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World History
Cultures of East Asia
Fall 2012
Chinese Empires
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Starting Points Map: East Asia
Main Idea / Reading Focus
Sui and Tang Dynasties
Faces of History: Wu Zhao
The Song Dynasty
Map: Tang and Song Dynasties
The Big Picture
Beginning in the 500’s AD A series of dynasties
reunified China and produced a prolonged golden
age. The influence of China’s advanced civilization
spread across East Asia.
In Korea, kingdoms borrowed from Chinese culture
and made it their own.
In Japan, rulers borrowed from both China and
Korea to produce a cultural flowering. In Southeast
Asia, several kingdoms and empires thrived while
borrowing from both India and China
Theme: Migration and Diffusion
During this presentation, you should note how
Chinese and Indian cultures spread, or diffused,
through trade, conquest, migration and religious
missionaries to influence Japan, Korea and
Southeast Asia.
Nomadic Mongols then spread their culture
through conquest as well.
Cultures of East Asia
Chinese Empires
Main Idea
The Sui dynasty reunified China, after which the Tang and Song
dynasties produced an age of prosperity and achievement.
Reading Focus
• How did the Sui and Tang dynasties reunify China?
• How did the Song dynasty strengthen China?
• What were some Tang and Song cultural achievements?
• How was this period a time of prosperity and social change?
Sui and Tang Dynasties
The Han dynasty ruled China from 206 BC to AD 220—more than 400 years. After the
dynasty collapsed, military leaders split China into rival kingdoms. These events began
a period of disorder and warfare that historians call the Period of Disunion.
The Period of Disunion
Civilization Thrived
• Nomads invaded northern China,
formed own kingdoms
• Despite these events, Chinese
civilization thrived, developed
• Many northern Chinese fled south
to region of Yangzi River
• Nomadic invaders in north adopted
aspects of Chinese civilization
• A number of southern dynasties
rose, fell
• Northern Chinese immigrants’
culture blended with local cultures
in south; arts, philosophy flowered
The Period of Disunion lasted more than 350 years, ending when a northern ruler
named Wendi reunified China, founding the Sui dynasty.
The Sui Dynasty
Centralized Government
• Wendi worked to build
centralized government
Grand Canal
• Greatest accomplishment of Sui
dynasty, completed during reign
of Yangdi, Wendi’s son
• Restored order, created new
legal code, reformed
bureaucracy
• 1,000 mile waterway linked
northern, southern China
• Created policies to provide
adult males with land, ensure
availability of grain
• Yangdi forced millions of
peasants to work on canal; led
to discontent, rebellion
• 618, Yangdi assassinated, Sui
dynasty ended
The Tang Dynasty
Period of Brilliance
• Tang dynasty ruled 618 to 907; Chinese influence spread
• China experienced period of brilliance, prosperity, cultural achievement
• Government, other institutions served as models across East Asia
Built on Sui Foundations
• Established capital at Chang’an, Sui capital
• Second capital located at Luoyang
• Government control remained centralized, based on bureaucracy of officials
Civil Service
• To obtain talented officials, Tang expanded civil service examination system
• People had to pass written exams to work for government
• Created flexible law code; model for law codes in Korea, Japan
Foreign Affairs
• Tang expanded China, Chinese influence
• Regained western lands in Central Asia, gained influence over Korea
• Contact with Japan increased; Japanese scholars came to China to study
• Expansion, increased contact with others grew foreign trade
Expansion
• Much of expansion occurred during reign of Taizong, 626 to 649
• Taizong relied on talented ministers to help govern
• In addition to military conquests, Taizong had schools built to prepare students for
civil service exams
• After his death, one of his sons became emperor
Wu Zhao
New emperor was weak, sickly
• Emperor’s wife, Wu Zhao gained power
• Following death of husband
– Wu Zhao ruled through her sons
– Eventually became emperor herself—the only woman to do so in
Chinese history
• Wu Zhao overthrown, 705
– Dynasty reached height under Xuanzong
– During reign, 712 to 756, empire prospered
Question for thought!
Why is Empress Wu met with
disdain by many Chinese
historians?
The Age of Buddhism
From India
• Buddhism first came to China from India during Han times
• During Period of Disunion many Chinese turned to Buddhism
• Taught people could escape suffering, appealed to people in turmoil
State Religion
• Under Tang rule, Buddhism became state religion
• Buddhist temples appeared across land, missionaries spread Buddhism
• 400 to 845 in China, Age of Buddhism; ended when lost official favor
Tang Decline
• 750s, decline began, government weak, nomadic invasions, rebellions
• Military defeats lost Tang lands in Central Asia and the north
• 907, emperor killed, Tang dynasty ended
Summarize
How did the Sui and Tang dynasties unite and
expand China?
Answer(s): built centralized government; reformed
laws and policies; built Grand Canal; Tang regained
land in Central Asia and gained influence over
neighboring states; increased contact with other
peoples
The Song Dynasty
After Tang Dynasty
• China split apart after Tang
dynasty
• Did not reunify until 960 with
Song dynasty
• Song ruled for about 300 years,
created achievement, prosperity
• Under Song, Chinese
civilization became most
advanced in world
Government and Civil Service
• Song established capital at
Kaifeng, restored centralized
government control
• Enlarged government
bureaucracy, reformed civil
service examination system
• Neo-Confucianism gained
favor, emphasizing Confucian
ethics, spiritual matters
Civil Service Exams
• Extremely difficult to pass; those who did became scholar-officials
• Scholar-officials received good salary, were respected
• Civil service exams became more open to ordinary people
• Exams became pathway to gaining wealth, status
Southern Song
• Song rulers never regained northern, western lands lost by Tang
• Tried to buy peace with threatening nomads by sending lavish gifts
• 1120s, nomadic people, Jurchen, conquered northern China, founded Jin empire
• Song continued in south as Southern Song dynasty 150 more years
Compare
How did the Song strengthen China’s
government?
Answer(s): established capital at Kaifeng and restored
centralized government control, enlarged bureaucracy,
reformed civil service exam
Cultural Achievements
The Tang and Song dynasties were periods of great cultural
achievement. Art and literature flourished, and many inventions and
advances occurred in science and technology.
Literature and Art
Painting
• Tang period
produced some of
China’s greatest
poets
• Reached new
heights
• Exquisite objects
made from clay
• Wu Daozi, murals
celebrating
Buddhism, nature
• Tang: pottery
figurines, often to
go in tombs
• Landscapes of
great beauty
• Song: excelled at
making porcelain
• Some used only
black ink
• Admired, sought
after worldwide
• Du Fu, Li Bo, two
most famous
• Poems of
Confucian ideals,
joys of life
Artisans
Inventions and Innovations
Architecture
Inventions
• Indian Buddhist temples
influenced design of Chinese
pagoda
• During Tang, Song periods,
China became a world leader in
technology, science
• Featured roofs at each floor
curving upwards at corners
• Gunpowder major invention,
used in fireworks, weapons
Magnetic Compass
Printing
• Major Tang technical advance
• Paper, ink invented earlier
• Uses Earth’s magnetic field to
show direction
• Tang period, developed
woodblock printing
• Revolutionized sea travel,
contributed to world exploration
• Text carved into wood, coated
with ink, pressed on paper
Moveable Type
• Song dynasty invented another type of printing, moveable type
• Uses blocks on which letters, characters carved
• Blocks rearranged, reused to print many things
• Faster than woodblock, spread to Europe, revolutionized printing
Paper Money
• Another Song invention
• Had used bulky metal disks placed on strings
• As economy grew, lighter, more useful form of currency developed
• Paper money light, easy to use, quickly spread in use in China
Identify Cause and Effect
How did Chinese innovations affect world
history?
Answer(s): Gunpowder dramatically affected how wars
were fought; the compass allowed for world
navigation; printing innovations led to increased
sharing of ideas.
Prosperity and Society
In addition to cultural achievements, the Tang and Song periods were a time of
growth and prosperity.
Agriculture
• Chinese agriculture became
more productive
– New irrigation techniques
– New variety of rice
– Production of cotton, tea
increased
• Increased food production
contributed to population
growth
• Tang population 60 million,
Song population 100 million
Trade
• Improvements in roads, canals
increased trade within China
• Foreign trade expanded,
mostly over land routes like
Silk Roads
• Late Tang: advances in sailing,
shipbuilding helped sea trade
• Song: merchants became
important in society; money,
banking began to develop
City Life
• As farming, trade grew so did China’s cities
• China had largest cities in world at the time
• Tang capital, Chang’an, population more than 1 million, many cultures
• Song dynasty, several cities had million or more; sea trade caused port cities
to boom
• Despite urban growth, most Chinese still lived, farmed in countryside
Society
• Power of aristocratic families
declined during period
• New class developed, gentry
• Included scholar-officials, leading
landowners
• Most still peasants, farmers
• Paid most of taxes, little schooling
Women
• Status of women declined, most
visibly in upper classes
• Desire for small, dainty feet led to
custom of footbinding
• Painful process to keep feet from
growing, deformed feet over time
• Symbol of husband’s authority
Draw Conclusions
How did footbinding reflect changes in attitudes
toward women in China?
Answer(s): became symbol of husband's authority
over wife; women's status declined
The Mongol Empire
Main Idea / Reading Focus
The Mongols
The Yuan Dynasty
Map: Mongol Empire
End of the Yuan Dynasty
Faces of History: Kublai Khan
The Mongol Empire
Main Idea
The Mongols built a vast empire across much of Asia, founded the
Yuan dynasty in China, and opened China and the region to greater
foreign contacts and trade.
Reading Focus
• How did the nomadic Mongols build an empire?
• How did China change under the Mongol rulers of the Yuan dynasty?
• Why did the Yuan dynasty decline and finally end?
The Mongols
In the 1200s a nomadic people called the Mongols burst forth from Central Asia to
create the largest land empire in history.
Nomads from the Steppe
Fierce Warriors
• Vast steppes, grasslands,
stretch across north-central
Eurasia, home to nomadic
peoples
• Like Huns, Turks, the Mongols
emerged as powerful nomadic
people on Central Asian
steppes
• Steppes too dry for farming
• Herded sheep, goats
• Nomads relied on herds of
domesticated animals
• Skilled with horses
• Often traded; but also swept
down on settlements, took
what they wanted
• Accustomed to living in harsh
environment, competing for
scarce resources
• Tough people, fierce warriors
The Universal Ruler
Separate Clans
• Mongols divided into separate clans, each led by a khan, chief
• Khans rose to power through military skills, ability to lead
• 1100s, Temujin, powerful khan, began to conquer rivals, unite Mongol clans
Genghis Khan
• 1206, Temujin completed task, took name Genghis Khan, “Universal Ruler”
• Set out to build empire, organized Mongols into powerful military machine
• Strict discipline, demanded loyalty, rewarded those who pleased him
Campaign of Conquest
• Mongol forces began bloody campaign of conquest; highly mobile armies
• Employed brutality, psychological warfare; burned towns, killed inhabitants
• Sent agents ahead to instill fear; soon people surrendered without a fight
The Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire
• Genghis Kahn led Mongols in
conquering much of Asia
• Mongols learned art of siege
warfare, gunpowder in fights
against Chinese, Turks
• At Genghis Kahn’s death, 1227,
Mongols controlled much of
northern China, Central Asia
• Sons, grandsons took up
challenge of world conquest
Khanates
• Genghis Kahn’s empire divided
into four khanates, heir ruled
each region; new Great Khan
ruled over whole empire
• Grandsons resumed efforts to
complete conquests of China,
Korea, Persia
• 1236, Golden Horde, or Tartars,
began conquering Russia,
Poland, Hungary
The Golden Horde
Golden Horde stood ready to invade western Europe
• Grandson Batu learned of Great Kahn’s death, suddenly turned
back
• India, Western Europe escaped Mongol wrath
• Most of Eurasia devastated
• Millions had died, entire cities annihilated
The Mongol Peace
• Mongols built empire with brutality, ruled peacefully
• Tolerated local beliefs, ways of life, allowed local rulers to stay in power as long as
they paid tribute to Mongols
• Some Mongols adopted aspects of more civilized cultures; Mongols in Central Asia,
Persia, adopted Islam
Stability in Asia
• Mongol Empire established peace, stability across Asia
• Some historians call period Pax Mongolica, “Mongol Peace”
• Guarded trade routes across Asia, allowed trade to increase; people, goods, ideas
flowed across Asia
• Some believe Black Plague spread from Asia to Europe during period
Identify Supporting Details
How were the Mongols able to build a vast
empire across much of Eurasia?
Answer(s): army was skilled and well organized, rules
promoted loyalty and obedience; tactics involved
brutality and psychological warfare; built fear in those
they conquered
The Yuan Dynasty
Great Kahn
• 1260, Kublai Khan became
Great Kahn of Mongol Empire
• Determined to complete
conquest of China begun in
1235
Kublai Kahn Rules China
• As emperor, Kublai Khan tried
to gain loyalty of Chinese
subjects
• Adopted Chinese practices,
gave dynasty Chinese name
Southern Song
• Mongols ruled northern China
• Southern Song dynasty ruled in
south, fiercely resisted Mongols
• 1279, Song defeated; Kublai
Khan created Yuan dynasty
New Capital
• Kublai Khan moved capital to
near what is now Beijing
• Built Chinese-style walled city,
lavish palace, adopted Chinese
court ceremonies
Kublai Khan Rules China
Mongol Identity
• Kublai Khan tried to rule as Chinese emperor
• But took care to see Mongols not absorbed into Chinese culture
• Mongols lived apart from Chinese, had little in common
Separation
• Individual friendships between Mongols, Chinese discouraged
• Mongols forbidden to marry Chinese
• Different laws, taxes for Chinese; could not own weapons, serve in military
Limited Power
• Kublai Khan distrusted Chinese, limited power
• Chinese officials served at local level, could not hold high government posts
• Mongols invited foreigners to hold government office
Taxes to Trade
• Mongols burdened Chinese with heavy taxes
• Large part of taxes supported public-works projects
• Chinese laborers built new roads, extended Grand Canal
• Improvements made shipping rice, other goods from southern China
to northern China easier, more reliable
Peace
• Mongols posted soldiers
throughout China to keep peace
• Feared rebellions, particularly in
south where many Chinese
remained loyal to Song dynasty
Foreign Trade
• Foreign trade increased
• Pax Mongolica made land travel
safer for merchants
• Sea trade improved; foreign
merchants welcomed to China’s
ports
Europeans to China
As a result of Kublai Khan’s foreign trade policies, many merchants, travelers and
missionaries came to China. Most were from Southwest Asia and India. However a few
came from Europe as well. One of the most famous of these Europeans was Marco
Polo.
Marco Polo in China
• Marco Polo, Italian trader visited
Yuan court
• Kublai Kahn sent Polo on several
missions; traveled in, around China
for 17 years
• 1295, Polo imprisoned in Venice,
recounted tales to fellow prisoner
Accounts of China
• Polo’s tales published as book
• Book fascinated many Europeans
• Polo described grand palace, with
walls covered in silver, gold
• Noted efficiency of postal system,
use of paper money
• Awed by size, splendor of cities
Some scholars question whether Polo reached China or just related stories he heard in
his travels, but his tales increased interest in China.
Summarize
How did Mongol rule in the Yuan dynasty affect
life for the Chinese?
Answer(s): made the Chinese subordinate to the
Mongols; limited their power
End of the Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan dynasty weakened during the last part of Kublai Khan’s reign. One cause
was a number of military defeats. All of his invasions into Southeast Asia failed, and
Mongol armies suffered huge losses.
Japan
• Kublai Khan had
set sights on
conquering Japan
• Tried to invade
Japan twice
• Disastrous results
each time
Attacks
• First attempt: 900
ships attacked
Japan, storm
destroyed fleet
• Second attempt:
Khan sent larger
fleet, severe storm
again wiped out
fleet
Kamikaze
• After two fleets
destroyed by
storms, Mongols
never attempted
Japanese invasion
• Japanese called
storms that saved
them kamikaze,
“divine wind”
Military and Monetary Losses
Weaknesses
• Huge military losses in Japan
weakened Mongol forces that
controlled, protected China
• Large amounts spent on publicworks projects weakened
economy
• Weaknesses, Chinese
resentment of Mongols, left
empire ripe for rebellion
End of Dynasty
• 1294, Kublai Khan died, power
struggles erupted; Khan’s
successors lacked talent for
leadership
• Floods, rising taxes further
increased discontent
• 1300s, Chinese rebelled,
defeated Mongols
• Mongols fled to Manchuria,
ending foreign rule in China
Identify Cause and Effect
What factors led to the end of the Yuan
dynasty?
Answer(s): military defeats and failed invasions; lack of
good leadership; power struggles; Chinese discontent
Japan and Korea
Main Idea / Reading Focus
Early Japanese Civilization
Map: Japan
Foreign Influences on Japan
The Heian Period
Korea
Map: Korea
Japan and Korea
Main Idea
Geography and cultural borrowing from China shaped the early
civilizations of Japan and Korea.
Reading Focus
• What factors shaped early Japanese civilization?
• How did foreign influences shape life in early Japan?
• What characteristics defined Japan’s Heian period?
• What were the main events in the history of early Korea?
Early Japanese Civilization
The Japanese call their country Nippon, meaning “Land of the Rising Sun.” Japan sits
on the eastern edge of the Pacific Ocean, at what feels like the origin of the sunrise in
the east. This location and the geography of Japan has shaped life there since the
earliest times.
The Land
• The nation of Japan consists of
some 3,000 islands
• Largest four islands form an
archipelago, large island chain
• Chain extends more than 1,500
miles and lies on Ring of Fire—
zone of volcanoes, earthquakes
The Elements
• Japan home to hundreds of
volcanoes, many active
• Experiences frequent earthquakes
• Subject to tsunamis, huge waves
from underwater earthquakes
• Typhoons also strike late in
summer, early autumn
Only a small part of Japan is suitable for farming. Most Japanese have always lived in
the river valleys and coastal plains.
The Sea
• Nearness of sea has also shaped development of Japan
• People never far from sea, even on larger islands
• Early Japanese turned to sea for food, transportation
• Sea also protected, isolated Japan during much of history
Separated from Neighbors
• Japan separated from Korea by 100 miles of water, from China by 400 miles of
water—large enough distances to prevent invasions
• Only successful invasion of Japan occurred in World War II
• Early Japanese developed own culture in relative isolation
• China, Korea close enough to influence Japan’s culture later in time
Early Japan
Migration
• Scientists think first people to settle in Japan migrated from Asian mainland
• Early people hunters, gatherers; developed societies with distinct cultures
• Oldest known Japanese culture, Ainu
Ainu
• Ainu’s origin unknown, did not resemble other East Asians
• More people migrated to Japan, Ainu driven onto northernmost island
• Culture almost disappeared
Clans
• People on islands south of Ainu became the Japanese
• Clans developed, came to rule many villages
• Each clan worshipped nature spirits, kami, believed to be their ancestors
Shinto Religion
Religious beliefs developed into Shinto religion
• Shinto, “way of the kami”
• Shinto religion:
– Everything in nature has a kami
– No sacred text, formal structure
• Shrines:
– Built to kami, ceremonies performed there
– Located in natural settings; red gateway, torii, marks entrance
The Yamato Clan
Powerful Clan
Emperors
• Amaterasu, the sun goddess,
was one of most revered kami
• In time Japan’s emperors
claimed to be living gods
• First Japanese emperor said to
be grandson of sun goddess
• Other clans eventually gained
power over the Yamato
• Emperor member of Yamato
clan, which lived in rich farming
region on island of Honshu
• Did not remove Yamato
emperor, but controlled him
• Did not control all Japan, but
Yamato chiefs began to call
themselves emperors of Japan
• As result, emperor often had no
real authority, served as
figurehead; this political system
continued until 1900s
Identify Supporting Details
What geographic factors have influenced Japan’s
history and culture?
Answer(s): geologically active region; steep mountains,
thick forests, limited but fertile farmland, islands
surrounded by the sea
Foreign Influences on Japan
By the mid-500s, Japan had increased contact with its neighbors, Korea and China.
Their cultures began to influence Japan.
Korean Influences
Chinese Influences
• Korean traders, travelers
brought foreign influences;
most originated in China
• Prince Shotoku helped
spread Buddhism in Japan
• Korean scribes introduced
Chinese writing to Japan
• Korean monks introduced
religion of Buddhism
• Buddhism influenced
Japanese art, architecture
• Served as regent to Japanese
empress, his aunt
• Shotoku admired China, sent
scholars to learn from Chinese
• Knowledge from missions to
Tang dynasty changed Japan
in many ways
Changes in Japan
Tang Influences
• Chinese fashions, foods, tea
became popular in Japan
• Tang styles of art, music, dance,
gardening also popular
Government Influences
• Japanese adopted Tang ideas,
including stronger central
government, bureaucracy
• Adopted law code similar to
China’s, not civil service system
Confucian Influences
• Japanese adopted many
Confucian ideas about family
• Wives should obey husbands
• Children should obey parents
End of Influences
• 800s, Tang dynasty declined,
Japanese stopped sending
missions to China
• Transformed what they had
learned, to create own culture,
society
Find the Main Idea
How did Chinese influences affect Japan during
this period?
Answer(s): gave Japan a written language; Buddhism
spread from China to Japan; Chinese fashion and foods
became popular; Japanese adopted some Chinese
ideas about government
The Heian Period
In 794 Japan’s emperor moved the capital to Heian, now called Kyoto. Many nobles
moved to Heian, where they developed an elegant and stylish court society. At the
Heian court, Japanese culture flowered.
Life in the Heian
Period
• Heian nobles lived
in beautiful
palaces, enjoyed
lives of privilege
• So removed from
common people,
many called selves
“dwellers among
the clouds”
Etiquette
Women
• Rules governed all
aspects of court
behavior, dress
• Elaborate silk
gowns for women
• Proper way to write
note, an art form
• Everyone expected
to write poetry
• Women enjoyed
writing, reading
fictional prose
• Lady Murasaki
Shikibu greatest
writer; The Tale of
Genji, world’s first
full-length novel,
describes court life
The Fujiwaras
Fujiwara family controlled Japan for most of Heian
period
• Many Fujiwaras served as regent
• Fujiwaras often married daughters to heirs of throne
• Rich landowners with private armies eventually challenged
Fujiwaras, Japan’s central government
Summarize
Why was the Heian period a golden age of
culture in Japan?
Answer(s): A court culture grew; writing and art
flourished.
Korea
Korean Peninsula
• Juts from East Asian mainland, China to southwest, Japan to east
• Location made Korea bridge for passage of people, culture, ideas
• Also left region open to invasion
Geography
• Much of peninsula covered by rugged mountains, limits land for agriculture
• Mountain ranges run north and south along east coast
• Main population centers in west; land flattens to plains
Early Korea
• First Koreans nomadic peoples from northeastern Asia; formed clans
• Developed own culture; but influenced by China’s Han dynasty, 108 BC
• Adopted Confucianism, Chinese writing, political, agricultural methods
Silla
• After China’s Han dynasty, three rival kingdoms controlled Korea
• 600s, rulers of one kingdom, Silla, allied with China, conquered rest
• Silla then turned on Chinese; ruled all Korea by 670
• Agreed to pay tribute to China to ensure harmony, good will
• Embraced many aspects of Chinese civilization, promoted Buddhism,
created central government, bureaucracy based on Tang model
The Koryo Dynasty
• 935, rebels defeated Silla Kingdom,
founded Koryo dynasty, which
lasted until 1392
• Continued to adopt Chinese ideas,
worked for distinct Korean features
• Civil service exam like China’s but
only nobles could take test
Society, Culture
• Society divided between powerful
nobility and the rest of the people
• Culture thrived, artisans created
pottery covered with celadon glaze
• Improved on Chinese woodblock
printing, created moveable type
• Printed Buddhist texts
Mongol Occupation
1200s, Mongols of Yuan China invaded, occupied
Korea
• Forced Koryo’s rulers to pay immense tributes, enslaved many
Koreans
– Took artisans to China
– Forced men to serve in Yuan military
• 1300s, Yuan dynasty weakened
– Koreans rebelled against Yuan
– 1392, Korean general founded new dynasty
Sequence
What were the major events and periods in
early Korean history?
Answer(s): period of Han dynasty influence; period
when Silla kingdom allied with Chinese; Koryo dynasty
Civilizations of Southeast Asia
Main Idea / Reading Focus
Influences on Southeast Asia
Map: Southeast Asian Kingdoms
Early Kingdoms and Empires
Visual Study Guide / Quick Facts
Video: The Impact of Chinese Culture on Japan
Civilizations of Southeast Asia
Main Idea
The early civilizations of Southeast Asia were influenced by geography
and the cultures of India and China.
Reading Focus
• What factors influenced early civilizations in the region of Southeast
Asia?
• What early kingdoms and empires developed in Southeast Asia?
Influences on Southeast Asia
India and China shaped the development of civilization in the region of Southeast
Asia. Geography and trade also played important roles.
Two Parts of Southeast
Asia
• Southeast Asia divided in two
parts—mainland Southeast Asia,
and island Southeast Asia
• Mainland—modern nations of
Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar,
Thailand, Vietnam, part of
Malaysia
• Island—Sumatra, Borneo, Java,
rest of Malaysia, Brunei, East
Timor, Indonesia, Philippines,
Singapore
Geography
• Several rivers flow south on
mainland
• Valleys, deltas of rivers supported
farming, home to early
civilizations
• Separating rivers, rugged
mountains, limited contact among
people
• Islands surrounded by seas,
straits; provided sources of food,
travel, served as trade routes
Trade
• Southeast Asia waterways, main trade routes between India, China
• Two most important: Malacca Strait between Malay Peninsula, Sumatra; Sunda
Strait, between Sumatra, Java
• Control of these, other important trade routes, brought wealth, power
Winds
• Monsoons, seasonal winds, shaped trade
• Winds blow northeast in summer, southwest in winter
• Ships relied on monsoons to sail from place to place, often had to wait in port until
winds shifted to resume voyage
• Many Southeast Asian port cities became important economic centers
Sea Trade in Southeast Asia
• By AD 100s, Indian merchants had begun prosperous sea
trade with Southeast Asia
• Overland trade routes through Central Asia more dangerous
after fall of Han dynasty, 220
• Seaborne trade between China, India increased
• Traders passed through Southeast Asia; exchanged goods for
local products
India and China
Traders and Missionaries
• Chinese, Indian traders
influenced Southeast Asia
• Indian influence spread through
trade, missionaries
• Indian missionaries introduced
Hinduism, Buddhism; many
kingdoms adopted the religions,
built temples in Indian style
• Eventually Indians brought
Islam; remains strong today
Other Influences
• Indian ideas on writing, science,
government, art spread to
Southeast Asia
• Ancient Indian language,
Sanskrit, came into wide use
• Chinese influences spread by
conquest, trade, migration
• China controlled northern
Vietnam at different times,
strongly influenced that region
Identify Cause and Effect
How did trade influence Southeast Asia?
Answer(s): Ports became the economic centers of
Southeast Asia; Indian and Chinese influence spread to
Southeast Asia through trade
Early Kingdoms and Empires
Small but Powerful
• Several early kingdoms, empires arose in Southeast Asia
• Most small, a few quite powerful
• Blended influences from India, China to create own unique societies, cultures
The Pagan Kingdom
• AD 800s, Burmans established kingdom of Pagan, in what is now Myanmar
• Located in fertile Irrawaddy River valley, ideal for rice farming
• First king, Anawrahta, ruled 1044 to 1077, conquered surrounding areas
Conquests
• 1057, Anawrahta united much of what is now Myanmar under his rule
• Conquests provided Pagan with access to trading ports
• Anawrahta’s kingdom prospered
The Pagan Kingdom
• Anawrahta, successors supported Theravada Buddhism, built
thousands of Buddhist temples
• Pagan became center of Buddhist learning
• 1287, Kublai Khan’s Mongols demanded tribute from Pagan;
king refused and attacked; was crushed
• One of king’s own sons killed him, then agreed to pay tribute
to the Mongols
• Pagan survived, but lost power
• Today Myanmar people consider Pagan classical age of history,
culture
The Khmer Empire
• Powerful Khmer empire arose southeast of Pagan, in what is now Cambodia
• Early 800s, Khmer people began to conquer kingdoms around them, build
great empire
• Empire reached height between 850 and 1250, controlled much of Southeast
Asian mainland
• Expensive building projects, invaders contributed to empire’s decline
Indian Influence
Rich from Rice
• Khmer Empire reflected strong
Indian influence
• Built vast temple complexes;
Angkor Wat ruins still stand
• Adopted Hindu, Buddhist beliefs,
ruled as gods
• Empire grew prosperous from rice
farming
• Empire’s capital city, Angkor,
symbolized shape of Hindu
universe, temple at its center
• Built irrigation system covering 12.5
million acres, grew several crops
per year
Trading Kingdoms
Trading Kingdoms
Sailendra
• Several developed on islands of
Southeast Asia
• Kingdom of Sailendra on Java
flourished, 750 to 850
• Relied on agriculture, trade
• Adopted Mahayana Buddhism,
known for impressive Buddhist
art, architecture
• Borobudur monument with
terraced levels most famous
Srivijaya
Control Reduced
• Wealthy empire on Sumatra,
flourished 600s to 1200s
• Gained wealth from control of
overseas trade through
Malacca, Sunda straits
• Also Buddhist learning center
• 1025, empire attacked by Indian
kingdom
• Empire survived, but weakened
• Control of trade reduced
• Islam spread; Muslims came to
dominate trade in region
Vietnam
While most of Southeast Asia was strongly influenced by India, Vietnam was strongly
influenced by China. In 111 BC the Han dynasty of China conquered the kingdom of
Nam Viet, in what is now northern Vietnam. They ruled the region off and on for the
next 1,000 years.
Chinese Rule
• Chinese forced Vietnamese to
adopt Chinese language, clothing,
hairstyles
• Confucianism, Daoism influenced
Vietnamese society
• Adopted Chinese government
features, including bureaucracy
Traditional Customs
• Vietnam embraced Buddhism, but
still maintained traditional customs
• Continued to worship nature spirits
alongside other belief systems
• Chinese rule shaped life in early
Vietnam, but people determined to
preserve own culture, identity
In hopes of regaining their independence, the Vietnamese sometimes rebelled when
Chinese rule grew weak.
Rebellion in Vietnam
Rebellion
• AD 39, one of most famous Vietnamese rebellions took place
• Two sisters, Trung Trac, Trung Nhi raised army, briefly drove Chinese out
• Chinese soon regained control; sisters remain heroes in Vietnam today
Independence
• Early 900s, fall of China’s Tang dynasty provided Vietnamese another chance at
independence; this time successful
• 939, established independent kingdom in what is now northern Vietnam
Dai Viet
• Rulers of Dai Viet sent tribute to China, but remained independent
• Chinese failed in attempts to reconquer Vietnam; 1285, Mongols invaded; Dai Viet
prince Tran Quoc Toan defeated them, became a hero
Contrast
How did the development of early Vietnam
differ from the development of kingdoms and
empires in the rest of Southeast Asia?
Answer(s): was ruled by China; influenced by China
rather than India