AP WORLD East Asia (China/Taiwan, Japan, Korea)

Chinese Song Dynasty (960-1279)

China pre-unit 1

Chinese Feudalism

Social system of emperor, nobles, merchants, and peasants

Chinese Mandate of Heaven

Strict legal code of peasants overturning their rulers if there are environmental hazards

Confucianism

Chinese social code taught by Confucist (respect elders, respect your king) + Filial Piety

Daoism

Harmony with nature

Buddhism

Being zen with nature and karma

Chinese Civil Service Exam

Test of proficiency in government operations

Neo-Confucianism

Confucianism with Daoism/Buddhism

• More popular

Champa Rice

Drought-resistent rice

Foot-Binding

A chinese method of preventing a woman’s feet from growing

Huns

Mongol tribes, pastoralists, nomadic

• traded with china, cows/horses for luxury silk

Iron Horse Stirrups

Vital technology that allowed for better control of bow/arrow while riding a horse.

Genghis Khan / Temu Jin

Largest mongol empire of pillage and conquest

• Peaked during the song dynasty

Great Khan

The Chinese Khanate

Yuan Dynasty (c.1271-1368)

Post Song Dynasty,

• constructed by the Mongols

Ming Dynasty (1368-1649)

After the Black Death, the Mandate of Heaven led to new rulers

• Meritocratic bureaucracy of Chinese leaders

• Zhu Yuan Zhang reestablishes Neo-Confucianism

• End of global expansion/exploration

Mutual Responsibility System

Ming Dynasty, collective punishment for crims

Yongle Emperor (1403-1425)

• Built BeiJing

• Was the last expansion-minded Chinese Emperor

  • Zheng He’s Boats

Zheng He’s Voyages

Voyages which helped China expand into Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and eventually helped transport goods to Europe

The Ming Silver Standard

As the government shifted to silver, the public didn’t change as fast, and were unable to pay taxes

• Silver from the Americas attempted to supplement inflation

Ashikaga Shogunate (1487-1603)

Japanese feudal government

• Characterized by a mix of Shintoism, Buddhism, Zen-Buddhism, and Neoconfucianism

  • Introduction of Christianity by the Portuguese

• Ended due to political chaos caused by Daimyō power grabs

Bushido Code

A blend of Confucian and Buddhist Japanese moral codes

• filial piety

• simplicity

Daimyō

The regional warlords that had control of land in Japan

Tokugawa Shogunate (1603-1868)

General anti-foreigner sentiment throughout the Japanese government

Tokugawa Ieyasu (1603-1605)

Blamed the political instability of the Ashikaga Shogunate on Christianity

• Forced converts to renounce Catholicism, or die

Tokugawa Iemitsu (1623-1651)

Took the anti-catholic tendencies of his father and expanded them into anti-foreigner trade

• Passed the Sakoku Edicts, which banned immigration, emigration, and external trade

Sakoku Edicts (1635)

Japanese desire for seclusion and reduced political instability

• Only allowed the Dutch to trade (because they were Atheist, and not actively trying to convert Japanese citizens)

• Heavily censored Western ideas, but accepted their technologies

Rangaku (Dutch Learning)

Because the Dutch weren’t trying to be imperialists and convert everyone, the Japanese let the Dutch teach them about Western medicine, technology, and weaponry

Gunboat Diplomacy (Britain/U.S.)

The military tactic for western countries to intimidate eastern/less-technologically advanced civilizations into signing unequal treaties

• Used by America “Commodore Perry”

Convention of Kanagawa (1854)

Officially ended the Sakoku Edicts

Treaty of Amity & Commerce (1858, Japan)

Americans enforcing that they receive commercial privileges in Japan, and that they would receive Ewo Jima as a ship refueling station

Mei-Ji Restoration (1868+)

The Japanese return to imperialism after the American use of Gunboat Diplomacy to forcefully open up Japan

• The “ShiShi,” a group of Japanese political activists, blamed the Tokugawa Shogunate for signing the unequal treaties, and aimed to reinstate Japanese Imperial power with Emperor Meiji

Emperor Meiji (1868-1912)

Reinstated as emperor by the Shishi, and had the following goals:

• End feudalism and redistribute land equitably

• Establish a Constitutional Monarchy

• Strengthen Japanese Imperial Identity (avoid western-ism)

• Selective Borrowing from specific foreign powers

  • France’s Education system

  • Britain’s modernized navy

  • Belgium’s modernized banking system

Selective Borrowing

Japanese political tool of modernization, where they would borrow specific aspects of government from foreign powers

• eg. Britain’s navy, Germany’s military, etc.

Qing Dynasty (1644-1912)

After the mass debt of the Silver debts, the weak government is conquered by Emperor Shun Zhi from Manchuria

• Opium Wars

Emperor Kang Xi (1654-1722)

From Qing-Manchuria

• Religious/social tolerance

• Neoconfucist values

  • Civil Service Exams

  • Philosophy (nature + family)

Emperor Yong Zheng (1678-1735)

Son of Emperor Kang Xi

• Religiously/Socially intolerant

  • Censorship of anti-manchurian texts

  • Banned Christian Jesuit entry, due to the too-high influence of Christianity

• Banned Opium/Tobacco use (Madak)

Emperer Qian Long (1711-1799)

Son of Emperor Yong Zheng

• Introduced the Canton System

  • Confines foreigners to the Canton region, preventing their social spread of ideals

Emperor Jia QIng (1796-1820)

Son of Qian Long

• British Opium trade has led to the addiction of millions

  • Banned by Jia Qing

Emperor Dao Guang (1820-1850)

Destroyed 1600 British Opium Crates

• British got made for ruining their drug trade

  • The first Opium War starts

First Opium War (1839-1842)

Fight over the British right to trade Opium in China

• British steamboats » Chinese Junk Ships, militarily overpowered

• Solved by Treaty of Nan King

Treaty of Nan King (1842)

Unequal treaty;

• End of Canton System

• More trade for the British

• British land rights to Hong Kong

• 9 Million in war concessions

Tai Ping Uprising (1850-1871)

Led by Christian Hong Xu Quan

• Anti-Qing sentiments because of the weakness after the Opium War

• Christian attempt to establish a “heavenly kingdom within China”

• Focus on liberal values

Ultimately failed, but weakened the Qing Dynasty

2nd Opium War (1856-1860)

While the Treaty of Nan King did abolish the Canton system, the opium trade was still illegal

• Seizures of British Opium Ships led to a second war

  • Eventually led to the involvement of other European nations who wanted the Hong Kong cookie

• The European industrialized war ships again overpowered the Chinese

Treaties of Tian Jin (1858-1860)

European-Chinese unequal treaties

• more land + trading rights for europe

  • Economic Spheres of Influence (China)

    • Localized European trade, colonial style

• opium trade

Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi (1835-1901)

The Righteous and Harmonious Fists attempted to remove the Europeans + Christians from China

• Many of the misfortunes have been due to European influence, so why not kick them out?

• Backed by Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi

  • Led to war between China and many European nations

• Ended by the Boxer Protocol (1871)

• Abolished the Civil Service Exam, Neo-Confucianism

• Supported the National Education System

Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi (1835-1901)

Controlled China as the first woman regent

• Oversaw the Tai Ping Uprising + 2nd Opium War + Boxer Rebellion + Self Strengthening Movement

• Famously anti-european

Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi (1835-1901)

The Righteous and Harmonious Fists attempted to remove the Europeans + Christians from China

• Many of the misfortunes have been due to European influence, so why not kick them out?

• Backed by Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi

  • Led to war between China and many European nations

• Ended by the Boxer Protocol (1971)

Boxer Protocol

China lost again :(

• China paid money to the European Nations involved

• Censorship of anti-european censorship required

10 Year’s Opium Agreement (1907-1917)

The gradual reduction of British Opium trade

• Britain * Republic of China

Xin Hai Revolution (1911)

China’s lost too many times to European nations, and has conceded too much (ie. Tzu Hsi’s anti-neoconfucianist reforms)

• Sun Yat-Sen led the “Kuo Min Tang” (nationalist party) to success

  • Focus on multi-ethnic nationalism, western democracy, and economic success

• Led to the Republic of China

Republic of China (1911-1949)

After multiple international fumbles by the Qing Dynasty, the peasants got fed tf up

• While it was based on Democratic intentions, multiple attempts at Fascism led to a failed democracy situation

Showa Japan (1925-1989)

An era of Japanese elite nationalism, combined with political totalitarianism, focusing on the japanese emperor (Emperor Showa) was essentially a divine being

• Emperor Showa would become a puppet leader, allowing Hideki Tojo to lead Japan into war up to the 2nd Sino-Japanese War

• The nationalism + elite power led to a continued willingness to fight in WW2 and wage wars with other nations that were lesser

  • Most military campaigns were led by Hideki Tojo

    • Invasion of Manchuria

    • The Rape of Nanjing

President Yuan Shi Kai (1912-1916)

Attempted to revert China back into an empire, leading to political unrest

• his death led to the Warlord Era, where multiple nationalist factions attempted to reestablish power

Warlord Era (1916-1928)

Multiple warring states of China competing for power after the failed reforms of President Yuan Shi Kai

• The KMT (Kuo Min Tang nationlist party), led by Sun Yat-Sen, received Soviet assistance to end the Warlord Era and form a national party

  • When Sun Yat-Sen died, the nationalist push was carried foward by Chiang Kai-Shek, who unified China once more

May 4th Movement (1919)

With the conclusion of WW1 (which did happen), anti-imperialist ideas started flowing

• inspired the development of the CCP, anti-imperial thoughts, and liberal values (women’s equality, literature)

President Chiang Kai-Shek (1925-1949)

United China after the Warlord Period

• Inspired by the May 4th Movement and recent interactions with Soviets, focus on expunging communism in favor of national fascism

  • Would kill millions in the White Terror

• Purged Communists from parliament

  • Backed by the U.S. because of the Cold War

Mao Ze Dong (1946-1976)

Communist leader, inspired by the Communist side of the May 4th Movement

• Maintained power in the CCP (China’s Communist Party)

• Considered a Man of the people

• Helped lead Communists into the country side to avoid Kai-Shek’s “White Terror”

  • Ze-Dong’s “Long March”

White Terror (1927-1930)

Mass ideological suppression through genocide promoted by Chiang Kai Shek

• killed millions of communists

• Partially the cause of the Communist Facist Civil War in China (1927-1949)

Mao Ze Dong’s Long March (1934-1935)

A march to avoid military persecution by the nationalist party

Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945)

Mass conflict spurred on by nationalism, which was further extended by Japan’s part in WW2

• To end the war, the U.S. would step in, making the Showa emperor declare that he was truly not a diving being, and was simply a man, in addition to the bombings of Nagaski and Hiroshima

  • While this wouldn’t end Japan’s Showa Era, it would end Japan’s colonial rule, particularly in Manchuria and Korea (ooo South Korea annyeong!)

    • Communist parties of China and the USSR would help liberate Korea, but the Americans would also have conflict there :(

Bombings of Nagasaki and Hirshima (1945)

First large-scale use of nuclear bombs

• ended the Sino-Japanese war, WW2

Division of Korea (1945-1950)

During WW2, both the Soviets (plus China) and the Americans were attempting to liberate Korea from colonial Japanese rule

• However, they couldn’t agree on how to reform the nation, creating the North-South Divide

• Tentative talking without anything happening

Korean War (1950-1953)

Simply a very VERY bloody war

• No final end was met, so they just left North Korea and South Korea as individual states who are tentatively not violent rn

Republic of Korea (South Korea) - 1953+

The American and capitalist side of Korea

• UN member, and has western government balances

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) - 1953+

The communist side of Korea

• Allied with the Soviets/Chinese, but very isolationist rn

Korean War

Rape of Nan Jing (1937)

During the Showa Era’s mass-nationalism and hyper-militarism, Japan would rape and kill hundreds during a 6 week period called the “Rape of Nan Jing”

Communist-Fascist Civil War (1927-1949)

Civil war between Communists and Nationalist Facists

• Paused briefly in 1937-1946 when Japan invaded

• Eventual Communist Win, due to the reduced aid from the U.S. post-WW2

Republic of China - Taiwan (1945-present)

After the loss of the Chinese Civil War, Chiang Kai-Shek would retreat to Taiwan

• Would now be referred to as a “Special Administrative State” by BASIS curriculums cause wikipedia’s isn’t right to call it a country 🫠

People’s Republic of China (1949-Present)

The PRC would become “China,” and would avoid Soviet support

• Initial focus on state-backed industrialization and agriculture

  • Great Leap Forward

• The cultural revolution

• Censorship (ig?)

Great Leap Forward (1958-1961)

Focus on state-backed industrialism and agriculture

• organized by state policy makers who didn’t understand the internal process

• Would lead to famine due to poor organizational skills

Chinese Great Famine (1959-1961)

They starved

• Heavy quotas for “economic success” → very little food for the farmers

Cultural Revolution(1966-1967)

Counterbalance to the infamy of the Chinese Great Famine

• Blamed Capitalist and Neoconfucian ideas for the Great Famine

  • Destruction of books/temples

• Lowk “10 years of Destruction” for no good reason, many killed, many people eaten cause ????

  • -Wikipedia

President Deng Xiao Ping (1978-1984)

Following Mao Ze Dong’s folly with the Cultural Revolution / Great Famine, reforms happened!

• Xiao Ping switched from Communism to Socialism

  • Communist government (?), but capitalist economy

Tian An Men Square (1989)

Student Protest for free speech ended by military suppression

One Child Policy (1979-2016)

You can only have 1 child

• counter to worries of “overpopulation”