parts of Japan
-Tokugawa defeated all rivals for power
-Founded the Tokugawa shogunate (1603-1868)
Centralized Feudalism
-Tokugawa shoguns wanted to end feudal warfare
-Imposed central government control (centralized feudalism)
-Created a unified, orderly society
-Strict moral code
Economic Growth
-With peace restored in the countryside, agriculture picked up
-new seeds, tools and fertilizer increased production
-Trade flourished
Zen Buddhism
-emphasized meditation and devotion to duty
-Zen monks were great scholars
-valued an uncluttered mind
-Compassion for all, yet samurai fought to kill
Zen Buddhism shaping life
Zen monasteries, men learned how to express devotion to nature (landscaping)
-Believed people could seek enlightenment, not only through meditation, but through everyday tasks
Two Golden Ages of China
The Tang Empire
-Invaders adapted to Chinese culture
-Forced neighboring countries to become tributary states
*States that were independent, but had to acknowledge Chinese supremacy and
pay tribute to the Tang emperor.
Government and the Economy
-civil service system
-new law codes and schools
-Redistributed land to peasants
-canals encouraged trade
Decline
-Lost land to Arabs
-Taxes
-Drought
The Song Empire
Zhao Kuangyin reunited much of China and founded the Song Dynasty
-Faced constant threat of invasions from the North
-Song period was a Golden Age
-economy expanded
-irrigation methods increased
-foreign trade flourished
-Chinese built better ships than Europeans
Under the Tang and Song
Gentry- Wealthy landowners, valued education more than physical work
Peasants- worked the land, lived in small self-sufficient villages
Status of Women
-in charge of finances
-ran family affairs
-Foot binding started during the Song