WHAP 1.1 Development in East Asia

post tang dynasty

post tang dynasty

china has no central government (5 dynasties and 10 kingdoms period); this lasts from 907 to 960

zhou kuangyin ("taizu")

northern zhou army general; created his own dynasty (rebelled on his own king); conquered much of china with his son in 20 years;

why was territory smaller during the song dynasty/after the tang dynasty?

northern land was lost to manchurian pastoralists

song dynasty bureaucracy

known as "chinas strength"; appointed officials carried out policies; introduced by qin dynasty

meritocracy

a system in which promotion is based on individual ability or achievement (government positions were given based off individual talent, rather than connection)

civil service exams

confucian exam to acquire a position in the Chinese bureaucracy

effect of the expansion of bureaucracy

taizu greatly expanded chinese bureaucracy; led to increased educational/job opportunities for lower classes

6 bureaucratic ministries

1. personnel (mayors, government, etc.)
2. finance/revenue
3. rites (religion, priests, etc.)
4. military
5. justice (courts)
6. public works

the censorate

"checks and balances" system; monitor bureaucracy

buddhism in song dynasty

buddhism arrived via silk road (merchants, missionaries); explodes in popularity (empress wu's doing) during tang dynasty; many monasteries (monk residence) in major cities

zen buddhism

taoism + buddhism; "syncretic religion"; focused more on being present in the moment rather than the accumulation of knowledge

neo-confucianism

buddhism is slowly abandoned; neo-c. lasts from 770-840; massive resurgence under song dynasty; combines rational thought with zen buddhism (more focus on ethics rather than god/nature); filial piety is major in neo-c., which helped song dynasty control china (respect emperor)

champa rice

vietnamese strain of rice that can grow year-round anywhere, ripens faster, and drought resistant; leads to chinas population boom (china = 40% of world population at the time)

shift toward urbanization during song dynasty

most urban area in the world at the time; chang'an, hangzhou, guangzhou - several cities had over 100k people

class structures during song dynasty

1. aristocracy: landowners who inherited their wealth
2. scholar gentry
3. farmers
4. artisans
5. merchants (don't bring any value or contribute to society - confucius ideas praises bring value)

scholar gentry

grows due to expansion of bureaucracy; outnumbered and more educated (confucius ideas) than aristocracy; most influential social class; more respected than aristocracy because they earned their wealth rather than inherited it

women and confucianism

confucius ideas respect women; women were allowed to control their own dowries and own land; still had to defer to men (patriarchal system + foot-binding)

foot-binding

practiced during song dynasty to mutilate women's feet in order to make them smaller; produced restricted women's movement; aristocratic families; meant to attract husbands; widespread in countryside; banned in 1912

silk road

trade with distant lands

grand canal system

expanded by tang; leads to rapid prosperity and population growth under song

gunpowder

invented by tang; song created the first guns; spreads via trade along silk road to eurasia (especially middle east)

coal

cast iron goods and steel during song dynasty; discovered during 4th century BCE

proto-industrialization

supply exceeds demand in rural areas during song dynasty

commercial revolution

describes the shift from local consumption to national market consumption

artisans

produced steel in government-run smelting facilities to export via trade networks

paper money

adopted and popularized by song dynasty; e.g letters of credit, promissory notes, etc.; grows economy

woodblock printing during song dynasty

print navigation charts that expand capabilities; confucian scholars need books to read - increase size/knowledge of bureaucracy

korea, japan, vietnam

all were tribute states (give money/goods) to song dynasty at some point; increased financial power; representatives must kowtow to emperor

kowtow

bow until head touches ground to show respect and subservience to emperor

sinification

non-chinese states/countries begin to adapt/adopt chinese cultures

korea and china similarities

shares a land boundary (connected by land); korea is heavily influenced by song (heavy buddhist/confucius ideas); and influenced by chinese writing; has a central government

differences between korea and china

korea had a more powerful aristocracy; peasants are not allowed to take civil service exam (no meritocracy)

japan

separated from china by sea (not easy for china to exert influence - more control over their own cultures); no central government

heian period

794-1185; japanese emulated chinese politics, art, and literature; rise of japanese feudalism

the tale of genji

11th century; represented japanese life/themes

japanese feudalism

1. emperor: little power; meant to just be a figure/symbol
2. shogun: military governor; derives power from daimyo (has a lot of power)
3. daimyo: land-owning aristocrats; more powerful than the emperor
4. samurai: protectors; follow code of bushido
5. serfs: born into economic dependency to daimyo (live on their land); live their life serving daimyo
6. merchants: disregarded by confucius ideas

code of bushido

"the way of the warrior"; live life of frugality, martial arts, and honor

vietnam

adopts chinese writing and architecture; rebellions were common because villages ran independently (no central government)

women in vietnam

more independence than chinese women

vietnamese bureaucracy

allegiance to peasants, not emperor because vietnam wasn't that big on confucius ideas; revolts against government were common (against the idea of an emperor)