Download Chapter 13 Notes

CHAPTER 13- THE RESURGENCE
OF EMPIRE IN EAST ASIA
The Restoration of Centralized Imperial Rule in China
 Intro
 Several regional kingdoms attempted to make bids for control of China after the fall of the Han
 None had the resources needed to dominate the rest
 In the late 6th century, Yang Jian from northern China militarily unified all of China under centralized imperial rule
once again
 His Sui dynasty lasted only thirty years, but the tradition of centralized rule continue long after
 The Tang dynasty would replace the Sui, and the Song would replace the Tang
 The Tang and Song organized Chinese society incredibly well
 Became a center of agricultural and industrial production
 Much of the eastern hemisphere felt the effects of the powerful Chinese economy of the Tang and Song
dynasties
The Sui Dynasty
 Establishment of the Sui
 Like Qin Shihuangdi 800 years earlier, Yang Jian imposed tight political discipline on his state
 Would then extend his rule to the rest of China
 Became a leader by deposing a boy ruler (was his advisor)
 For the next decade, would send military expeditions into central Asia
 By 589, the house of Sui ruled all of China
 Like the Qin, the emperors of the Sui Dynasty (589-618 ce) placed lots of pressure on their subjects
 Built a strong, centralized government on the backs of the peasants
 Ordered the construction of palaces and granaries
 Made extensive repairs on defensive walls
 Dispatched militaries to central Asia and Korea
 Levied high taxes
 Demanded compulsory labor
 The Grand Canal
 The most elaborate project undertaken was the construction of the Grand Canal
 One of the world’s largest waterworks until modern times
 Sui Yangdi (r. 604-618) completed the canal to facilitate trade between northern and southern China
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Wanted the abundant rice crop of the southern Yangzi river valley to be available to the citizens in the
north
Sui Yangdi’s investment paid huge dividends for China’s future
 Integrated the economies of northern and southern China
 Established an economic foundation for political and cultural unity
 Until the arrival of railroads in the 20th century, the Grand Canal was the main conduit for internal trade
 Continued to function today
The construction of Sui Yangdi served China over time, but not him
 The dependence on high taxes and forced labor generate hostility
 Military reverses in Korea prompted discontented subjects to revolt against the Sui
During the late 610s, rebellions broke out in northern China
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In 618, a minister assassinated the emperor and ended the dynasty to an end
The Tang Dynasty
 Intro
 Soon after Yangdi’s death, a rebel leader seized Chang’an and proclaimed himself emperor of the Tang Dynasty
(618-907 ce)
 The Tang would organize China into a powerful, productive, and prosperous society
 Tang Taizong
 Much of the Tang’s success was due to the dynasty’s second emperor Tang Taizong (r. 627-649)
 Ruthless and effective, displayed duty and provided an effective, stable government
 Built a capital at Chang’an
 Saw himself as a Confucian ruler who heeded his subjects
 Banditry ended during his reign
 Price of rice stayed low
 Taxes for peasants were only 1/40th of a harvest
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Required rent payments and compulsory labor services meant that the effective rate of taxation was
higher
 China endured an era of unusual stability and prosperity during the reign of Tang Taizong
 Three policies in particular help explain the early success of the Tang:
 Maintenance of a well-articulated transportation and communication network
 Distribution of land according to the equal-field system
 Reliance on a merit-based bureaucracy
 Transportation and Communication
 Apart from the Grand Canal, Tang rulers maintained a large communication network based on roads, horses,
even human runners
 Maintained inns, postal stations, and stables for travelers
 Could communicate with the most distant areas in 8 days
 The Equal-Field System
 The equal-field system governed the allocation of land
 Purpose was to ensure equitable distribution of land
 Avoided the concentration of landed property that had caused so many problems in the past
 Allotted land to individuals and their families according to the land’s fertility and the family’s needs
 1/5th of the land would become the hereditary possession of the recipients
 The rest remained available for redistribution when the original recipients’ needs and circumstances changed
 For about a century, administrators were able to apply the principles of the equal-field system consistently
 By the early 8th century, there was signs of strain
 A rapidly rising population placed pressure on the land available for distribution
 Through favors, bribery, or intimidation, influential families found ways to retain land scheduled for
redistribution
 Large parcels of land fell out of the system when they were acquired by Buddhist monasteries
 Provided a foundation for stability and prosperity in the Chinese countryside
 Bureaucracy of Merit
 The Tang also relied heavily on a merit-based bureaucracy
 Performance on imperial civil service exams was the “merit”
 Followed the example of the Han by recruiting bureaucrats out of the Confucian educational system
 During the early Tang, most officeholders were aristocrats
 By the late Tang, officeholders came largely from the ranks of the common families
 Educational opportunities were more widely available
 The Confucian education system and civil service served Chinese gov’t so well that they survived for 13 centuries
until the collapse of the Qing in 1911
 Military Expansion
 In the north, the Tang forces brought Manchuria under imperial authority
 Forced the Silla kingdom in Korea to acknowledge the Tang as its overlord
 In the south, Tang conquered the northern part of Vietnam
 To the west, they extended Tang authority as far as the Aral Sea
 Brought large amounts of Tibet under Tang control
 Tang Foreign Relations
 To create stability, the Tang revived the Han dynasty’s practice of maintaining tributary relationships between
China and its neighbors
 China was the Middle Kingdom, a powerful realm with the responsibility to bring order to subordinate lands
through a system of tributary relationships
 Neighboring lands and people recognized China as their overlords
 Envoys from other states would deliver gifts to the court of the Middle Kingdom and perform the kowtow
 Ritual prostration where subordinates knelt before the emperor and touched their foreheads to the ground
 In return, the tributary states received confirmation of their authority and lavish gifts
 Since China had little real influence in these areas, there were always a fictional quality to the system
 Was still important throughout Asia as it institutionalized relations between China and neighbors
 Fostered trade and cultural exchange
 Tang Decline
 Under able rulers like Taizong, the Tang dynasty flourished
 During the mid-8th century, careless leadership brought crisis to the dynasty that it couldn’t recover from
 In 755, An Lushan mounted a rebellion and captured the city of Chang’an while the emperor neglected public
affairs for his concubine
 A short-lived revolt; in 763 Tang forces had suppressed the revolt
 The Tang weren’t able to suppress it themselves, so they invited in a Turkish people, the Uighers, to bring
their army into China
 In return, the Uighers wanted to sack Chang’an and Luoyang
 The Tang imperial house never regained affairs after the rebellion
 The equal-field system deteriorated
 Dwindling tax receipts failed to meet dynastic needs
 Imperial armies were unable to resist the Turkish nomads in the late 8th century
 During the 9th century a series of rebellions hurt the Chinese countryside
 The rebellion of Huang Chao reflected the issues of the time
 Pillaged the wealthy lands and gave it to the poor
 In an attempt to combat it, the Tang gave more power to regional military commanders
 These commanders would gradually become the effective rulers of China
 In 907, the last Tang emperor abdicated his throne, and ended the Dynasty
The Song Dynasty
 Intro
 Following the Tang, warlords ruled China until the Song dynasty brought back centralized imperial rule in the late
10th century
 The Song Dynasty (960-1279) never built a very powerful state
 The Song rulers mistrusted military leaders, and placed more emphasis on civil admin, industry, education,
and the arts
 Song Taizu
 The first Song emperor Song Taizu (r.960-976) inaugurated this policy
 Started as a warlord w/a reputation for honesty and effectiveness
 In 960, his troops proclaimed him emperor
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During the next several years, he and his army subjected the warlords to their authority
 Consolidated Song control in China
 Persuaded his generals to retired to a life a leisure so they wouldn’t attempt to displace him
 Set about organizing a centralized admin that placed military under tight supervision
 Song Taizu regarded all state officials as servants of the imperial government
 In exchange, Song rulers rewarded these officials handsomely
 Vastly expanded the bureaucracy based on merit by creating more opportunities for ppl to seek a Confucian
education and take civil service examinations
 Accepted many more candidates than previous empires
 Provided generous salaries for those who qualified for gov’t appointments
 Placed civil bureaucrats in charge of military force
 Song Weaknesses
 The Song gov’t was a more centralized imperial gov’t than earlier Chinese dynasties
 However, this caused two big problems:
 Financially, the enormous Song bureaucracy devoured China’s surplus production
 As the number of bureaucrats and the size of their rewards grew, the imperial treasury came under pressure
 Efforts to raise taxes angered the peasants who would mount two major rebellions in the early 12th century
 By that time, the bureaucrats dominated the Song to the point that it was impossible to change
 The second problem was military
 Scholar-bureaucrats had little military education and little talent for military affairs, yet made military decisions
 No coincidence that nomads flourished on the northern border throughout the Song
 From the early 10th-early 12th century, the Khitan, seminomads from Manchuria, ruled a vast empire stretching
from northern Korea to Mongolia
 During the first of the Song dynasty, the Khitan demanded large tributes of silk and silver from the Song
 Early 12th century, the nomadic Jurchen conquered the Khitan, overran northern China, captured the Song
capital at Kaifeng, and proclaimed establishment of the Jin empire
 The Song dynasty moved its capital to the prosperous port city of Hangzhou
 Survived only in southern China, with the latter part of the dynasty known as the Southern Song
 Shared a border with the Jin between the Yellow and Yangzi until 1279, when they were overrun by the
Mongols
The Economic Development of Tang and Song China
 Intro
 While the Song didn’t develop a strong military, in benefited from developments that made China an
economic powerhouse
 This economic developed started in the Tang, but came most clearly during the Song
 Economic surge of Tang and Song had implications that went well beyond China
 Stimulated trade and production throughout much of the eastern hemisphere for more from 600 to 1300
ce
Agricultural Development
 Fast-Ripening Rice
 The foundation of the economic surge was agricultural production
 Sui and Tang prepared the way for increased agricultural activity when they imposed control over
southern China and parts of Vietnam
 Encountered strains of fast-ripening rice that enabled cultivators to harvest two crops per year
 When introduced to the fertile fields of southern China, fast-ripening rice led to an expanded supply of
food
 New Agricultural Techniques
 Increased productivity by adopting improved agricultural techniques
 They made increased use of heavy iron plow
 Harnessed oxen and water buffalo to help prepare land for cultivation
 Enriched the soil with manure and composted organize matter
 Organized irrigation system
 Artificial irrigation made it possible to create terraced mountainsides
 Population Growth
 Increased agricultural production had dramatic results
 One was the rapid expansion of the Chinese population
 Went from 45 million in 600 ce to 115 million by 1200 ce
 Rapid growth reflected the productivity of the farming economy and the well-organized food
distribution network
 Urbanization
 Increased food supplies lead to the growth of cities
 Chang’an was the most populous city in the world at 2 million during the ng
 During the Song, was the most urbanized land in the world
 Hangzhou, capital of the Southern Song, had over a million
 Another was the increased food production was the emergence of a commercialized agricultural economy
 The production of fast-ripening rice yielded large harvests, allowing farmers to purchase cheap rice
 Gave them the ability to specialize in crops that grew well in their regions and export them to areas
where they were more valuable
 Patriarchal Social Structures
 With more wealth and farming, Tang and especially Song China had a tightening of patriarchal social
structures
 Reflected a concern to preserve family fortunes through solidarity
 During the Song, the veneration of family ancestors became more elaborate
 Whole families traveled large distances to arrange graveside rituals
 Strengthened the sense of family identity
 Foot Binding
 Strengthened patriarchal society explains the popularity of foot binding
 Tight wrapping of young girls feet with strips of cloth that prevented natural growth and created
malformed feet
 While it was not universal, many wealthy families and some peasants families bound their feet of their
daughters to enhance their attractiveness and gain increased control over the girls’ behavior
 Placed women under tight supervision of their husbands or other male guardians
 Wu Zhao: The Lady Emperor
 The era of strong patriarchal power had a female ruler, Wu Zhao (626-706)
 Became a concubine at Taizong’s court, and would become the wife of his successor
 In 660, the emperor suffered a stroke, and Wu Zhao seized the chance to direct affairs
 In 690, she claimed the imperial title for herself
 Confucianism dictated men were to rule and women were to obey
 Led to many factions that opposed Wu Zhao’s rule
 Organized a secret police force to monitor the dissidents
 Ordered brutal punishment for those who challenged her
 Strengthened the civil service system to undermine aristocratic families that might attempt to displace
her
 Generously patronized Buddhists, who wrote treatises attempting to legitimize her rule
 While the Confucians reviled her, she was a good ruler
 Quashed rebellions
 Organized military campaigns
 Opened the imperial admin to talented commoners who rose through the civil service system
 While other women would exercise influence from behind the throne, Wu Zhao was the only woman in
Chinese history to claim the imperial title and rule as emperor
Technological and Industrial Development
 Porcelain
 Abundant supplies of food enabled many people to pursue tech and industrial interests
 During the Tang and Song, Chinese craftsmen were prevalent
 Produced high-quality porcelain, which was lighter, thinner, and adaptable to more uses than earlier pottery
 Also was aesthetically pleasing
 Porcelain gradually diffused to other societies (Abbasids)
 Demand for Chinese porcelain was strong, exporting vast quantities during this era
 Metallurgy
 Tang and Song craftsmen also improved mmetallurgical tech
 Production of iron and steel surged during this era
 Use of coke instead of coal
 Iron production increased almost tenfold during this era
 Mostly went into weaponry and farming tools
 Also went into construction projects like bridges and pagodas
 Would soon diffuse to other lands
 Song military difficulties were partly due to nomads learning these techniques and creating their own iron
weapons
 Gunpowder
 They also developed entirely new products, most notably gunpowder, printing, and naval techs
 Daoist alchemists discovered how to make gunpowder during the Tang
 Originally attempted as an elixir to prolong life
 Military officials quickly realized the potential of the mix of chemicals
 By the mid-10th century, they were using gunpowder in bamboo “fire lances”, and primitive bombs by the 11th
 The earliest gunpowder weapons had limited military effectiveness
 Over time, refinements made them better
 Knowledge of gunpowder diffused throughout Eurasia
 By the late 13th century peoples of SW Asia and Europe were experimenting with metal-barreled
cannons
 Printing
 The origins of printing are obscured
 Only during the Tang did printing become common
 Earliest printers used block printing, would move on to moveable type in the 11th century
 Printing made it possible to produce text quickly, cheaply, and in large quantities
 Printed copies of Buddhist texts, Confucian works, calendars, agricultural treatises, and popular works
esp in SW China
 Song dynasty broadly disseminated printed works for peasants that outlined farming techniques
 Naval Technology
 Before Tang times, Chinese mariners did not venture far from land
 Traveled the sea lanes to Korea, Japan, and Ryukyu Islands
 Relied on Persian, Arab, Indian, and Malay mariners for long-distance maritime trade
 During the Tang times, Chinese consumers began to demand spices an exotic products of SE Asian islands
 Chinese mariners increasingly visited these areas in their own ships
 By the Song, Chinese seafarers sailed ships w/ iron nails, waterproofed, furnished with watertight bulkheads
canvas and bamboo sails, steered by rudders, navigated with the aid of the “south-pointed needle”, the
magnetic compass
 Most of their ships were between Japan and the Malay peninsula
 Some ventured into the Indian Ocean
 Helped diffuse elements of Chinese naval tech, especially the compass
 Became the common property of mariners throughout the Indian Ocean
The Emergence of a Market Economy
 Intro
 Increased farming productivity, improved transportation systems, population growth, urbanization, and
increased industrial production lead to a stimulated Chinese economy
 China’s regions increasingly specialized in the cultivation of certain food crops or the production of
manufactured goods
 Traded their products for imports from other regions
 Government bureaucracy also played a large role in the distribution of staple foods such as rice, wheat, and
millet
 Dynastic authorities watched military sensitive enterprises such as the iron industry
 The Chinese economy became more integrated than ever before, and foreign demand for Chinese products
fueled rapid economic expansion
 Financial Instruments
 Trade grew so rapidly that China experienced a shortage of the copper coins that served as money for most
transactions
 To alleviate this issue, Chinese merchants developed alternatives that resulted in more economy growth
 Letters of credit came into common use during the early Tang, known as “flying cash”
 Enabled merchants to deposit goods or cash at one location and draw the equivalent in cash or goods
elsewhere in China
 Later developments included promissory notes
 Pledged payment of a given sum of money at a later date
 Checks, entitled the bearer to draw funds against cash deposited with bankers
 Paper Money
 The search for alternatives to cash led to the invention of paper money\
 Wealthy merchants pioneered the use of printed paper money during the late 9th century
 In return for cash deposited by clients, they issued printed notes the clients could redeem for
merchandise
 In a society that was low on the copper coins, this greatly facilitated commercial transactions
 They were sometimes not able to honor their notes
 The resulting discontent angered creditors, often leading to disorder and sometimes riots
 By the 11th century, the Chinese economy had become so dependent on alternatives to cash that it was
impractical to get rid of paper money
 To prevent public disorder, the gov’t forbade private parties from issuing paper money, giving that right
to the state
 Printed paper caused serious problems for several centuries after its appearance
The gov’t would frequently print currency representing more value than they actually had in cash
reserves
 Led to a loss in public confidence in paper money
 Not until the Qing dynasty did Chinese authorities place the issuance of printed money under tight fiscal
controls
 Despite potential abuses, printed paper money was a huge stimulus to the Chinese economy
 A Cosmopolitan Society
 Trade and urbanization transformed Tang and Song China into a prosperous, cosmopolitan society
 Muslim merchants helped to revive the Silk Roads network and flocked to large Chinese trading centers
 Residents of large Chinese society became accustomed to foreign merchants
 Persian musicians and dancers became popular entertainers
 China and the Hemispheric Economy
 High productivity and trade brought the Tang and Song economy a dynamism the borders could not contain
 Chinese consumers developed a taste for exotic goods that stimulated trade throughout much of the
eastern hemisphere
 These items- spices, kingfisher feathers, tortoise shells, pearls, incense, horses, melons- were a symbol
of a sumptuous lifestyle
 In exchange, China sent abroad silk, porcelain, and lacquerware
 China’s economic surge promoted trade and economic growth throughout much of the eastern hemisphere
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Cultural Change in Tang and Song China
 Intro
 Interactions w/peoples from other societies encouraged cultural change in postclassical China
 The Confucian and Daoist traditions did not disappear
 Mahayana Buddhism became popular and developed along new lines that reflected Tang and Song
society
The Establishment of Buddhism
 Intro
 Buddhist merchants traveling the ancient Silk Roads visited China 2nd century bce
 During the Han Buddhism attracted little attention, as Confucianism, Daoism and cults of ancestors
 After the fall of Han, the Confucians lost credibility
 The purpose of Confucianism was to maintain public order and provide honest, effective gov’t
 In an age of warlords and nomadic invasions, it seemed Confucianism had failed
 Foreign Relations in China
 During the era following the Han, several foreign relations established religious communities in China
 Nestorian Christians and Manichaeans settled in China, later Zoroastrians
 Tang Taizong issued a proclamation praising their doctrine, allowing them to open monasteries
 By the mid-7th century, Arab and Persian merchants had also established Muslim communities in the
port cities of south China
 These religions of salvation served the needs of foreign merchants trading in China and converts from
nomadic societies
 Most foreign religions attracted little interest
 Dunhuang
 Mahayana Buddhism found a popular following in Tang and Song China
 Buddhism came to China over the Silk Roads
 Residents of oasis cities in central Asia had converted to Buddhism as early as 2nd-1st century bce
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 By the 4th century ce, a sizable Buddhism community had emerged at Dunhuang in western China
 Between 600-1000 ce, Buddhists built hundreds of cave temples in the vicinity and decorated them with
murals depicting the life of Buddha and the bodhisattvas
 Assembled libraries of religious literature and operated places to produce Buddhist texts
Buddhism in China
 Buddhism attracted interest in China partly because of its high standard of morality, its intellectual
sophistication, and its promise of salvation
 Practical aspects also helped grow its appeal
 Buddhists established monastic communities and accumulated sizable estates donated by wealthy
converts
 They cultivated these lands intensively, storing a portion of their harvests for distribution among local
residents during drought, famine, or hardship
 Some engaged in banking or money-lending
 Others maintained schools that provided a basic education for local peoples
 Buddhist monasteries became important elements in the local economies of Chinese communities
 Had everyday implications in Chinese society
 Introduced Chairs into China
 Refined sugar
 In some ways, Buddhism posed a challenge to Chinese cultural and social traditions
 Buddhist theologians used written texts as points to begin speculative investigations into metaphysical
theme
 Among Chinese intellectuals, Confucians placed the most influence on written texts
 Only used the practical aspects rather than metaphysical ones
 Daoists had little interest in written texts
 Buddhist morality called for individuals to strive for perfection by observing asceticism, encouraging serious
Buddhists to follow a celibate and monastic lifestyle
 Chinese morality, instead, focused on the family and filial piety, strongly encouraging procreation so that
generations would be able to venerate ancestors
 Some Chinese held that the Buddhists were harming China economically since they didn’t pay taxes
 Others scorned Buddhism as inferior due to its foreign origins
Buddhism and Daoism
 Because of these differences, Buddhist missionaries sought to tailor their message to Chinese audiences
 Explained Buddhist concepts in vocabulary borrowed from Chinese traditions, especially Daoism
 While encouraging monasteries and celibacy, they recognized the validity of family life and framed
Buddhism as a religion that would benefit the extended Chinese family
Pilgrimage to India
 Monks and pilgrims helped popularize Buddhism in China
 Would journey to holy sites in India and learn about Buddhism
 Xuanzang
Schools of Buddhism
 Monks and scholars organized several distinct schools of Buddhism that appealed to Chinese tastes and
interests
 Buddhists of the Chan school (Zen) placed little emphasis on written texts, but held intuition in high
regard
 Made a place for Daoist values in Chinese Buddhism
 Even more popular than Chan Buddhism was the Pure Land school, which held out for personal salvation
for those who devoted themselves to Buddha
 Wu Zhao followed Pure Land teachings
 Hostility to Buddhism
 In spite of its popularity, Buddhism met resistance from Daoists and Confucians
 Daoists resented the following Buddhists attracted, resulting in diminished resources available for the
tradition
 Confucians despised Buddhists’ exaltation of celibacy, denouncing its teachings as alien superstition
 Condemned Buddhist monasteries as wasteful, unproductive burdens on society
 Persecution
 During the late Tang, Daoist and Confucian critics of Buddhism found allies in the imperial court
 In the 840s, the Tang emperors ordered the closure of monasteries and the expulsion of both Buddhists,
Zoroastrians, Nestorian Christians, and Manichaeans
 Motivated largely by a desire to seize property belonging to foreign religions, the Tang did not implement
their policy in a thorough way
 While it discouraged further expansion, Tang policy did not eradicate foreign faiths from China
 Buddhism enjoyed popular support that enabled it to survive
 Even influence the development of Confucianism during the Song dynasty
Neo-Confucianism
 Intro
 The Song emperors did not persecute Buddhists
 However, they did actively support native Chinese cultural traditions in an attempt to lessen the influence
of foreign religions
 They generously contributed to the studies of Confucianism, and subsidized the printing and
dissemination of Confucian writings
 Confucian and Buddhism
 Yet the Confucian tradition of the Song differed from earlier times
 The earliest Confucians had concentrated on practical issues of politics and morality
 Confucians of the Song studied the classics of their tradition, but also became familiar with Buddhist
writings
 They found much to admire in Buddhist thought
 They not offered a tradition of logical thought and argumentation but also dealt with issues, such as
the nature of the soul and the individual’s relationship with the cosmos, that was not dealt with by
Cofucian thinkers
 Confucians of the Song drew lots of inspiration from Buddhism
 Came to be known as neo-Confucianism
 Zhu Xi
 The most important representative of Song neo-Confucianism was the philosopher Zhu Xi (1130-1200 ce)
 Maintained a commitment to Confucian values emphasizing proper personal behavior and social
harmony
 Considered it the matter of highest importance that individuals play their proper roles in the family and in
the larger society
 Zhu Xi also became fascinated with the philosophical and speculative features of Buddhist thought
 Argued in Confucian fashion for the observance of high moral standards
 Believed that academic and philosophical were important for practical affairs
 Concentrated his efforts on abstract and abstruse issues of more theoretical significance
 Argued in a manner reminiscent of Plato that two elements accounted for all physical beings: li and qi
 Neo-Confucian Influence
 Neo-Confucianism was an important cultural development for two reasons
 Illustrated the deep influence of Buddhism in Chinese society
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Even though the neo-Confucians rejected Buddhist religious teachings, their writings adapted
Buddhist themes and reasoning to Confucian interests and values
Neo-Confucian thought influenced east Asian thought for a very long time
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In China, neo-Confucianism had the status of an officially recognized creed from the Song until the
20th century
In lands that fell within China’s cultural orbit, especially Korea, Japan, and Vietnam, neoConfucianism shaped thought for a long time
Development of Complex Societies in Korea, Vietnam, and
Japan
 Intro
 Like the dar al-Islam, Chinese society influenced the development of neighboring lands during postclassical
times
 Chinese armies periodically invaded Korea and Vietnam, and Chinese merchants established
commercial relations with Japan, Korea, and Vietnam
 Chinese techniques of government and admin shaped public life in K, V, and J
 Chinese cultural traditions and values also won a prominent place alongside native traditions
 These lands were not absorbed into China, as they maintained their distinctive identities and cultural
traditions
 Also drew deep inspiration from Chinese examples and built societies that reflected their participation in
a larger east Asian society revolving around China
Korea and Vietnam
 Intro
 Chinese armies expanded into Korea and Vietnam as early as the Qin and Han
 As the Han weakened, local aristocrats organized movements that ousted Chinese forces from both
lands
 Only during the Tang did Chinese resources once again enabled military authorities to mount large-scale
campaigns
 Although the two lands responded differently to Chinese imperial expansion, both borrowed Chinese political
and cultural traditions
 The Silla Dynasty
 During the 7th century, Tang armies conquered much of the Korean peninsula before the native Silla
Dynasty rallied to prevent Chinese domination of the peninsula
 Both the Tang and Silla wanted to avoid a long conflict, so they compromised: Chinese forces withdrew
from Korea, and the Silla king recognized the Tang emperor as his overlord
 Korea was a vassal sate to China
 In practice, Korea was in most respects an independent kingdom who maintained cordial relations with
China
 Envoys of the Silla kings regularly delivered gifts to Chinese emperors and performed the kowtow
 Those concessions brought considerable benefits to Korea
 In return for their recognition of Chinese supremacy, they received gifts more valuable than the tribute
they delivered to China
 The tributary relationship opened the doors for Korean merchants to trade and study in China
 Chinese influence in Korea
 The tributary relationship facilitated the spread of Chinese political and cultural influence to Korea
 Embassies observed the workings of the Chinese court and bureaucracy, and then organized the
Korean court on similar lines
 Built a new capital at Kumsong fashioned on the Tang capital at Chang’an as their model
 Their efforts to learn Chinese culture helped build Korean interest in the Confucian tradition, particularly
among educated aristocrats
 While the elites turned to Confucianism, the common people turned to Buddhism
 Chan Buddhism won the allegiance of peasants and commoners
 China and Korea differed in many respects
 Most notably, aristocrats and royal houses dominated Korean society in a way not like China
 Although the Korean monarchy sponsored Chinese schools and Confucian education system, Korea
never established a bureaucracy based on merit
 Political initiative was strongly in the hands of the ruling classes
 Extensive dealings with its powerful neighbor ensured that Korea reflected Chinese political and cultural
traditions
 China and Vietnam
 Chinese relations with Vietnam were far more tense than with Korea
 When Tang armies ventured into the land they called Nam Viet, they encountered spirited resistance
from the Viet people around the Red River
 Tang forces soon won control of Viet towns and cities, launching efforts to absorb the Viets into Chinese
society
 The Viets readily adapted Chinese agricultural methods and irrigation systems as well as Chinese schools
and admin techniques
 Viet elites studied Confucian texts and took examinations based on a Chinese-style education
 Viet traders marketed their wares in China
 Entered into tributary relationships with China
 Yet the Viets resented Chinese efforts to dominate the southern land, and they mounted a series of revolts
against Tang authorities
 As the Tang fell during the early 10th century, the Viets won their independence and resisted later
Chinese efforts at imperial expansion
 Like Korea, Vietnam differed from China in many different ways
 Many Vietnamese retained hteir indigenous religions
 Women played a more prominent role in Vietnamese society and economy
 SE Asian women dominated local and regional markets for centuries
 Participated actively in business ventures closed to women in the more rigidly patriarchal society of
China
 Chinese Influence in Vietnam
 Chinese traditions found a place in Vietnam
 Vietnamese authorities established an admin system and bureaucracy modeled on that of China, and
Viet ruling classes prepared for their careers by pursuing a Confucian education
 Buddhism came to Vietnam from China as well as India and won a large popular following
 Vietnam, like Korea, absorbed political and cultural influence from China
 Reflected the development of a larger east Asian society centered on China
Early Japan
 Intro
 China never invaded Japan, but their traditions deeply influenced Japanese cultural and political
development
 The early inhabitants of Japan were nomads from NE Asia who migrated about 35k years ago
 Their language, culture, and religion was from their parent society in NE Asia
 Later migrants introduced cultivation of rice, bronze and iron, and horses into Japan
 As the population of these islands grew and built an agricultural society
 Small states dominated by aristocratic clans emerged
 By the middle of the first millennium ce, several dozen states ruled small regions
 Nara Japan
 The establishment of the Sui and Tang had repercussions in Japan where they suggested the value of
centralized imperial gov’t
 One of the aristocratic clans insisted on precedence over the others
 This clan claimed imperial authority and introduced a series of reforms to centralize Japanese politics
 The imperial house established a court model based on the Tang, created a Chinese-style bureaucracy,
implemented an equal-field system, provided support for Confucianism and Buddhism
 In the year 710 moved to a new capital at Nara
 Never was Chinese influence more prominent in Japan than during the Nara period (710-794 ce)
 Japan did not lose its distinct characteristics
 Continued to observe the rites of Shinto, its indigenous religion
 Revolved around the veneration of ancestors and a host of nature spirits and deities
 The experience of the Heian, Kamakura, and Muromachi illustrate this point
 In 794 the emperor of Japan transferred his court from Nara to a newly constructed capital at nearby
Heian (Kyoto)
 During the next four centuries, Heian became the seat of a refined and sophisticated society that drew
inspiration from China but also elaborated Japanese political and cultural traditions
 Heian Japan
 During the Heian period (794-1185 ce), local rulers on the island of Honshu mostly recognized the emperor
as Japan’s supreme political authority
 Japanese emperors rarely ruled but rather served as ceremonial figureheads and symbols of authority
 Effective power lay in the hands of the Fujiwara family, an aristocratic clan that controlled affairs from behind
the throne through its influence over the imperial house
 After the 9th century, the Japanese political order continuously feared a split between a publicly recognized
imperial authority and a separate agent of effective rule
 The cultural development of Heian Japan reflected both the influence of Chinese traditions and the
particularly Japanese aspects
 Most lit imitated Chinese models and was written in the Chinese language
 Officials at court conducted business and kept records in Chinese
 The Tale of Genji
 Because Japanese women rarely received a formal Chinese-style education, in Heian times aristocratic
women made the most notable contributions to literature in the Japanese language
 None reflected court life better than The Tale of Genji, composed by Lady Murasaki
 Related the experiences of a fictitious imperial prince named Genji
 Devoted himself to the cultivation of an unrefined lifestyle, an became adept at mixing perfumes,
composing verses in calligraphy, and wooing sophisticated women
 The Tale of Genji offers a meditation on the passing of time and the sorrows that time brings to sensitive
humans
 Genji and his friends reflect on past joys and relationships no longer recoverable

Suffuse the novel with a melancholy spirit that present a subtle contrast to the elegant atmosphere of
their surroundings at the Heian court
 Decline of Heian Japan
 As the charmed circle of aristocrats and courtiers led elegant lives at the imperial capital, the Japanese
countryside underwent fundamental change that brought an end to the Heian court
 The equal-field system fell into disuse much as in China
 Aristocratic clans accumulated most of the islands’ lands into vast estates
 By the late 11th century, two clans, the Taira and Minamoto, overshadowed the others
 During the mid-12th century the two engaged in outright war, and in 1185 the Minamoto emerged
victorious
 The Minamoto did not abolish imperial authority, but rather claimed to rule the land in the name of the
emperor
 They installed the clan leader as shogun, a military governor who ruled in place of the emperor
 Established the seat of their government at Kamakura near Tokyo, while the imperial court remained at
Kyoto
 For the next four centuries, one branch or another of the Minamoto clan dominated political life in Japan
Medieval Japan
 Intro
 Historians refer to the Kamakura and Muromachi periods as Japan’s medieval period, a middle era between
the age of Chinese influence and court domination (Nara and Heian periods) and the modern age of the
Tokugawa shogunate in the 16th century, where a centralized gov’t unified and ruled all of Japan
 During this period, Japanese society and culture took on distinctive characteristics
 Political Decentralization
 In the Kamakura (1185-1333 ce) and Muromachi (1336-1573 ce) periods, Japan developed a
decentralized political order
 Provincial lords wielded effective power and authority in local regions where they controlled land and
economic affairs
 As these lords and their clans vied for power, they found little use for the Chinese-style bureaucracy
 Still less use for the elaborate protocol and refined conduct of the court
 In place of etiquette and courtesy, they valued military talent and discipline
 The mounted warrior, the samurai, played the most distinctive role in Japanese political and military
affairs
 The Samurai
 The samurai were professional warriors, specialists in the use of force and the arts of fighting
 Served the provincial lords of Japan, who relied on the samurai both to enforce their authority in theiir
own territories and to extend their claims to other lands
 In return for their services, the lords supported the samurai from their farming surplus and labor services
of peasants
 Freed of obligations to feed, clothe, and house themselves, samurai devoted themselves to hunting,
riding, archery, and martial arts
 The Japanese political order developed along lines different from those of the Middle Kingdom in China
despite its inspiration from the Tang empire
 Yet Japan had a place in the larger east Asian society centered on China
 Japan borrowed from China Confucian values, Buddhist religion, a system of writing, and centralized
imperial rule
 These elements, while suppressed in the medieval era, not only survived by also decisively influenced
Japanese development during later periods