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Chapter 13
Section #1
Two Golden Ages of China
In the year 220, the Han dynasty collapsed. This left China
divided for almost 400 years! After this, various dynasties rose
and fell in the south. One of those dynasties was the Sui dynasty
which spanned from 589 to 618. During this time emperor Sui
Wendi briefly reunited the north and south. Then, in 618, the
Tang dynasty emerged and restored China to its earlier glory.
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty began
when Li Yuan was a general
under the Sui dynasty. Once
the Sui dynasty began to
collapse; his 16 year old son
urged him to lead a revolt.
Li Yuan and his son
proceeded to destroy all
rivals and establish the Tang
Dynasty. Li Yuan then
became the first emperor of
the Tang Dynasty.
Tang Dynasty (part #2)
Eight years later, Li Yuan stepped down
from the throne and let his son become
emperor. His son took the name of Tang
Taizong . Tang Taizong then went on to
become China’s most admired emperor.
Later on, Tang emperors conquered
territories deep into Central Asia.
Eventually, the Tang Dynasty began to
decline. In 907, the Tang dynasty was
officially overthrown by a rebel general. A
brief time of chaos followed; however, it
did not last long.
Song Dynasty
In 960, the Song Dynasty was founded
by a scholarly general who reunited
much of China. Lasting 319 years, the
Song period was considered a golden
age. During the Song period Chinese
wealth and culture was very dominant
in the east Asian areas. The one
setback that the Song had was their
military. Despite this the Song enjoyed
an expanding economy and great
foreign trade. In the early 1100s, the
Song retreated south of the Haung He.
Once there they lasted for another 150
years until they were defeated.
Chinese Society
Under the Tang and Song dynasties, China had a
very well-ordered society. It included an emperor
and aristocratic families who lived in the
emperor’s court, gentry, peasants, and merchants.
The emperor was the head of Chinese society. The
aristocratic families who lived in his court were
part of the bureaucracy. The gentry were the
wealthy landowning nobles. The peasants were
the people who worked the land and lived on
what they produced. The merchants actually had
a lower social status than the peasants. Some
merchants did, however, become rich in market
towns and cities. A woman’s status in society was
actually higher during the Tang Dynasty and early
Song dynasty than it was later.
Arts and Literature
Poetry, painting, and calligraphy were essential skills for the
scholar-gentry. With the use of these crafts, the artist sought
balance and harmony through the mastery of simple soft strokes
and lines. In the Song period, Chinese landscape painting was a
great triumph. This era also had some great sculpture, architecture,
and porcelain . Poetry was another great achievement, especially
the poetry of Li Bo.
Section #2
The Mongol and Ming Empire
Building The Mongol Empire
The Mongols were a group of
nomadic people who grazed
their horses and sheep on the
steppes of central Asia.
Different Mongol clans spent
a lot of time fighting each
other. In the 1200s, a
brilliant Mongol chieftain
united the war tribes. He
took the name Genghiz Khan,
which means “World
Emperor!”
Building The Mongol Empire (part #2)
The Mongol empire, under the rule of Genghiz Khan, went on to
conquer the Asian steppe. Next, they turned to China. However,
they had the problem of the wall! Genghiz Khan died before he
could complete the conquest of China. After his death, Khan’s heirs
continued expanding the Mongol Empire. Eventually they
conquered China. When the Mongols conquered people they were
not oppressive rulers. They actually
allowed the conquered people to
live much like they had before as
long as they paid tribute to the
Mongols. In the 1200s and 1300s,
there was peace in the Mongol Empire. This time is therefore
referred to as Pax Mongolica, which
means Mongol Peace. Political
stability set the stage for economic
growth.
China Under Mongol Rule
In the year 1279, the last Song emperor fell to the
Mongol leader Kublai Khan, Genghiz Khan’s
grandson. When China was under the rule of
Kublai Khan the government system tried to prevent
the Mongols from being absorbed into Chinese
civilization. This was achieved by reserving the
highest government jobs for Mongols and allowing
only Mongols to serve in the military. Kublai Khan
then named his dynasty the Yuan dynasty. During
the Yuan dynasty, Marco Polo, an Italian merchant
from Venice, was one of many visitors to China.
Marco Polo actually spent 17 years in Kublai Khan’s
service. He then returned to Venice after visiting
Southeast Asia and India. Marco Polo also wrote a
book all about the wealth and splendor of China.
Marco Polo’s book amazed readers in Medieval
Europe. Over the next centuries, this sparked
Europe's interest in in the riches of Asia.
The Ming Restore Chinese Rule
After the death of Kublai
Khan, the Yuan dynasty
declined. Eventually, a
peasant leader named
Zhu Yuanzhang forged a
rebel army that pushed
the Mongols back
beyond the Great Wall.
Then in 1368, Yuanzhang
founded a new Chinese
dynasty, the Ming
dynasty, which means
brilliant.
The Ming Restore Chinese Rule (page #2)
Early Ming rulers wanted to
reassert Chinese greatness after
years of foreign rule. They
restored the civil service system
and Confucian learning. The
Ming dynasty also did very well
economically. The peasants
produced huge rice crops in the
well-irrigated plains of eastern
China. The cities were also home
to many industries, which
included porcelain, paper, and
tools. Furthermore, the Ming
dynasty sparked the revival of
the arts and literature.
China and the World
Early Ming rulers sent fleets of ships out into
distant waters. The voyages of the Chinese
admiral Zheng He were extraordinary! His
first of seven voyages began in 1405. Zheng
He lead 62 large ships and hundreds of
smaller ones. The largest ship measured up
to 400 feet long. The goal of these voyages
was to promote trade and collect tribute from
lesser powers across the “western seas”.
Between the years 1405 and 1433, Zheng He
explored the coasts of Southeast Asia and
India as well as the entrances to the Red Sea
and Persian Gulf. Through these voyages
local rulers saw how powerful and strong the
Chinese empire was and acknowledged their
supremacy. In the year 1433, Zheng He died
and the Ming emperor banned the building of
seagoing ships. To this day, historians are not
sure why this happened.
Section #3
Korea and Its Traditions
Geography
Korea is located on a peninsula that juts south from the Asian
mainland. To the south of the Korean peninsula is Japan. On the
northern end of the peninsula, there are mountains and the Yalu
River which separates Korea from China. Mountains cover nearly
70 percent of the Korean peninsula. Since farming is difficult on
the mountains, most people live along the western coastal plains,
which is Korea’s major farming region. Korea’s coastline is 5,400
miles long and has hundreds of good harbors. The offshore waters
also contain many islands. Koreans have always depended on
seafood as their primary source of protein. Since Korea is located
directly below China, it has received many cultural and
technological influences from China. Korea has also acted as a
cultural bridge connecting China to Japan.
Geography page #2
China
Korea
Japan
Korea United
Between the years 300 and 600 AD, three separate
kingdoms were forged by powerful local rulers. In the
north there was Koguryo, in the southwest, Paekche, and
in the southeast, Shilla. These three kingdoms often
fought each other and China. In 668, with the support of
the Tang empress, Wu Zhao, the Shilla kingdom united the
Korean peninsula. In Korea’s history there were only three
dynasties. They were the Shilla (668-918), Koryo (9181392), and the Choson (1392-1910). Under the Shilla
dynasty, Korea became a tributary state. Korea also
adopted Confucius ideas. During the Koryo age, Buddhism
reached its height in Korea.
Choson: The Longest Dynasty
In the year 1392 the Choson dynasty was established. It was set up
by a brilliant general named Yi Song-gye. Yi then reduced the
influence of Buddhism and set up a government based on
Confucian principles. During this time period one of Koreas most
celebrated rulers, King Sejong, replaced the complex Chinese
writing system with hangul. Hangul is an alphabet using symbols to
represent the sounds spoken in Korean. Since this was easier to
use it led to a higher literacy rate in China. In the 1590s Japan
decided to invade China through Korea. When Japanese armies
landed on the Korean peninsula they burned and looted the area.
Korean admiral, Yi Sun-shin, stopped the invaders at sea by using
metal plated “turtle boats”. Then after six years the Japanese
armies withdrew from Korea.
Section #4
The Emergence of Japan
Geography
Japan is located on a archipelago. An
archipelago is a chain of islands. Japan is
located about 100 miles off the Asian
mainland and east of Korean peninsula.
Japan is made up of four main island which
include Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, and
Shikoku. Japan is about the size of Montana
but four fifths of Japan is too mountainous to
farm. Because of this most people settled in
the narrow river valleys or along the coastal
plains. Since Japan is surrounded by seas
they been protected and isolated. Japan also
lies in a region called the ring of fire. This
region is subject to frequent earthquakes and
volcanoes. These underwater earthquakes
can launch killer tidal waves called tsunamis.
Tsunamis sweep over land without warning
and wipe out everything in their path.
Early Traditions
The Japanese people that we know today originally migrated from the Asian
mainland more that 2,000 years ago. They eventually pushed the original
inhabitants called the Ainu up to northernmost island of Hokkaido. The early
Japanese society was made up of uji or clans. Each of the uji’s had it’s own
chief and a special god or goddess who was seen as the clan’s original ancestor.
Around 500 A.D. the Yamato clan dominated a corner of Honshu which is the
largest Japanese island. For the next 1,000 years the Yamato plain was the
heartland of Japanese government. They set up Japan’s first and only dynasty.
They chose the rising sun as their symbol because they claimed to be direct
descendants from Amaterasu, the sun god. The Japanese worshiped the forces
of nature and this came to be known as Shinto. The language of the Japanese is
distantly related to Korean but very different from Chinese. By about 500 A.D.
Buddhism was introduced to Japan from Korea. Along with Buddhism came the
knowledge of Chinese writing and culture. This resulted in Japan becoming
very interested in China.
The Ring of Fire
Japan
Japan Looks to China
In the early 600s the prince of the
Yamato clan, Prince Shotoku, decided to
learn about China. He did this by
sending young nobles to study in China.
When they returned to Japan they were
eager to spread the Chinese
knowledge. They also brought back
ideas about Chinese government.
Japanese rulers adopted the title of
“Heavenly Emperor” and claimed
absolute power. They also set up a
bureaucracy. As Buddhism spread the
Japanese also adopted the pagoda
architecture. Eventually the initial
enthusiasm for Chinese died down.
They kept some of the ideas but
discarded others.
The Heian Period
From the years 794 to 1185 the blending
of Chinese and Japanese cultures took
place. Also during this time the capital
was Heian which is in present day Kyoto.
At the Heian court there was a lot of
sophisticated and elegant culture. During
this period of time woman produced the
most important work of Japanese
literature. They produced essays, fine
dairies and collections of poetry. The
best known Heian writer was Murasaki
Shikibu. Her work ,The Tale of Genji, was
the worlds first full-length novel.
Section #5
Japan’s Feudal Age
Japanese Feudalism Emerges
While the emperor presided over his court at
Heian , rival clans battled for control of the
countryside. As these clans battled for power
Japan evolved into as feudal society. The emperor
may have stood at the head of Japanese feudal
society but he was actually powerless. The real
power was in the hands of the shogun or supreme
military ruler. Often the shogun only controlled a
small part of Japan. He then distributed land to
vassal lords who in return agreed to support him
with their armies in times of need. These warrior
lords were daimyo. They in turn granted land to
lesser lords called samurai. The samurai were
heavily armored and trained in the skills of
fighting. They also made their own code of values
called bushido. Originally, some noblewomen
became samurai but as the age of the samurai
progressed the position of woman declined. Way
below the samurai in the social hierarchy were the
peasants, artisans, and merchants.
Order and Unity Under the Tokugawas
In the year 1338 a new dynasty was
established. Then in the year 1450 the
level of warfare increased. Eventually in
1590 a general named Toyotomi Hideyoshi
brought most of Japan under his control.
He then attempted to conquer Korea and
China but he failed. Then in 1600
Tokugawa Iesassu became master of
Japan. Three years later he became
shogun. The Tokugawa shogunite then
went on to rule Japan up until 1868.
Zen Buddhism and Japanese Culture
During the feudal age in Japan
a Buddhist sect from china
won the acceptance of the
samurai. In Japan it was
known as Zen. A major part of
Zen was meditation and
devotion to duty. Zen changed
and shaped Japanese culture
in many ways. On way was
that it the upper class men got
the chance to express devotion
to nature at the Zen
monasteries.
Changing Artistic Traditions
One artistic tradition was theater.
In the 1300s there were plays in
which men wore elegant carved
masks and a chorus chanted
important lines. Then in the 1600s
kabuki was introduced. Kabuki is a
form of drama which often
included comedy or melodrama.
Puppet play were also popular.
They were called bunraku.
Literature was another artistic
tradition. In the feudal age there
were famous stories like Tale of
Heike and some famous essays
which include Essays in Idleness.
The Japanese also had a new
version of poetry called the Haiku.
The Japanese also had their own
form of landscape painting.
THE END!!!