1.1 Developments in East Asia

Meritocracy

Meritocracy

a system in which promotion is based on individual ability or achievement. EX: Civil service exam in China

Civil Service Exam

In Imperial China starting in the Han dynasty, it was an exam based on Confucian teachings that was used to select people for various government service jobs in the nationwide administrative bureaucracy. (Government jobs are given to people who are able to score high enough on an exam, rather than based on family ties or friendship).

Grand Canal in China

The 1,100-mile (1,700-kilometer) waterway linking the Yellow and the Yangzi Rivers. It was begun in the Han period and completed during the Sui Empire. Expanded during the Song dynasty. An example of technological innovations.

gun powder

Explosive substance that gave Chinese an advantage over Mongals. Developed in China.

Champa Rice

Quick-maturing rice that can allow two harvests in one growing season. More rice (food)= more babies and leads to an increase in population (especially in China). Was later sent to China as a tribute gift by the Champa state (as part of the tributary system.)

scholar-gentry class

Held the highest status in Chinese society, created by the civil service exams. Educated and "book smart" but lacked military knowledge or skills. This leads to a decline in China as the leaders (scholar-gentry) were not able to effectively lead expansion or defensive military.

Foot Binding

Chinese practice of tightly wrapping girls' feet to keep them small, begun in the Tang dynasty; an emphasis on small size and delicacy was central to views of female beauty. A way to control women. An example of patriarchy.

Filial Piety (Confucianism)

Devotion of the individual to family and the strong ties that hold families together. Obliges children to

respect their parents and obey family elders, look after elder's welfare, support elder's in old age, and remember them as revered

ancestors after their deaths. (Confucianism)

Neo-Confucianism

A philosophy that emerged in Song-dynasty China; it revived Confucian thinking while adding in Buddhist and Daoist elements. An example of

Sinification

Extensive adoption of Chinese culture in other regions; typical of Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.

Artisans

skilled workers who make goods by hand

Imperial Bureaucracy

system to run centralized gov't, comprised of educated scholar-gentry

woodblock printing

a type of printing in which text is carved into a block of wood and the block is then coated with ink and pressed on the page

Buddhism

the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, an Indian Prince, that life is permeated with suffering caused by desire, that suffering ceases when desire ceases, and that enlightenment obtained through right conduct and wisdom and meditation releases one from desire and suffering and rebirth

Theravada Buddhism

"Way of the Elders" branch of Buddhism followed in Sri Lanka and much of Southeast Asia. Theravada remains close to the original principles set forth by the Buddha; it downplays the importance of gods and emphasizes austerity and the individual's search for enlightenment.

Mahayana Buddhism

"Great Vehicle" branch of Buddhism followed in China, Japan, and Central Asia. The focus is on reverence for Buddha and for bodhisattvas, enlightened persons who have postponed nirvana to help others attain enlightenment.

Tibetan Buddhism

a Buddhist doctrine that includes elements from India that are not Buddhist and elements of preexisting shamanism, a tradition of Buddhism that teaches that people can use special techniques to harness spiritual energy and can achieve nirvana in a single lifetime

Syncretic

Combining several religious traditions

Chan Buddhism

Known as Zen in Japan; stressed meditation and appreciation of natural and artistic beauty; popular with members of elite Chinese society

Neo-Confucianism

A philosophy that emerged in Song-dynasty China; it revived Confucian thinking while adding in Buddhist and Daoist elements.

Heian Period

The era in Japanese history from A.D. 794-1185, arts and writing flourished during this time

nuclear families

a family made up of parents and their children

Polygyny

a form of marriage in which men have more than one wife