HISTORY OF CHINA

The History China
and East Asia
Presented by:
Group 2

The development of civilization in early China was aided by
features like long rivers, fertile soils, temperate climates, and
isolated valleys.
● Annual floods deposited
rich soil, loess, on flood
plains
● Valley of Huang He
particularly fertile due to loess
● Fine dusty soil
● Carried into China by
desert winds
Loess
● China’s first civilizations
developed in river valleys
● Two major rivers supplied
water for earliest civilizations
● Chang Jiang, also called
Yangzi
● Huang He, or Yellow River
● Both flow east from Plateau
of Tibet to Yellow Sea
Rivers, Soils, Climates

 China’s two major rivers
are the Yangtze and the
Hwang Ho. Both empty
into the Pacific Ocean
draining China’s heavily
populated fertile plains.
 The earliest Chinese
civilizations were found
along the Hwang Ho
(Yellow) river which
suffers violent flooding
each year. It’s nickname is
China’s sorrow.

Prehistory
 Homo erectus ("upright man") is believed to have lived
in East and Southeast Asia from 1.8 million to 40,000 years ago.Their
regional distinction is classified as Homo erectus sensu stricto.
 Fossils representing 40 Homo erectus individuals, known as Peking
Man, were found near Beijing at Zhoukoudian that date to about
400,000 years ago. The species was believed to have lived for at
least several hundred thousand years in China,and possibly until
200,000 years ago in Indonesia. They may have been the first to use
fire and cook food.
 Homo sapiens migrated into inland Asia, likely by following herds
of bison and mammoth and arrived in southern Siberia by about
43,000 years ago and some people move south or east from there.
 The earliest sites of neolithic culture include Nanzhuangtou culture
around 9500 BC to 9000 BC, Pengtoushan culturearound 7500 BC to
6100 BC, Peiligang culture around 7000 BC to 5000 BC.

 The Jeulmun pottery period is sometimes labeled
the "Korean Neolithic", but since intensive
agriculture and evidence of European-style
'Neolithic' lifestyle is sparse at best, such
terminology is misleading.The Jeulmun was a
period of hunting, gathering, and small-scale
cultivation of plants. Archaeologists sometimes
refer to this life-style pattern as 'broad-
spectrumhunting-and-gathering'.
 The Jōmon period occurred in Japan from circa
14,000 BC to 300BC, with some characteristics of
both Neolithic andMesolithic culture.

Neolithic age in China can be traced back to
about 10,000 BC. Early evidence for proto-
Chinese millet agriculture is radiocarbon-dated
to about 7000 BC.
NEOLITHIC
The earliest evidence of cultivated rice, found
by the Yangtze River, is carbon-dated to 8,000
years ago.

Farming gave rise to the Jiahu culture (7000 to
5800 BC). At Damaidi in Ningxia, 3,172 cliff carvings
dating to 6000–5000 BC have been discovered,
"featuring 8,453 individual characters such as the
sun, moon, stars, gods and scenes of hunting or
grazing." These pictographs are reputed to be similar
to the earliest characters confirmed to be written
Chinese.
 Chinese proto-writing existed in Jiahu around 7000
BC, Dadiwan from 5800 BC to 5400 BC, Damaidi
around 6000 BC and Banpo dating from the 5th
millennium BC.

 The Xia dynasty of China (from c. 2100 to c. 1600 BC)
is the first dynasty to be described in ancient historical
records such as Sima Qian's Records of the Grand
Historian and Bamboo Annals.
 Following this was the Shang dynasty, which ruled in
the Yellow River valley. The classic account of the
Shang comes from texts such as the Classic of
History, Bamboo Annals and Records of the Grand
Historian. According to the traditional chronology, the
Shang ruled from 1766 BC to 1122 BC, but according
to the chronology based upon the "current text" of
Bamboo Annals, they ruled from 1556 BC to 1046 BC.

 The Zhou dynasty of (c. 1046–256 BC lasted
longer than any other dynasty in Chinese history.
However, the actual political and military control
of China by the dynasty, surnamed Ji , lasted only
until 771 BC, a period known as the Western
Zhou. This period of Chinese history produced
what many consider the zenith of
Chinese bronze-ware making. The dynasty also
spans the period in which the written script
evolved into its modern form with the use of an
archaic clerical script that emerged during the
late Warring States period.

ShangDynasty(1600-1046)
Oracle bones found
dating from the Shang
Dynasty
Main article: Shang
dynasty
Capital: Yin, near
Anyang
Tang
Archaeological
findings providing
evidence for the
existence of the
Shang dynasty, c.
1600–1046 BC, are
divided into two sets.

Inscriptions of divination records in
ancient Chinese writing on the bones or
shells of animals – the so-called "oracle
bones", dating from around 1500 BC.
Contributions:
 They made materials made in Bronze.
 Construction of beautiful Palaces and Burial sites.
The classic account of the Shang comes
from texts such as the Classic of
History, Bamboo Annal sand Records of the
Grand Historian. According to the traditional
chronology, the Shang ruled from 1766 BC to
1122 BC, but according to the chronology
based upon the "current text" of Bamboo
Annals, they ruled from 1556 BC to 1046 BC.

Zhou Dynasty (1046-256)
Wu Wang
Was the longest-lasting dynasty
in Chinese history, from 1066 BC
to approximately 256 BC
By the end of the 2nd millennium
BC, the Zhou dynasty began to
emerge in the Yellow River valley,
overrunning the territory of the
Shang. The Zhou appeared to have
begun their rule under a semi-
feudal system.
Bronze ritual vessel

Contributions:
Metal Plow
Crossbow
Establish of Irrigation and
Dikes to control the overflow
or the Huang Ho River.

Confucianism
 Confucianism is an ethical and philosophical system developed during
the Spring and Autumn Period. It later
developedmetaphysical and cosmological elements in the Han
Dynasty. Following the official abandonment of Legalism in China after
the Qin Dynasty, Confucianism became the official state ideology of the
Han. Nonetheless, from the Han period onwards, most Chinese
emperors have used a mix of Legalism and Confucianism as their ruling
doctrine. The disintegration of the Han in the second century CE opened
the way for the soteriological doctrines of Buddhism and Taoism to
dominate intellectual life at that time.
 A Confucian revival began during the Tang dynasty. In the late Tang,
Confucianism developed aspects on the model of Buddhism and Taoism
and was reformulated as Neo-Confucianism. This reinvigorated form was
adopted as the basis of the imperial exams and the core philosophy of
the scholar official class in the Song dynasty. The abolition of the
examination system in 1905 marked the end of official Confucianism.
The New Culture intellectuals of the early twentieth century blamed
Confucianism for China's weaknesses.

 They searched for new doctrines to replace Confucian
teachings, some of these new ideologies include the
"Three Principles of the People" with the
establishment of the Republic of China, and
then Maoismunder the People's Republic of China.
 Historically, cultures and countries strongly
influenced by Confucianism include
mainland China, Taiwan, Hong
Kong, Macau,Korea, Japan, and Vietnam, as well as
various territories settled predominantly by Chinese
people, such as Singapore. In the 20th century,
Confucianism’s influence has been greatly reduced.
More recently, there have been talks of a "Confucian
Revival" in the academia and the scholarly
community.

Buddhism
 Buddhism has also been a major influence on east Asian culture. It
was introduced to China during the Han dynasty.
Taoism
 The first organized form of Taoism, the Tianshi (Celestial Masters')
school (later known as Zhengyi school), developed from the Five
Pecks of Rice movement at the end of the 2nd century CE; the
latter had been founded by Zhang Daoling, who claimed that Laozi
appeared to him in the year 142. The Tianshi school was officially
recognized by ruler Cao Cao in 215, legitimizing Cao Cao's rise to
power in return. Laozi received imperial recognition as a divinity in
the mid-2nd century BCE.
 Taoism, in form of the Shangqing school, gained official status in
China again during the Tang Dynasty (618–907), whose emperors
claimed Lao Tzu as their relative. The Shangqing movement,
however, had developed much earlier, in the 4th century, on the
basis of a series of revelations by gods and spirits to a certain Yang
Xi in the years between 364 to 370.

Qin and Han Dynasties
 In 221 BC, the state of Qin succeeded
in conquering the other six states,
creating the first imperial dynasty of
China for the first time. Following the
death of the emperor Qin Shi
Huangdi, the Qin dynasty collapsed
and control was taken over by the
Han dynasty in 206 BC. In AD 220, the
Han empire collapsed into the Three
Kingdoms. The series of trade routes
known as Silk Road began during the
Han dynasty.

QinDynasty(221-206)
Chao Hsiang Wang
Adapt the name China
The Qin Emperor presided over the
brutal silencing of political
opposition, including the event
known as the burning of books and
burying of scholars.
When Shi Huang Ti died, the Qin
dynasty fall.

Contributions:
The other major contributions of
the Qin include the concept of a
centralized government, the
unification of the legal code
development of the written
language, measurement, and
currency of China.
The Terracotta Army of Qin
Shi Huang

Divisionsand re-unificationof
China

 Three Kingdoms Period
Three Kingdoms
on the eve of
conquest of Shu
by Wei
 The Three Kingdoms Period consisted of the kingdom
of Wei, Shu, and Wu. It began when the ruler of Wei, Cao
Cao, was defeated by Liu Bei and Sun Quan at the Battle of
Red Cliffs. After Cao Cao's death in AD 220, his son Cao Pi
became emperor of Wei. Liu Bei and Sun Quan declared
themselves emperor of Shu and Wu respectively. Many
famous personages in Chinese history were born during this
period, including Hua Tuo and the great military
strategist Zhuge Liang. Buddhism, which was introduced
during the Han Dynasty, also became popular in this period.
Two years after Wei conquered Shu in AD 263, Sima Yan,
Wei's Imperial Chancellor, overthrew Wei and started
the Western Jin Dynasty. The conquest of Wu by the
Western Jin Dynasty ended the Three Kingdoms period, and
China was unified again. However, the Western Jin did not
last long. Following the death of Sima Yan, the War of the
Eight Princes began. This war weakened the Jin Dynasty, and
it soon fell to the kingdom of Han Zhao. This ushered in
the Sixteen Kingdoms.

 After the collapse of the Han Dynasty
China broke up into semi-independent
warring states.
 During this period Confucianism declined
as the dominant philosophy
 It was replaced by two salvation religions:
Neo-Daoism and especially Buddhism.
 Buddhism entered China from India along
trade routes.

Southern and Northern Dynasties
Northern and
Southern
Dynasties
 The Northern Wei was established by
the Tuoba clan of the Xianbei people in AD
386, when they united the northern part of
China. During the Northern Wei, Buddhism
flourished, and became an important tool
for the emperors of the Northern Wei, since
they were believed to be
living incarnations of Buddha. Soon, the
Northern Wei was divided into the Eastern
Wei and Western Wei. These were followed
by the Northern Zhou and Northern Qi. In
the south, the dynasties were much less
stable than the Northern Dynasties.
The four dynasties were weakened by
conflicts between the ruling families.

Buddhism
 Buddhism, also one of the major religions in East Asia, was introduced
into China during the Han dynasty from Nepal in the 1st century BC.
Buddhism was originally introduced to Korea from China in 372, and
eventually arrived in Japan around the turn of the 6th century.
 For a long time Buddhism remained a foreign religion with a few believers
in China, mainly taught by immigrant Indian teachers. During the Tang
dynasty, a fair amount of translations from Sanskrit into Chinese were
done by Chinese priests, and Buddhism became one of the major religions
of the Chinese along with the other two indigenous religions.
 In Korea, Buddhism was not seen to conflict with the rites of nature
worship; it was allowed to blend in with Shamanism. Thus, the mountains
that were believed to be the residence of spirits in pre-Buddhist times
became the sites of Buddhist temples. Though Buddhism initially enjoyed
wide acceptance, even being supported as the state ideology during
theGoguryeo, Silla, Baekje, Balhae, and Goryeo periods, Buddhism in
Korea suffered extreme repression during the Joseon Dynasty.

 In Japan, Buddhism and Shinto were combined by a
theological theory "Ryōbushintō", which says Shinto
deities are avatars of various Buddhist entities, including
Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. This became the mainstream
notion of Japanese religion. In fact until the Meiji
government declared their separation in the mid-19th
century, many Japanese people believed that Buddhism
and Shinto were one religion.
 In Mongolia, Buddhism flourished two times; first in
the Mongol Empire (13th-14th centuries), and finally in
the Manchu Qing Dynasty (16th-19th centuries) from
Tibet in the last 2000 years. It was mixed in with
Tengeriism and Shamanism.

SuiDynasty(AD589-618)
Yan Chien
A short Dynasty
Officially support for Buddhism
The Sui overused their resources and
collapsed
Contributions:
Improved defense and expansion of the Great
Wall of China
Grand Canal are completed
Four Gates of Pagoda are completed.

 Sui Wendi reunified China
and established the Sui
Dynasty
 Buddhism became the
dominant governing
philosophy of China for the
next several hundred
years.
 The Sui were responsible
for many large building
projects, including the
Grand Canal which linked
northern and southern
China
 High taxation and forced
labor caused peasant
revolts, which brought the
Sui Dynasty to an end.

 In AD 581, Yang Jian overthrew the Northern
Zhou, and established the Sui Dynasty. Later,
Yang Jian, who became Sui Wendi, conquered
the Chen Dynasty, and united China. However,
this dynasty was short-lived. Sui Wendi's
successor, Sui Yangdi, expanded the Grand
Canal, and launched four disastrous
wars against the Goguryeo. These projects
depleted the resources and the workforce of
the Sui. In AD 618, Sui Yangdi was
murdered. Li Yuan, the former governor
of Taiyuan, declared himself the emperor, and
founded the Tang Dynasty.

Li Yuan
Founded by Emperor Gaozu
It was a golden age of Chinese
civilization with significant developments in art,
literature, particularly poetry and technology.
Contributions:
Diamond Sutra (the 1st book entire the world)
Invented explosion
Woodblock printing

 Under the Tang Dynasty China reached its
greatest geographic extent
 China, as the preeminent civilization in
East Asia, had enormous cultural influence
on Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia
during this and succeeding periods.
 During this period Europe was
experiencing cultural decline during the
“Dark Ages.”

Civil service
 A government system supported by a large class of
Confucian literati selected through civil service examinations was
perfected under Tang rule. This competitive procedure was
designed to draw the best talents into government. But perhaps
an even greater consideration for the Tang rulers, aware that
imperial dependence on powerful aristocratic families and
warlords would have destabilizing consequences, was to create a
body of career officials having no autonomous territorial or
functional power base. As it turned out, these scholar-officials
acquired status in their local communities, family ties, and
shared values that connected them to the imperial court. From
Tang times until the closing days of the Qing Dynasty in 1911,
scholar officials functioned often as intermediaries between the
grassroots level and the government. This model of government
had an influence on Korea and Japan.

The Golden Age of China 589-1217

Chang’an, The Tang Capital of
China (modern Xian)
 Cosmopolitan center of trade
 Eastern end of the Silk Road
 Temples representing Confucianism,
Daoism, Buddhism, Islam, Nestorian
Christianity, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, and
many other faiths and philosophies
 Large marketplace with wares from all
over the known world

Mosque, showing mixed Arab and
Chinese design, in Chang’an

Chinese culture under the
Tang
 Buddhism was the
dominant religion or
philosophy
 Poetry, the dominant
Chinese literary form,
became the essential
form of social
communication (everyone
wrote poetry).
 Calligraphy, landscape
painting also highly
developed artforms
 Advances in astronomy,
chemistry, and medicine

Li Po, the greatest Chinese poet

Li Po’s Poetry
IN THE MOUNTAINS ON A SUMMER DAY
Gently I stir a white feather fan,
With open shirt sitting in a green wood.
I take off my cap and hang it on a jutting atone;
A wind from the pine-trees trickles on my bare head.
IN the third month the town of Hsien-yang
Is thick-spread with a carpet of fallen flowers.
Who in Spring can bear to grieve alone?
Who, sober, look on sights like these?
Riches and Poverty, long or short life,
By the Maker of Things are portioned and disposed;
But a cup of wine levels life and death
And a thousand things obstinately hard to prove.
When I am drunk, I lose Heaven and Earth,
Motionless—I cleave to my lonely bed.
At last I forget that I exist at all,
And at that moment my joy is great indeed.

Tang Technology
 Printing Press
 Altitude of the North
Pole measured
 Astronomical
observations

Sun Simiao, notable Tang doctor
 Wrote textbooks and
medical guides on
gynecology,
pharmacology,
pediatrics, and
acupuncture
 Known as “The King
of Herbs”

Empress Wu (Wei) 684-705
 Greatest Tang ruler
 Tang Dynasty’s height
of military power
 Disliked by Chinese
 Strong Buddhist

Decline and Fall of the Tang
 Invasions by Turks and peasant rebellions
weakened the Tang Dynasty
 Chang’an was captured by invaders and
then recaptured, badly damaged
 Central government lost power
 Tang collapsed in 907

The Song Dynasty 960-1279
 Two separate segments:
 Northern Song 960-1127.
Capital Kaifeng.
Conquered by Jurchens
 Southern Song 1127-
1269. Capital Hangzhou.
Conquered by Mongols.
 Compared to Tang
Dynasty, Song China was
geographically smaller
but much wealthier.

Developments Under the Song
Dynasty
 Commercial Revolution led to
development of a market
economy throughout China,
growth of international trade,
and the use of paper money
 Agricultural Revolution
changed the Chinese diet and
led to a population explosion.
 Technological developments
led China to the verge of
industrialization: proto-
industrialization.

11th century paper-
printedmoney from the Song
Dynasty.
The first known movable type system was
invented in China around 1040 AD by Pi
Sheng (990-1051) (spelled Bi Sheng in
the Pinyin system). Pi Sheng's type was made of
baked clay, as described by the Chinese
scholar Shen Kuo (1031–1095).
The world's first metal-based movable
type printing press was invented in Korea in 1234,
210 years before Johannes Gutenberg invented a
similar press in Germany.
Jikji is the world's oldest extant movable metal
print book. It was published in Heungdeok Temple
in 1377, 78 years prior to Gutenberg's "42-Line
Bible" printed during the years 1452-1455.
PRINTINGPRESS

Developments Under the Song
Dynasty
 Urbanization: Chinese cities became the
largest and most prosperous in the world
 Political changes: Emperors gained
absolute power, nobility lost power
 Confucianism regained dominance and
continued to control the examination
system. A public school system was
established to train boys in Confucianism.

The Song Agricultural Revolution
 The conquest of the Northern
Song by the Jurchens in 1127 led
to a southward migration by the
Chinese to below the Yangtze
River.
 This meant the majority of the
Chinese now inhabited rice and
tea growing regions.
 At the same time, the Chinese
began using porcelain cooking
pots and plates.
 With healthier food, the Chinese
population began to grow
dramatically.

Religious and Philosophical
Changes
 By the later Tang and Song
dynasties, Buddhist
monasteries and temples had
gained enormous wealth.
 This caused the later Tang and
Song Emperors to become
suspicious of Buddhists and
turn back to Confucianist
philosophy.
 Confucianists believed
Buddhism, as a foreign import,
was responsible for China’s
problems
 Buddhism in China began to
decline by the time of the
Song Dynasty

Neo-Confucianism
 A combination of Confucianist,
Buddhist, and some Daoist
ideas
 Agriculture favored over
commerce
 International trade and contact
considered harmful to China
 Male dominance and patriarchy
reinforced
 Considered responsible for
blocking Chinese
industrialization
 China’s privileged position as
The Middle Kingdom could be
jeopardized by outside
contacts.

Foot-Binding in Song
China
 Broken toes by 3 years of age.
 Size 5 ½ shoe
on the right

China
Mothers bound their daughters’ feet.

China
 This was an upper
class status symbol.
 Women were crippled

Some Elderly Chinese Women
Still Have Bound Feet!

The Sinic World of East Asia
 The region historically
under Chinese cultural
influence
 Japan, Korea, Southeast
Asia
 Chinese language as the
language of the elite
 Chinese literary culture:
Confucianism, poetry,
etc.
 Bureaucracies,
examination systems,
national universities

Kublai Khan (grandson of
Gengis Khan) wanting to
adopt the customs of
China, establish the Yuan
Dynasty.
This was the 1st dynasty
to rule the whole of China
and the Beijing as the
capital.
Yuan dynasty (AD 1271–1368)

Hongwu
In 1556, during the rule of the Ming
Jiajing Emperor, the Shaanxi earthquake
killed about 830,000 people, the
deadliest earthquake at all time.
Land estates were confiscated by
the government, fragmented, and
rented out. Private slavery was
forbidden.
Ming dynasty (AD 1368–1644)
The emperor's role became more
autocratic.
Contributions:
•Established the Forbidden City

Qing dynasty (AD 1644–1911)
 Nurhachi
 The last imperial dynasty in China
Founded by the Manchus, it was
the second non-Han
Chinese dynasty to rule all over
Chinese territory. The Manchus
were formerly known
as Jurchens, residing in the
northeastern part of the Ming
territory outside the Great Wall.
They emerged as the major
threat to the late Ming dynasty
after Nurhachi united all Jurchen
tribes and established an
independent state.

InvasionsfromCentralAsia
The expansion of
the Mongol Empire.
Goryeo-Khitan Wars of the 10th
and 11th century.
The Mongol invasions of
Korea between 1231 to 1259.
The Mongol invasions of Japan of
1274 and 1281.
The Mongol invasions of
Vietnam in 1257, 1285 and 1287
AD.

Gunpowder
A Mongol bomb thrown
against a charging
Japanese samurai during
the Mongol invasions of
Japan 1281
Most sources credit the
discovery of gunpowder to
Chinese alchemists in the 9th
century searching for an elixir of
immortality. The discovery of
gunpowder was probably the
product of centuries of alchemical
experimentation. Saltpetre was
known to the Chinese by the mid-
1st century AD and there is strong
evidence of the use of saltpetre
and sulfur in various
largely medicine combinations.

A Chinese alchemical text from 492 noted that
saltpeter gave off a purple flame when ignited,
providing for the first time a practical and reliable
means of distinguishing it from other inorganic salts,
making it possible to evaluate and compare
purification techniques. By most accounts, the
earliest Arabic and Latin descriptions of the
purification of saltpeter do not appear until the 13th
century.
The first reference to gunpowder is probably a
passage in the Zhenyuan miaodao yaolüe,
a Taoism text tentatively dated to the mid-9th century:
Some have heated
together sulfur, realgar and saltpeter with honey;
smoke and flames result, so that their hands and
faces have been burnt, and even the whole house
where they were working burned down.

 The earliest surviving recipes for gunpowder can be found in the
Chinese military treatise Wujing zongyao of 1044 AD, which
contains three: two for use in incendiary bombs to be thrown
by siege engines and one intended as fuel for poison smoke
bombs. The formulas in the Wujing zongyao range from 27 to 50
percent nitrate. Experimenting with different levels of saltpetre
content eventually produced bombs, grenades, and land mines,
in addition to giving fire arrows a new lease on life. By the end of
the 12th century, there were cast iron grenades filled with
gunpowder formulations capable of bursting through their metal
containers. The 14th century Huolongjing contains gunpowder
recipes with nitrate levels ranging from 12 to 91 percent, six of
which approach the theoretical composition for maximal
explosive force.
 In China, the 13th century saw the beginnings of rocketry and the
manufacture of the oldest gun still in existence, a descendant of
the earlier fire-lance, a gunpowder-fueled flamethrower that could
shoot shrapnel along with fire. The Huolongjing text of the 14th
century also describes hollow, gunpowder-packed exploding
cannonballs.

In the 13th century contemporary documentation
shows gunpowder beginning to spread from China
by the Mongols to the rest of the world, starting
with Europe and the Islamic world. The Arabs
acquired knowledge of saltpetre—which they called
"Chinese snow" (Arabic: ‫الصين‬ ‫ثلج‬ thalj al-ṣīn) —
around 1240 and, soon afterward, of gunpowder;
they also learned of fireworks ("Chinese flowers")
and rockets ("Chinese arrows"). Persians called
saltpeter "Chinese salt" or "salt from Chinese salt
marshes" (namak shūra chīnī Persian: ‫شوره‬ ‫نمک‬
‫.)چيني‬ Historian Ahmad Y. al-Hassan argues—
contrathe general notion—that the Chinese
technology passed through Arabic alchemy and
chemistry before the 13th century. Gunpowder
arrived in India by the mid-14th century, but could
have been introduced by the Mongols perhaps as
early as the mid-13th century.
Ming Dynasty (1368-
1644 AD) matchlock
firearms

Three Kingdoms of Korea
Map of the Three
Kingdoms of
Korea, at the end
of the 5th century
 B.C 58, the Korean peninsula was divided into three
kingdoms, Baekje, Silla and Goguryeo. Although they
shared a similar language and culture, these three
kingdoms constantly fought with each other for control
of the peninsula. Furthermore, Goguryeo had been
engaged in constant wars with the Chinese. This
included the Goguryeo-Sui Wars, where the Kingdom
of Goguryeo managed to repel the invading forces of
the Sui Dynasty.
 As the Kingdom of Silla conquered nearby city-states,
they gained access to the Yellow Sea, making direct
contact with the Tang Dynasty possible. The Tang
Dynasty teamed up with Silla and formed a strategy to
invade Goguryeo. Since Goguryeo had been able to
repel earlier Chinese invasions from the North, perhaps
Gorguryeo would fall if it were attacked by Silla from
the south at the same time. However, in order to do
this, the Tang-Silla alliance had to eliminate Goguryeo's
nominal ally Baekje and secure a base of operations in
southern Korea for a second front.

 In 660, the coalition troops of Silla and Tang of China attacked Baekje,
resulting in the annexation of Baekje by Silla. Together, Silla and Tang
effectively eliminated Baekje when they captured the capital of Sabi, as
well as Baekje's last king, Uija, and most of the royal family.
 However, Yamato Japan and Baekje had been long-standing and very
close allies. In 663, Baekje revival forces and a Japanese naval fleet
convened in southern Baekje to confront the Silla forces in the Battle of
Baekgang. The Tang dynasty also sent 7,000 soldiers and 170 ships.
After five naval confrontations that took place in August 663 at
Baekgang, considered the lower reaches of Tongjin river, the Silla-Tang
forces emerged victorious.
 The Silla-Tang forces turned their attention to Goguryeo. Although
Goguryeo had repelled the Sui Dynasty a century earlier, attacks by the
Tang Dynasty from the west proved too formidable. The Silla-Tang
alliance emerged victorious in the Goguryeo-Tang Wars. Silla thus
unified most of the Korean peninsula in 668.
 But the kingdom's reliance on China's Tang Dynasty had its price. Silla
had to forcibly resist the imposition of Chinese rule over the entire
peninsula. Silla then fought for nearly a decade to expel Chinese forces
to finally establish a unified kingdom as far north as
modern Pyongyang.

 The expansion of the Ryūkyū Kingdom.
 The Nanban trade in Japan.
 The Unification of Japan and the Japanese invasions of Korea.
 The Japanese invasion of Ryūkyū.
 The Ten Great Campaigns in China.
 The growth of European Imperialism in Asia, starting with the rise of
global trade routes.
 The Haw wars between the years 1865 and 1890.
 The First and Second Opium Wars in the mid 19th century (1840–1843
and 1856-1860 respectively).
 The Sino-French War from September 1884 to June 1885.
 The First Sino-Japanese War occurred between 1894 and 1895,
primarily over control of the country Korea.
 The Russo-Japanese War from February 10, 1904 – September 5, 1905.
 The Second Sino-Japanese War occurred between 1931 (proceeding in
earnest in 1937) and 1945, from 1941 on as part of World War II.
16thcenturyto 1945

Early Japan
 Japan was inhabited since more than 30,000 years ago, when
land bridges connected Japan to Korea and China to the south
and Siberia to the north. With rise in sea level, the 4 major
islands took form around 20,000 years ago, and the lands
connecting today's Japan to the continental Asia completely
disappeared 15,000 ~ 10,000 years ago. Thereafter, some
migrations continued by way of the Korean peninsula, which
would serve as Japan's main avenue for cultural exchange with
the continental Asia until the medieval period.
 The mythology of ancient Japan is contained within
the Kojiki ('Records of Ancient Matters') which record the
creation myth of Japan and its lineage of Emperors to the Sun
Goddess Amaratsu.
 In the myth of Japan's creation the two gods Isanagi and
Isanami swirled the primordial soup below the bridge of heaven
with a rod and when retrieving the rod the drops of liquid that
formed and dropped created the first islands of Japan.

Edo Period
 In 1603, the Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship)
ushered in a long period of isolation from foreign influence in
order to secure its power. For 250 years this policy enabled
Japan to enjoy stability and a flowering of its indigenous
culture.
 Japanese society had an elaborate social structure, in which
everyone knew their place and level of prestige. At the top
were the emperor and the court nobility, invincible in prestige
but weak in power. Next came the "bushi" of shogun, daimyo
and layers of feudal lords whose rank was indicated by their
closeness to the Tokugawa. They had power. The "daimyo"
comprised about 250 local lords of local "han" with annual
outputs of 50,000 or more bushels of rice. The upper strata
was much given to elaborate and expensive rituals, including
elegant architecture, landscaped gardens, nō drama,
patronage of the arts, and the tea ceremony.

 Then came the 400,000 warriors, called "samurai", in numerous grades
and degrees. A few upper samurai were eligible for high office; most
were foot soldiers (ashigaru) with minor duties. The samurai were
affiliated with senior lords in a well-established chain of command. The
shogun had 17,000 samurai retainers; the daimyo each had hundreds.
Most lived in modest homes near their lord's headquarters, and lived off
of hereditary rights and stipends. Together these high status groups
constituted Japan's ruling class making up about 6% of the total
population.
 Lower orders divided into two main segments—the peasants—80% of
the population—whose high prestige as producers was undercut by their
burden as the chief source of taxes. They were illiterate and lived in
villages controlled by appointed officials who kept the peace and
collected taxes.
 Near the bottom of the prestige scale—but much higher up in terms of
income and life style—were the merchants and artisans of the towns
and cities. They had no political power, and even rich merchants found it
difficult to rise in the world in a society in which place and standing were
fixed at birth. Finally came the entertainers, prostitutes, day laborers and
servants, and the thieves, beggars and hereditary outcasts

Threecultures
 Three distinct cultural traditions operated during the Tokugawa
era, having little to do with each other. In the villages the
peasants had their own rituals and localistic traditions. In the
high society of the imperial court, daimyos and samurai, Chinese
cultural influence was paramount, especially in the areas of
ethics and political ideals. Neo-Confucianism became the
approved philosophy, and was taught in official schools;
Confucian norms regarding personal duty and family honor
became deeply implanted in elite thought. Equally pervasive was
the Chinese influence in painting, decorative arts and history,
economics, and natural science. One exception came in religion,
where there was a revival of Shinto, which had originated in
Japan. Motoori Norinaga (1730-1801) freed Shinto from
centuries of Buddhist accretions and gave a new emphasis to
the myth of imperial divine descent, which later became a
political tool for imperialist conquest until it was destroyed in
1945.

The third cultural level was the popular art of the low-
status artisans, merchants and entertainers,
especially in Edo and other cities. It revolved around
"ukiyo", the floating world of the city pleasure
quarters and theaters that was officially off-limits to
samurai. Its actors and courtesans were favorite
subjects of the woodblock color prints that reached
high levels of technical and artistic achievement in
the 18th century. They also appeared in the novels
and short stories of popular prose writers of the age
like Ihara Saikaku (1642-1693). The theater itself,
both in the puppet drama and the newer kabuki, as
written by the greatest dramatist, Chikamatsu
Monzaemon (1653-1724), relied on the clash
between duty and inclination in the context of
revenge and love.

The Meiji Era
Following the Treaty of Kanagawa with the United
States of America in 1854, Japan opened its ports
and began to intensively modernize and industrialize.
The Meiji Restoration of 1868 ended the Tokugawa
period, and put Japan on a course of centralized
government in the name of the Emperor.
During the late nineteenth and early twentieth
century, Japan became a regional power that was
able to defeat the forces of both China and Russia. It
occupied Korea, Formosa (Taiwan), and
southern Sakhalin Island.
Economy and empire; war and defeat: 1912-1950
Hirohito was the Showa Emperor 1926-89 after
serving as regent since 1921.

Republicof China(1912–1949)
SUN YAT-SEN
founder and first
president of the
Republic of China
 The Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901: against
European and US control of China) is
defeated in 1901.
 Chinese Republic proclaimed in 1912 after
the abdication of the child-emperor.
 Yuan Shikai (a warlord) seizes power from
1912 to 1916.
 Dr Sun Yat-Sen, leader of the Kuomintang
Party, attempts to establish the republic
despite feuding warlords but dies in 1925
 In 1928 Chang Kai-shek seizes Beijing for
the Kuomintang.
 Civil war with Mao Zedong’s Communist
Party begins in 1929.
 The 6000-mile Long March sees Mao’s army
escape the Kuomintang forces in 1934-35
(Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and Deng Xiaoping
are all comrades on the March).

PacificWar
 In 1931 Japan occupied Manchuria ("Dongbei") after
the Manchurian Incident, and in 1937 it launched a full-scale
invasion of China. The U.S. undertook large scale military and
economic aid to China and demanded Japanese withdrawal.
Instead of withdrawing Japan took over French Indochina in
1940-41; the U.S., Britain and the Netherlands cut off oil imports
in 1941, which accounted for over 90% of Japan's oil
supply. Negotiations with the US led nowhere. Japan attacked
U.S. forces at the Battle of Pearl Harbor in December 1941,
triggering America's entry into World War II. Japan rapidly
expanded at sea and land, capturing Singapore and
the Philippines in early 1942, and threatening India and Australia.
 Although it was to be a long and bloody war, Japan began to
lose the initiative in 1942. At the Battle of the Coral Sea, a
Japanese offensive was turned back, for the first time, at sea.
The June Battle of Midway cost Japan four of its six large
aircraft carriers and destroyed its capability for future major
offensives. In the Guadalcanal Campaign, the U.S. took back
ground from Japan and established a base for future invasions.

 From the late 16th century, the Joseon dynasty faced foreign
invasions, internal power struggle and rebellions. Support from China,
particularly militarily, became increasingly important to maintaining
rule, and the dynasty maintained a strict isolationist policy to all
countries except China. By the 19th century, with the country unwilling
to modernize, and the decline of China due largely to European
powers, Korea became subject to foreign powers. After Japan
defeated China, a brief period of independence and reform occurred.
This was known as the Korean Empire (1897–1910). However this
state was quickly dominated by Russia, and when Japan defeated
Russia, they forced Korea to sign a protectorate treaty and in
1910 Japan annexed the Korean Empire, though all treaties involved
were later deemed to be invalid.
 Korean resistance was manifested in the widespread
nonviolent March 1st Movement of 1919. Thereafter the resistance
movements, coordinated by the Provisional Government of the
Republic of Korea in exile, were largely active in neighboring
Manchuria, China and Siberia. Figures from these exile organizations
would become important in post WWII Korea.

The2ndSino-JapaneseWar
 The Empire of Japan begins attacks on China in
1937 and quickly seizes many northern and
coastal areas.
 The US gunboat Panay is sunk by Japanese
bombers whilst peace still exists between the
US and Japan.
 With the attack on Pearl Harbour on Dec. 7,
1941, Japan captures European and US
territories in China e.g. Hong Kong and Macau.
 The Chinese capital is moved far up the Yangzi
river to Chongqing but comes under attack.
 Chinese, US and British forces fight back from
western and central China, with supplies
carried by the Burma Road to Kunming.
 The Japanese are eventually defeated in 1945
but many areas of northern, southern and
eastern China are devastated by the war.

WorldWarII
Planes from
the Japanese aircraft
carrier Shōkaku prepar
ing the attack on Pearl
Harbor
 In late 1941 Japan's government, led by Prime Minister
and General Hideki Tojo, decided to break the US-led
embargo through force of arms. On December 7, 1941,
the Japanese Navy launched a surprise attack on the
American fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This brought the
US into World War II on the side of the Allies. Japan then
successfully invaded the Asian colonies of the US, Great
Britain, and the Netherlands, including
the Philippines, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Burma,
and the Dutch East Indies.
 In the early stages of the war, Japan scored victory after
victory. The tide began to turn against Japan following
the Battle of Midway in June 1942 and the
subsequent Battle of Guadalcanal, in which Allied troops
wrested the Solomon Islands from Japanese control.
During this period the Japanese military was responsible
for such war crimes as mistreatment of prisoners of war,
massacres of civilians, and the use of chemical and
biological weapons. The Japanese military earned a
reputation for fanaticism, often employing suicide
charges and fighting almost to the last man against
overwhelming odds. In 1944 the Japanese Navy began
deploying squadrons of "kamikaze" pilots who crashed
their planes into enemy ships.

Atomic cloud
over
Hiroshima,
1945
on August 6, 1945, the US
dropped an atomic
bomb over Hiroshima, killing
over 90,000 people. This was
the first nuclear attack in
history. On August 9
the Soviet Union declared
war on Japan and invaded
Manchukuo, and Nagasaki
was struck by a second
atomic bomb. The
unconditional surrender of
Japan was communicated to
the Allies on August 14,

 After the defeat of Japan in 1945, the country was divided into a northern area,
protected by the Soviets, and a southern area protected primarily by the United States
of America. In 1948, when the powers failed to agree on the formation of a single
government, this partition became the modern states of North and South Korea. The
"Republic of Korea" was created in the south with the backing of the USA and Western
Europe and the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" in the north with the backing
of the Soviets and the communist "Peoples Republic of China" divided at the 38th
parallel. The unresolved tensions of the division surfaced in the Korean War of 1950.
While the war was quite costly and fortunes varied, ultimately the war concluded with
the peninsula at its pre-war borders. The conflict ended with a cease-fire in 1953, but
the two nations officially remain at war because a peace treaty was never signed.
Both states were accepted into the United Nations in 1991.
 While both countries were essentially under military rule after the war, South
Korea eventually liberalized, and since 1987 the country has had a competitive
electoral system. The South Korean economy has prospered, and the country is now
considered to be fully developed with a similar per capital economic standing to
Western Europe, Japan, and America.
 North Korea has maintained military rule, but the system has evolved into a somewhat
monarchical system with leadership passed hereditarily and a somewhat divine status
is assigned to its rulers. Economically, North Korea has remained heavily dependent on
foreign aid, and following the collapse of the Soviet Union, that aid fell precipitously,
and the economic situation has been quite marginal since.

U.S. occupation
 After its defeat in World War II, Japan was occupied by the
U.S. until 1951, and recovered from the effects of the war to
become an economic power, staunch American ally and a
democracy. While Emperor Hirohito was allowed to retain his
throne as a symbol of national unity, actual power rests in
networks of powerful politicians, bureaucrats, and business
executives.
Postwar
The Japanese growth in the postwar period was often called a
"miracle". It was led by manufacturing, Starting with textiles and
clothing and moving to high-technology, especially automobiles,
electronics and computers.
The economy experienced a major slowdown starting in the
1990s following three decades of unprecedented growth, but
Japan still remains a major economic power, both in Asia and
globally.

Six Broad Themes of Japanese
History
 All societies interact,
but major
transformations in
Japanese history were
distinguished by
deliberate, massive
cultural borrowings,
followed by
“Japanization” or
adaption of foreign
ways.

SixBroadThemesof Japanese History
 Japanese society
accomodates
aggressive pursuit of
change within a
framework of
continuity. In other
words, they change
while maintaining
tradition.

Six Broad Themes of Japanese History
 Japan’s insularity and
isolation has fostered
a social closeness.
This is also a
reflection of
Confucianist values
imported from China.

 An inclination toward
political and social
stability is reflected in
the longevity of
political institutions
like the monarchy. A
preference for
evolutionary rather
than revolutionary
change.

 Japan’s size and lack
of natural resources
makes the
relationship between
domestic production
and imported goods a
critical factor in its
economy.

Six Broad Themes of Japanese
History
 Throughout its history
Japan has
experienced periods
of reclusive
withdrawal alternating
with periods of active
engagement with the
outside world.

Japan’s Classical Period ca 550-
1185
 The first period of
deliberate cultural
borrowing and
adaptation.
 The Japanese studied and
borrowed from Chinese
culture, introduced to
them by the Koreans.
 Among the cultural
imports were Buddhism,
Confucianist social and
political values, and the
Chinese written and
spoken languages.

Shinto
 Buddhism co-existed
alongside the native
Japanese religion, Shinto.
 Shinto is a religion based
on the worship of deities
called Kami, who are
considered benign and
helpful to humans.
 Shinto recognizes many
sacred places: mountains,
lakes, springs, etc.
 84% of modern Japanese
practice both Shinto and
Buddhism

Japan’sClassical(Heian)Period ca 550-1185
 Japan adopted a Confucianist
style government, with an
Emperor and an examination
system for the bureaucracy in
the Capital, Hei-an (modern
Kyoto).
 Although Japanese was very
different from Chinese, the
Chinese writing system was
adapted for use with Japanese.
 Japanese literature,
particularly poetry, flourished
in this period.

JapaneseWriting
 Japanese adapted about 1500 Chinese
characters and supplemented them with
additional characters representing phonetics.
 Japanese has fewer sounds than English and all
syllables are pronounced equally.
 A change of pitch (tone) is used to indicate
differences between two otherwise identical
words.
 Gairago or loan words have flooded the
Japanese language: violin: biorin, beefsteak:
bifuteki

JapaneseClassicalLiterature
 Women made many literary contributions
during the classical period.
 Women did not work in government and
therefore did not have to use the Chinese
language, allowing them to experiment
with the Japanese spoken and written
language.

The Pillow Book of Sei
Shonagon, ca 996
 Sei Shonagon was a lady of the court of
the Japanese imperial family.
 She was known for her quick wit, sunny
disposition, and knowledge of the Chinese
classics.
 Her pillow book was partly a diary, partly
a book of observations and poetry.

The Tale of Genji, by the Lady
Murasaki Shikibu ca 973-1025
 Often called the first novel, the
story is centered on the life
and adventures of Hikaru
Genji, born to a Heian Emperor
 Lady Murasaki was the
daughter of a court official
who allowed her to study
alongside her brother and
learn Chinese.
 Little else is known of her life.

MedievalJapan1185-1600
 Japan’s medieval period began as the
central government gradually lost power
to several noble families.
 Warfare and destruction characterized the
medieval period.
 Europe’s medieval period occurred during
the same general time period, and the
similarities are striking, particularly in the
development of feudalism.

Feudalism
A political, economic, and social
system based on loyalty, the
holding of land, and military
service.
Japan:
Shogun
Daimyo Daimyo
Samurai Samurai Samurai
Peasant PeasantPeasantPeasant
Land - Shoen
Land - Shoen
Protection
Loyalty
Loyalty
Food

Code of Bushido
* Fidelity
* Politeness
* Virility
* Simplicity

Seppuku:
Ritual Suicide
Kaishaku – his
“seconds”
It is honorable to
die in this way.

The Kamakura Shogunate 1180-
1333
 Shogun: Barbarian conquering great
general.
 Bakufu: tent government
 The Kamakura shoguns held the real
power in Japan. The Emperors in Kyoto
were only figureheads.

AttemptedMongolInvasions
 The Mongols had
conquered China and
established a vast
empire.
 In 1272 and 1281
Mongol fleets carrying
gunpowder weapons
were sent to invade
and conquer Japan.
 Both fleets were
destroyed by storms in
the Sea of Japan: the
kamikazes.

The Ashikaga Shogunate 1333-1467
 Took power after conflict among the
daimyo overthrew the Kamakura
Shogunate.
 Weaker than the Kamakura Shogunate, it
controlled only parts of some islands.
 The Onin War of 1467-1477 ended the
Ashikaga Shogunate and led to a century
of civil war within Japan.

Zen Buddhism
 A version of
Mahayana Buddhism
which developed in
Tang China and was
later introduced to
Japan.
 It focuses on personal
enlightenment and
self-discipline through
meditation.
 Popular among the
samurai in the
medieval period.

Amidaor PureLandBuddhism
 Another version of
Mahayana Buddhism
imported from China.
 A more democratic
version of Buddhism
which taught that all
people were eligible to
reach the “Pure Land”
as envisioned by the
Bhoddisatva Amida.
 Popular among the
peasants during the
medieval period in
Japan.

DivisionandKoreanWar(1945–1953)
 At the Cairo Conference on November 22, 1943, it was
agreed that "in due course Korea shall become free and
independent”; at a later meeting in Yalta in February
1945, it was agreed to establish a four-power trusteeship
over Korea. On August 9, 1945, Soviet tanks entered
northern Korea from Siberia, meeting little resistance.
Japan surrendered to the Allied Forces on August 15,
1945.
 The unconditional surrender of Japan, combined with
fundamental shifts in global politics and ideology, led to
the division of Korea into two occupation zones
effectively starting on September 8, 1945, with the
United States administering the southern half of the
peninsula and the Soviet Union taking over the area
north of the 38th parallel. The Provisional Government
was ignored, mainly due to American perception that it
was too communist-aligned This division was meant to
be temporary and was first intended to return a unified
Korea back to its people after the United States, United
Kingdom, Soviet Union, and Republic of China could
arrange a single government.

 In December 1945, a conference convened in Moscow to
discuss the future of Korea. A 5-year trusteeship was
discussed, and a joint Soviet-American commission was
established. The commission met intermittently in Seoul but
deadlocked over the issue of establishing a national
government. In September 1947, with no solution in sight,
the United States submitted the Korean question to
the United Nations General Assembly.
 Initial hopes for a unified, independent Korea quickly
evaporated as the politics of the Cold War and opposition to
the trusteeship plan from anti-communists resulted in the
1948 establishment of two separate nations with diametrically
opposed political, economic, and social systems. On
December 12, 1948, the General Assembly of the United
Nations recognized the Republic of Korea as the sole legal
government of Korea. In June 25, 1950 the Korean War broke
out when North Korea breached the 38th parallel line to
invade the South, ending any hope of a peaceful reunification
for the time being. After the war, the 1954 Geneva
conference failed to adopt a solution for a unified Korea.

DividedKorea(1953–present)
Beginning with Syngman Rhee, a series of
oppressive autocratic governments took power
in South Korea with American support and
influence. The country eventually transitioned to
become a market-oriented democracy in 1987
largely due to popular demand for reform, and
its economy rapidly grew and became a
developed economy by the 2000s.

Due to Soviet Influence, North Korea established a
communist government with a hereditary succession
of leadership, with ties to China and the Soviet
Union. Kim Il-sung became the supreme leader until
his death in 1994, after which his son, Kim Jong-il
took power. Kim Jong-il's son, Kim Jong-un, is the
current leader, taking power after his father's death
in 2011. After the Soviet Union's dissolution in 1991,
the North Korean economy went on a path of steep
decline, and it is currently heavily reliant on
international food aid and trade with China.

FourThemesof KoreanHistory
 A sense of cultural
closeness to China
 The transformation of
borrowed traditions
 The limiting of outside
influences and a
tendency towards
seclusion
 Social stability and
hierarchy (Confucianist)
in a homogenous society.

Korea’sEarly and Classical Periods
 According to Korean mythology,
Korea was founded in 2,333 BCE
and named Choson.
 From 50 BCE to 668 CE Korea was
divided into three kingdoms, all
strongly influenced by China
 Although the Korean language is
very different, Korea adopted the
Chinese writing system, modifying
some characters and inventing
others.
 Chinese culture and Buddhism
entered Korea during the Tang
Dynasty. The native Korean folk
religion of shamanism survived
 Korea then transmitted this
culture to Japan.

Korean Society
 Korea was part of China’s
East Asian trading system
 At times Korea’s rulers
were vassals of the
Chinese Emperors
 Korea rarely had a
powerful military.
 Korean society was proud
of its homogeneity and
preferred seclusion to
outside contact (except
China). Traditionally called
“The Hermit Kingdom”
 Animosity towards Japan is
ancient and reciprocated.

HISTORY OF CHINA

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