Developments in East Asia (c. 1200 - c. 1450)

Vocabulary flashcards summarizing political, economic, social, intellectual, and cultural developments in East Asia during the Song Dynasty based on lecture notes.

Song Dynasty

A ruling dynasty in China (960-1279) known for its wealth, political stability, fine artistic and intellectual achievements, and leading role in Afro-Eurasian innovation.

Jin Empire

An empire established in northern China by invading pastoralists from Manchuria after taking control of northern lands from the Song Dynasty.

Imperial Bureaucracy

A vast organization of appointed officials carrying out empire policies, representing a structural continuity in Chinese government since the Qin dynasty (221 B.C.E.-207 B.C.E.).

Emperor Song Taizu

The Song emperor who expanded educational opportunities to young men of lower economic classes so they could score well on civil service exams and join the bureaucracy.

Meritocracy

A bureaucratic hiring system in which officials obtain their positions by demonstrating merit on civil service exams based on Confucian texts.

Grand Canal

An inexpensive and efficient internal waterway transportation system extending over 30,000 miles that enabled China to become a prominent trading area.

Champa Rice

A fast-ripening and drought-resistant strain of rice from the Champa Kingdom in present-day Vietnam that allowed farmers to grow two crops per year.

Proto-industrialization

A set of economic changes in which people in rural areas made more goods than they could sell, relying on home-based or community-based production using simple equipment.

Artisans

Skilled craftworkers who produced goods such as steel, silk, and porcelain in widely dispersed smelting and manufacturing facilities.

Porcelain

A lightweight yet strong, light-colored ceramic export item that could be easily painted with elaborate designs.

Tributary System

An arrangement originating in the Han Dynasty in which foreign states paid money or provided goods to honor the Chinese emperor, stimulating trade and cementing regional stability.

Kowtow

A ritual in the tributary system in which representatives greeting the Chinese emperor bowed their head until it touched the floor.

Scholar Gentry

The most influential social class in China, created by bureaucratic expansion and educated in Confucian philosophy, which outnumbered the landowning aristocracy.

Foot Binding

A patriarchal constraint on women's physical mobility that began among aristocratic families during the Song Dynasty, signifying social status until it was banned in 1912.

Woodblock Printing

A system of printing developed in China in the 7th century C.E. that enabled the mass reproduction of texts and art without copying them by hand.