Southeast Asia Reading Flashcards

What are the two main geographic divisions of Southeast Asia?

Mainland Southeast Asia and Maritime Southeast Asia

What modern countries make up Mainland Southeast Asia?

Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar

What areas make up Maritime Southeast Asia?

The Philippines, Indonesian Islands, and New Guinea

What characterized Southeast Asia from 600-1500?

It was linguistically diverse and had many states connected through the Indian Ocean trade network

What are 3 major religions spread through Southeast Asia through trade?

Buddhism, Hinduism, and later Islam

How did China influence Vietnam?

Vietnam adopted Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, Chinese administrative techniques, the examination system, and Chinese artistic/literary styles

Despite heavy Chinese influence, what remained distinct about Vietnam?

Its language, popular culture, and traditions remained uniquely Vietnamese

How did Vietnam interact with China politically?

Vietnam became politically independent but continued as a tributary state, sending missions to honor the Chinese court

What happened to Vietnam’s Red River Valley under Chinese rule?

It was fully incorporated into China for about 1,000 years

How did Vietnamese dynasties use Chinese political traditions?

They used Chinese-style government, court rituals, and the Mandate of Heaven to legitimize their rule

What was the purpose of China’s examination system in Vietnam?

It weakened the established aristocracy, allowed some social mobility, and created a merit-based scholar-official class

How did the Vietnamese elite view their culture?

They were strongly committed to Chinese culture and saw Vietnam as part of a universal Chinese civilization

How did women’s roles in Vietnam differ from traditional Confucian expectations?

Vietnamese women generally had a greater role in social and economic life

What were some Vietnamese customs that gave women more freedom?

Women could choose their husbands, and married men could live in their wives’ households

Who was Lady Trieu?

A 3rd century Vietnamese woman who led an anti-Chinese resistance movement

What religious ideas remained popular in Vietnam despite Confucian influence?

Female nature deities and the idea of a “female Buddha”

What was Chu Nom?

A vietnamese variation of Chinese writing that helped create independent Vietnamese literature and allowed many educated women to write

Where was Indian cultural influence especially strong in Southeast Asia?

The islands of Southeast Asia, where Hinduism and Buddhism became prominent

What was Srivijaya?

A Malay kingdom that controlled a major Indian Ocean trade chokepoint for about 355 years

What gave Srivijaya the resources to build a strong state?

Gold, spices, and taxes on passing ships provided wealth for a bureaucracy and military/naval forces

How did Srivijaya incorporate Indian culture?

Rulers used Indian political ideas, Sanskrit titles, and Indian advisers/officials

Why was Palembang important?

It was Srivijaya’s cosmopolitan capital, reflecting its role in international trade

What role did Buddhism play in Srivijaya?

Srivijaya became a major Buddhist center of learning, attracting thousands of monks and students

How did Srivijaya’s rulers use religion to strengthen their authority?

They used Buddhist ideas and Indian political traditions to increase their prestige and legitimacy

What did Srivijayan rulers sponsor?

Images of Buddha and bodhisattvas, sometimes depicting deceased kings.

What religion strongly influenced the states that developed in Java?

Hinduism, producing a distinctive Hindu-Javanese cultural blend

What was Majapahit?

The largest state on Java, which at its peak in the mid-1300s controlled much of present-day Indonesia and Malaysia

How did Indian culture influence Indonesian popular culture?

Through shadow-puppet performances based on Hindu epics like the Ramayana, mixed with local traditions

Where was Hinduism well established by 1000?

In the Champa Kingdom in what is now southern Vietnam

What are examples of Hindu influence in Champa?

Shiva worship, honoring cows, and phallic imagery

What did the Khmer Kingdom of Angkor construct in the 12th century?

Angkor Wat, a massive temple complex build to express Hinduism

What did Angkor Wat’s design represent?

The Hindu cosmos centered on Mount Meru, the mythical home of the gods

What happened to Angkor Wat later?

It was later used by Buddhists