Ancient
Civilizations
The Asian World
Peoples of East and South Asia
China:
Sui dynasty
Tang dynasty
Song dynasty
Yuan dynasty
Sui Dynasty
• China fell into chaos after Han dynasty ended in 220
• 581, Sui dynasty was set up/ Unified China/ short
lived
• Emperor Sui Yangdia built the Grand Canal that
linked Yellow River & Yangzte River
• Canal made it easier to ship rice north & south
• Yangdi used forced labor to build the canal
• Extravagant living, high taxes, & military failures
caused a rebellion & dynasty ended
Grand Canal of China
Tang Dynasty
• Lasted from 618-907
• Tang rulers began by instituting reforms, restoring
civil service examination for recruiting civilian
bureaucrats, & trying to stabilize the economy by
giving land to peasants and breaking up the power of
large landowners
• Extended control north to control Tibet
• Established diplomatic relations with people of SE
Asia & Koreas
Tang Dynasty
• Brought about its own destruction/ Rulers were not
able to prevent plotting & government corruption
• Tang Xuanzang = emperor/ fell in love with a
commoner’s daughter/ Upset general demanded
someone pay for war & strive & forced the woman
to hang herself
• Uighurs, northern tribal group of Turkic speaking
people ended the Tang dynasty in early 10th
century/were hired to fight for Tang but overthrew
them instead
• Led China into civil war
Song Dynasty
• Ruled from 960-1279/ major period of economic &
cultural achievement
• Uighurs still caused the Song dynasty a problem/
lost control of Tibet
• In order to stay in power, Song became allied with
Mongols
• Within a few years, Mongols turned on the Song &
overthrew them creating a Mongol dynasty
Chinese Government & Economy
• 700 years from the beginning of Sui to the end of the
Song
• China had a large bureaucracy/ outside the capital,
government had a structure of provinces, districts, &
villages
• Agriculture, manufacturing, & trade grew
dramatically between Sui & Song
• Primarily a farming society
• Reform efforts & advances in farming techniques
created an abundance of food
Chinese Government & economy
• Chinese began to make steel which was used to
make swords & sickles
• Intro of cotton led to new kinds of clothes
• Gunpowder invented during the Tang dynasty/ used
to make explosives a weapon called “fire lance”
• Woodblock printing was developed during Tang
dynasty led to books being mass produced
• Silk Road was revived during the Tang dynasty due
to unification with SW Asia
Sickle
Fire Lance
Chinese Society
• Marco Polo described Hangzhou, capital of Song, as
a Paradise
• Majority of Chinese lived off the land and lived in
villages/ Most hardly left their villages during their
entire life
• Status of women was very low/ female children
were considered less desirable than males/ female
infants might even be killed if there was not enough
food for all
• Wives became part of their husband’s families
• Her parents would provide a dowry to the husband
Mongols
Mongol Empire
• Mongols came from present day Mongolia
• Organized loosely into clans/ Temujin gradually
unified the Mongols
• In 1206, Temujin was elected Genghis Khan “strong
ruler” at a massive meeting in the Gobi
• Genghis devoted himself to conquests/Mongols
created the largest land empire in history/Comprised
of much of the Eurasian landmass/capital was
Karakorum
• Genghis died in 1227/ empire was divided among
his sons/ attacked Persians, Abbasids, and Song
Temujin: Genghis
Khan United
Mongol Clans
Mongol Dynasty in China
• When attacking the Song, Mongols first experienced
gunpowder & the fire-lance
• In 1279, Kublai Khan completed the conquering of
Song & established Yuan dynasty in China/
established capital of Khanbaliq = now known as
Beijing
• Under Kublai, Mongol forces advanced against
Vietnam, Java, Sumatra, & Japan/ Mongol military
tactics of cavalry charges & siege warfare were not
effective in these largely, tropical hilly regions & the
Mongol campaigns failed
Mongol Dynasty in China
• Mongols were successful at ruling China
• Adapted to the Chinese political system & used
Chinese bureaucrats
• Mongols formed their own class = staffing the
highest positions in the bureaucracy
• Mongols won support of Chinese people due to the
economic prosperity & social stability the Mongols
brought with them
• Marco Polo wrote stories about how wonderful
Khanbaliq was
Mongol Dynasty in China
• Mongol dynasty fell apart due to problems that
affected the other dynasties; too much spending on
foreign conqests, corruption, growing internal
stability
• In 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang, son of a peasant, formed
an army & ended the Mongol dynasty & established
the Ming dynasty
Zhu Yuanzhang:
Overthrew
The Yuan Dynasty
Religion & Government
• Buddhism & Daoism emerged to rival Confucianism
during Sui & Tang dynasties
• Confucianism reemerged at the end of the Tang
period & held dominance until early 20th century
• Buddhism came to China in 1st century a.d. / brought
by Indian missionaries & merchants
• Due to instability after the collapse of the Han
dynasty, both Buddhism & Daoism attracted many
people; especially ruling classes, intellectuals, &
wealthy
Religion & Government
• Early Tang rulers supported monasteries/ Buddhists
& Daoists become advisors at court
• Buddhism was attacked for being a foreign religion/
Buddhist monasteries held lands & serfs; with these
holdings came corruption
• Late in the Tang period the government destroyed
many Buddhist temples & forced thousands of
monks to return to secular life
• Official support went to reviving Confucianism
Neo-Confucianism
• Neo-Confucianism = differed by teaching the world
is real & that fulfillment comes from participation
• Neo-Confucianist divided the world into material &
spiritual worlds & that humans linked the two
• Humans live in the material world but are linked
with the Supreme Ultimate
• The goal of humans is to unify with the Supreme
Ultimate through a careful examination of moral
principles that rule the universe
Chinese Literature & Art
• Invention of printing during Tang dynasty made
literature available & very popular
• Poetry became big/ 2,200 authors wrote at least
48,000 poems/ poems celebrated beauty of nature,
changes of seasons, & joys of friendships
• Li Bo & Duo Fo = 2 most popular poets/ Li Bo ‘s
poems were memorized by Chinese school children
for centuries/ Duo Fo = serious Confucian
concerned with social justice & the poor
Chinese Art
• Landscape painting reached its height during the
Song & Mongol dynasties
• Painters went into the mountains to paint & find the
Dao or Way = nature
• Landscape paintings reflects the Daoist search for
balance between earth & water
• Ceramics & Tang-period porcelain began to flourish
• Porcelain did not reach Europe until eighteenth
century
Peoples of East and South Asia
Japan:
Yamato clan
Fujiwara family
Minamoto shogunate
Ashikaga shogunate
Japan Geography
• Lies on the Ring of Fire
• Archipelago
• 4 largest islands =Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku,
Kyushu
• Capital = Tokyo, on Honshu
• Islands are peaks of volcanic mountains
• Islands are covered with rugged mountains and steep
hills
• Climate is heavily affected by ocean currents; varies
from tropical in south to cool in north
• About size of California
Rise of Japanese State
• Japanese first settled in Yamato plain; near present
day Osaka & Kyoto
• Society was compromised of clans; people were
divided into small aristocratic classes and latter
classes of farmers, artisans, & servants
• Local rulers protected the population in return for a
share of the harvest
• Shotuku Taishi tried to unify the Japanese clans to
resist Chinese invasion/ To do this he imitated the
Chinese structure of government
Japanese State
• Ruler was portrayed as a divine figure & the symbol
of Japan
• Taishi’s successor continued to emulate Chinese
model/ centralized government
• After Taishi’s (622) death, Fujiwara clan gained
power
• Fujiwara ruler moved capital to Nara/ used the title
“Son of Heaven”/ central government declined
• 794, emperor moved the capital to Heian (present
day Kyoto)…government returned decentralized
system that existed before Taishi
Fujiwara Family Gained Power
Japan
• During Heian period, peasants would give their land
to aristocrats to avoid paying high taxes, becoming
tenant farmers
• Landed aristocrats increasingly turned to military
power to pursue interests/ led to creation of Samurai
– “those who serve” = knights who had own code of
Bushido – “way of warrior” – were loyal to their
lord & employer
• Late 12th century, Japanese wealthy families were in
constant constant civil war
Japan
• Nobleman Minamoto Yoritomo defeated several
rivals & set up his power near modern Tokyo &
created a centralized government called a shogunate
• Shogunate = centralized government under a
shogun, military ruler, not an emperor
• Yoritomo’s Kamakura shogunate lasted from 1192
to 1333
• 1281 Kublai Khan invaded with superior forces, but
a typhoon destroyed the entire Mongol fleet
• Japan would not have foreign invaders again until
1945(end of WWII)
Japan
• Power of Aristocrats grew during the 14th & 15th
centuries
• Daimyo = heads of families/ controlled vast land
estates that were tax exempt
• Daimyo relied on samurai’s to keep control
• By 1500 central power had disappeared
• Onin War = civil war/ almost destroyed Kyoto/
rivalries of powerful lords pushed Japan into chaos
Life in Early Japan
• Largely a farming society
• Due to heavy rainfall, farmers grew rice
• Trade & manufacturing began to develop during the
Kamakura period/ Industries = paper, iron casting, &
porcelain
• Foreign trade with Korea & China emerged in 11th
century
• Women had a level of equality with men in early
Japan/ 8th century law guaranteed inheritance rights
for women/ abandoned wives could divorce &
remarry
Life in Early Japan
• Women were still considered subordinate to men
• Husband could divorce on the grounds of the wife
talking too much, having a serious illness, or unable
to produce a male child
• Women played an active role in various aspects of
society
• Early Japanese worshipped spirits called kami that
resided in nature/ Beliefs evolved into Shinto which
became the state religion
• Shinto = “the Sacred Way” or “Way of the Gods” is
still practiced today
Shinto
• Early Japanese worshipped spirits called kami that
resided in nature/ Beliefs evolved into Shinto which
became the state religion
• Shinto = “the Sacred Way” or “Way of the Gods” is
still practiced today
• Shinto = state doctrine that believes there is a
connection between the divinity of the emperor &
the sacredness of the Japanese nation
• First emperor was descended from sun goddess,
Amaterasu
Shinto Shrine
Japanese Religion
• Some Japanese turned to Buddhism/ Sect called Zen
became most popular/ Zen beliefs became part of
samurai warrior’s code
• Zen = are different ways to achieve enlightenment/
some say it can come suddenly/ some say it can be
achieved only through strong self-discipline,
especially meditation
Zen Master
of the
Kamakura
Period
Early Japan
• 9th-12th centuries, women were the most productive
writers of prose in Japan/ women wrote diaries,
stories, & novels to pass the time
• Men in early Japan believed prose fiction was
merely “vulgar gossip”
• Tale of Genji = written by Muraski Shikibu, around
1,000/ novel that traces the life of the noble Genji as
he moves from youthful adventure to a life of
sadness & compassion later in life
• Landscape served as a means of expression in
Japanese Art & Architecture
The memories of long love gather
like drifting snow. Poignant as the
mandarin ducks who float side by
Tale of
side in sleep.
Lady Murasaki (Murasaki
Shikibu)
974-1031
Peoples of East and South Asia
Korea:
Silla Kingdom
Koryo dynasty
Yi dynasty
Korea
• Korean peninsula is only slightly larger than
Minnesota/Very mountainous
• Heavily influenced by Chinese model of society
• 109 b.c., northern part of peninsula was under
Chinese control/Koreans drove them out in the 3rd
century
• Three kingdoms emerged; Koguryo in the north/
Paekche in southwest/ Silla in the southeast = bitter
rivals from 4th – 7th century
• Silla gained control of Korea/ Korea sank into civil
war after Silla king was assassinated
Korea
• 10th century, Koryo dynasty arose in the north/
unified the country by adopting Chinese political
institutions/ stayed in power for 400 years
• Mongols seized power in north in 13th century
• Koryo was still able to stay in power
• Mongol rule was harsh/ thousands of people were
forced to make ships for Kublai Khan’s invasion of
Japan
• 1392, Yi Song-gye seized power & founded the Yi
dynasty in Korea
Buddhism
• Buddhism was popular for Indian people for
hundreds of years
• Theravada Buddhism = “teachings of the elders”
believed in original teachings of Buddha/ saw
Buddhism as way of life/ claimed understanding
one’s self is chief way to gain nirvana
• Mahayana Buddhism = stressed nirvana was reached
through devotion to Buddha/ said Theravada was too
strict for common people/Mahayana is religion, not
a philosophy/devotion to Buddha
• Neither sect remained popular in India/ Hind..Islam
• Buddhism was successful in other parts of Asia
Silla Buddhist
Temple
India After the Guptas
• 8th century, Islam became popular on Indian
subcontinent
• Successful because it arrived at a time of political
disunity/Gupta empire collapsed/India’s 70 states
warred with each other
• End of 10th century, Islam expanded as rebellious
Turkish slaves founded Islamic state known as
Ghazni, in present day Afghanistan
• Founder’s son = Mahmud of Ghazni attacked
neighboring Hindu kingdoms & expanded his power
Expansion of Islam/ India
• Rajputs = Hindu warriors/ fought Mahmud in
northern India
• Mahmud’s cavalry defeated the slower infantry &
elephants
• By 1200, Muslim power was spread all over north
India = created a new Muslim state known as the
Sultanate of Delhi = eventually expanded power into
the Deccan Plateau
Islam Comes to India
In the Ghazni State
Timur Lenk
• Sultanate of Delhi declined by 14th century
• Timur Lenk’s army raided Delhi & then retreated/
massacred 100,000 Hindu prisoners
• Timur Lenk ruled a Mongol state based in
Samarkand
• Seized power in 1369 & began conquering/
Mesopotamia & region east of the Caspian Sea
• He died in 1405/Death removed a threat from states
on the Indian subcontinent
Islam & Indian Society
• Muslim rulers separated the Muslim ruling class &
the mass of the Hindu population
• Muslim rulers were tolerant of other faiths/tried
peaceful means to convert/too many #’s to convert
all
• Muslim customs were imposed on Hindus
• Distrust, Hatred & violence have always plagued
Indian history
India Economy
• India’s chief source of life is agriculture
• It was a trade center between Southwest & East
Asia(Silk Road)
• Internal trade decreased during internal strive, but
Foreign trade always remained high
India Culture
• Architecture & prose literature was most important
Indian arts
• Architects built magnificent temples = each had a
central shrine surrounded by a tower, hall for
worshippers, entryway, porch, which all set in a
courtyard
• Greatest temples are at Khajuraho/ 20 of the 80 are
still standing
• Dandin = master of prose/ wrote The Ten Princes in
the 7th century/ power of observation & humor made
his writing popular
Hindu Temples
at Khajuraho
Peoples of East and South Asia
Southeast Asia:
Vietnamese
the Khmer
the Thai
the Burmans
Srivujaya kingdom
Sailendra kingdom
Majapahit kingdom
Sultanate of Melaka
Southeast Asia
• Consists of mainland region & extensive
archipelago islands
• Mainland has many mountain ranges with fertile
valleys in between
• Southeast Asia never unified under a single
government
• Separate & Distinctive culture developed with
different languages, religions, & cultural practices
Vietnam
• Located just under China
• One of the first people in SE Asia
• China conquered Vietnam in 111 b.c./ however
failed to make Vietnam a part of China
• Vietnamese overthrew Chinese occupiers in the 10th
century
• Dai Viet (Great Viet) Vietnamese was established
• Vietnamese adopted Chinese model of governing
• Adopted Confucianism, Chinese court rituals, &
civil service examination
• Expanded southward to Gulf of Thailand by 1600
Dai Viet Broke From
China After
1000 Years
SE Asia Civilization
• Arose in 9th century in present day Cambodia
• Jayavarman united the Khmer people/ he was
crowned god-king in 802
• Angkor-Khmer empire was the most powerful in SE
Asia
• Capital = Angkor Thom
• Power of Angkor declined with arrival of the Thai in
14th century/Thai moved southward because of
Mongol invasion of China
• Thai converted to Buddhism & borrowed Indian
practices to develop their own culture = Thailand
SE Asia Civilization
• Thai founded Ayutthaya on Chao Phraya River =
center of Buddhist learning
• West of Angkor is Burman Kingdom of Pagan
• Burmans migrated from Tibet to valley of Salween
& Irrawaddy rivers
• Burmans converted to Buddhism
• Pagan = active in sea trade/ declined in 13th century
because of attacks from Mongols
Ayutthaya
Buddhist Temples
Pagodas at Pagan
Malay & Indonesia
• Malay peninsula & Indonesian Archipelago were
tied to the trade that passed through Indian Ocean
• Area did not unite under a single ruler
• Srivijaya Kingdom finally emerged
• Srivijaya kingdom in eastern Java-8th century/
dominated trade through the strait of Malacca
• Majapahit eventually became the region’s greatest
empire
• 1400, Sultanate of Melaka, Islamic state/ became a
major trading post on the western coast of Malay
Peninsula/converted entire population to Islam
SE Asia Economy
• SE Asian states divided into two categories;
agricultural societies & trading societies
• Trade reached its height after Muslim conquests of
northern India
• Demand for spices rose = adding to the amount of
trade
• Merchants from India & Arabian peninsula brought
back cloves, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, & precious
woods from Indonesian islands
SE Asia Society
• Hereditary Aristocrats were at the top of society/
held political & economic power
• Most lived in cities/ Angkor Thom = major city
• Farmers, fishers, artisans, & merchants made up rest
of population
• Most people were subsistence rice farmers/ paid
heavy taxes/rent to local landlords/rulers
• Women in SE Asia had more rights than women in
China or India
• Women worked with men in the fields & were
involved in trade
SE Asia Culture
• Chinese influence in Vietnam/ Indian influence
elsewhere
• Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia/ temple &
observatory
• Hinduism & Buddhism moved into SE Asia/ old
faiths blended with new/King was believed to have a
link between the people & the gods
• Theravada Buddhism eventually became the religion
of the masses of people in SE Asia = taught people
they could reach nirvana through own efforts/ did
not threaten other religions
Angkor Wat
As Temple and
Observatory
Hindu
Influence In
Southeast Asia