GROWTH AND SPREAD OF CIVILIZATION IN ASIA
Han dynasty [206 BCE-220 CE]
China’s “classical age”

Confucianism became
the basis of educational
system

Contemporary with
Roman Empire
Civil Service Examination

China as a
“meritocracy”

Scholarship was the
way to the top!
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Initiated in 2nd century
BCE and continued
until early 1900s.
“Cheat shirt”
c. 19th C.
Connected to central Asia and Rome
over “Silk Roads”
Sericulture
Tang Dynasty [618-907 CE]:
“Cosmopolitan China”

Tang capital at Chang’an
was a crossroads of the
world

China was the center of
“civilization” in Asia—

Conducted diplomacy
through the “tribute system”
Chang’an
In Chang’an there were
Buddhist temples,
Daoist monasteries,
Manichean, Nestorian,
Mazdean temples, and
eventually Muslim
Mosques.
Tang China: a regional power

During the Tang period,
Chinese philosophies,
classic texts, ideas about
government and city
planning spread to
Japan, Korea, Vietnam
Layout of Nara, Japan, [710-784]
Tang China: the tributary system
RGH #30
The Sui and Tang dynasties, 589-907
C.E.
Tang Decline
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Governmental neglect: Emperor obsessed with music,
favorite concubine
775 rebellion under An Lushan, former military
commander
Captures Chang’an, but rebellion crushed by 763
Nomadic Uighur mercenaries invited to suppress
rebellion, sacked Chang’an and Luoyang
Tang decline continues, rebellions in 9th century, last
emperor abdicates 907
Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE)
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Emphasis on administration,
industry, education, the arts
Military not emphasized
Direction of first emperor,
Song Taizu (r. 960-976 CE)

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Former military leader
Made emperor by troops
Instituted policy of
imperial favor for civil
servants, expanded
meritocracy
The Song dynasty, 960-1279 C.E.
Song Weaknesses

Size of bureaucracy heavy
drain on economy

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Two peasant rebellions in
12th c.
Internal inertia prevents
reform of bureaucracy
Civil service leadership of
military

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Lacked military training
Unable to contain nomadic
attacks
Jurchen conquer, force
Song dynasty to Hangzhou,
southern China (Southern
Song)
Agricultural Economies of the
Tang and Song Dynasties
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Developed Vietnamese
fast-ripening rice, 2
crops per year
Technology: iron plows,
use of draft animals
Soil fertilization,
improved irrigation

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Water wheels, canals
Terrace farming
Population Growth

120
100

80
60
Millions
40
20
0
600
CE
1000
Result of increased
agricultural production
Effective food
distribution system

Transportation networks
built under Tang and
Song dynasties
Urbanization

Chang’an world’s most
populous city: 2 million
residents

Southern Song capital
Hangzhou: over 1
million
Patriarchal Social Structures

Increased emphasis on ancestor worship

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Elaborate grave rituals
Extended family gatherings in honor of deceased
ancestors
Footbinding gains popularity

Increased control by male family members
Footbinding
Footbinding “Three Inch Golden
Lillies”
Western example?
Technology and Industry

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Porcelain (“Chinaware”)
Increase of iron production
due to use of coke, not coal,
in furnaces

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Gunpowder invented
Earlier printing techniques
refined

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Agricultural tools,
weaponry
Moveable type by mid-11th
century
Yet complex Chinese
ideographs make wood
block technique easier
Naval technology
Tea
Emergence of a Market Economy

Letters of credit developed
to deal with copper coin
shortages

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Development of
independently produced
paper money

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Promissory notes, checks
also used
Not as stable, riots when
not honored
Government claims
monopoly on money
production in 11th century
China and the Hemispheric
Economy

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Increasingly
cosmopolitan nature of
Chinese cities
Chinese silk opens up
trade routes, but
increases local demands
for imported luxury
goods
Connected to central Asia and Rome
over “Silk Roads”
Sericulture
Cultural Change in Tang and
Song China

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Declining confidence in
Confucianism after
collapse of Han dynasty
Increasing popularity of
Buddhism
Christianity,
Manichaeism,
Zoroastrianism, Islam
also appear
Clientele primarily
foreign merchant class
China and Vietnam

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Vietnamese adaptation to Chinese culture,
technology
But ongoing resentment at political domination
Assert independence when Tang dynasty falls
in 10th century
Heian Japan (794-1185 CE)
Japanese emperor moves
court to Heian (Kyoto)
Yet emperor figurehead,
real power in hands of
Fujiwara clan
Pattern in Japanese history:
weak emperor, power
behind the throne
Helps explain longevity of
the institution
China and Early Japan

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Chinese armies never invade Japan
Yet Chinese culture pervasive
Imitation of Tang administration
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Establishment of new capital at Nara, hence “Nara
Japan” (710-794 CE)
Adoption of Confucian, Buddhist teachings
Yet retention of Shinto religion
Japanese Literature

Influence of Chinese kanji
characters

Classic curriculum
dominated by Chinese
Institution of the Shogun
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Civil war between Taira
and Minamoto clans in
12th century
Minamoto leader named
shogun, 1185 CE
Ruled from Kamakura,
allowed imperial throne
to continue in Kyoto
Medieval Japan
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Kamakura (1185-1333
CE) and Muromachi
(1336-1573 CE) periods
Decentralized power in
hands of warlords
Military authority in
hands of samurai
Professional warriors
The Spread of Buddhism and
Hinduism
40º North
Main Themes in South Asia
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Islam comes to India: Role of merchants,
missionaries (Sufis), and the military.
Kingdoms in South Asia: Chola
Cross-cultural trade in the Indian Ocean: India
the “Workshop of the World.”
Indianized states in Southeast Asia: Funan,
Srivijiva, Angkor
Islam in Southeast Asia: Melaka
Trading world of Indian Ocean
Basin, 600-1600 CE
Fine Spice Trade
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Nutmeg
Mace
Cloves
Trading world of Indian Ocean
Basin, 600-1600 CE
Malaysia
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Malay sailors
Balanced lug sails
Monsoon winds
Prototype for Arab
lateen sail and European
boats
The Spread of Religions