World History: East Asia

China and Japan

Scholar Bureaucrat

• Government officials chosen based on civil service exam

  • Need to have good education and morals

• Well versed in Confucianism 

• Could be administrators, judges, or tax collectors

• Allowed the government to be merit based

Civil Service Exam

• Established in Tang Dynasty

• A way for making sure bureaucrats and high-ranking officials were well educated

• Allowed people with no noble ranking to climb class ladder

• Competitive exam

• Tested on:

  • Poetry writing

  • Essay writing about political topics

  • Confucianism topics

Dynasty

• Ruling family that passes power through generations

• Political legitimacy through Mandate of Heaven

Dynastic Cycle

• A pattern of how Chinese Dynasties rise and fall, revolving around the Mandate of Heaven

• Stages:

  • Dynasty founded by powerful leader

  • Power and prosperity improves life

  • Decline: higher taxes, disasters, unrest

  • Rebellion

  • Dynasty overthrown, loses mandate of heaven

  • New dynasty restores everything

Sui Dynasty (581-617)

• Started by Wen-ti 

  • Consolidated power after Three Kingdoms period where clans fought for power and land

• Emperor Yangdi:

  • Repaired Great Wall

  • Constructed Great Canal

• Fall:

  • Mistreatment of lower class (forcing of labor)

  • Overtaxing of farmers

  • War against Korea (failed)

Tang Taizong

• Li Shimin (598-649 AD)

• Second emperor of Tang dynasty; reigned (626-649)

  • Son of first emperor, Kao-tsu, Gaozu, or Li yuan

  • Killed his brothers and abdicated father to gain power

• Established golden age in Tang Dynasty

• Famous for:

  • Creating a smaller more consolidated government

  • Created a food supply in case of a disaster

  • Civil service exam for bureaucrats

  • Defeated Turks in 657

  • Innovations: gunpowder + woodblock printing

  • Expanded to central Asia and Korea

    • Largest territory since the Han

  • Increased trade:

    • Persia, present-day Afghanistan, Byzantine Empire

    • Silk roads

Tang Dynasty (618-907): Famous founders and leaders + Capitols

• First Emperor: Gaozu (Li Yuan) (618–626)

• Second Emperor: Tang Taizong (Li Shimin) (626–649)

• Ch’ang-an and Luoyang

Tang Dynasty: Innovations

• Gunpowder

• Woodblock printing

• Expanded and perfected Civil Service Exam

Tang Dynasty: Government and Law

• Under Emperor Gaozu

  • Land redistribution system

  • Coin-based currency tied with silk

  • Legal code revised every 200 years

  • Laws lasted until the Ming Dynasty

Tang Dynasty: Religions

• Buddhism, Daoism, Islam, Confucianism, Zoroastrianism

• Religious tolerance (early Tang)

Tang Dynasty: Buddhism

• Entered China around 100 CE

• Peaked during Tang

• Chinese Buddhist schools developed:

  • Ch’ang-an school → Zen Buddhism

Tang Dynasty: Decline + Fall

• Emperor Wu-tsung (Daoist)

  • Persecution of Buddhists(843–845)

  • Temples closed and destroyed

• Failed Battle of Talas 751

  • Against Muslim Caliphate for control of central Asia

  • Failed → economy worsened, lives lost

• In general: failed military conquests

  • Resentment from citizens

  • Forced recruitment to army

• An Lushan Rebellion (756)

  • Millions died

  • Weakens dynasty

• Huang Chao Rebellion

  • Weakened dynasty to verge of collapse

• Last Emperor of Tang: Emperor Ai

  • Died of poisoning

  • Final tipping point

Tang Dynasty: Trade

• Persia, Afghanistan, Byzantine Empire

• Silk Road flourished

• 836: foreigners banned due to conflict

Tang Dynasty: Poets

• Li Po

• Du Fu: “Song of War Chariots”

• Wang Wei

Song Dynasty (960-1279)

• Came after 5 dynasties and 10 kingdoms period

• Population boom due to surplus of food, population doubled

• Considered a modern society

• Economy and commercialization boomed

  • Merchants organized through guilds that helped distinguish prices and oversaw sales

  • Used water transport, easiest and cheapest way to transport goods

    • South had lots of rivers

    • North had canals

• Paper Money:

  • Coins too heavy

  • Merchants first thought of idea using trading receipts

  • 1020s: government produced paper money

• Products:

  • Silk, Porcelain, Iron and Steel

• Huge cities and bustling urban life

  • Many markets, shops, restaurants, homes

    • Multistory buildings

• Elite people had time for leisure activities, formed clubs

• Buddhism heavily influenced

• Weak military

  • Lack of horses because bad grasslands

    • North had better ones

  • In order to keep peace, needed to buy it and gave silk as well

• Trade:

  • Tea, silk, copper coins, paper, printed books, porcelain, lacquerware, jewelry, rice, ginger, spices

  • Sea trade was advantageous but also risky

Yamato Emperors

• Early rulers of Japan (3rd-7th century)

• Claimed to be grandson of sun goddess Amaterasu

• All emperors after part of Yamato clan

  • Unlike Chinese Dynasties, ruling family always Yamato

• Became mostly figureheads in the end with Shoguns having real power

Prince Shotoku

• Japanese regent

• Sent out 3 missions to China to learn more about Chinese culture

  • During Tang Dynasty

• Wanted to use selective borrowing because China was flourishing

Prince Shotoku’s Consitution

• 17 article constitution based on Confucianism

  • Made by Prince Shotoku

  • “When people behave properly, the government will be in good order”

  • Tried to establish this ruler people relationship

Heian Period (792-1185)

• “Golden age” of classical Japan

• Highly refined court culture with aristocrats

• Artistic achievement 

• Modern day Kyoto

Fujiwara Family

• Fujiwara dominated court politics

• Imperial court is about 1% of population

• Became regents to the emperor 

  • Married into Emperor family

  • Emperor becomes figurehead

  • Starts dual structure government

• Models of court culture + arts

  • Patrons of the peak of art and culture time period

• Dual structure

  • Fujiwara          Emperor

Shogun

• Military dictator

• Supreme commander

  • Emperor only for ceremonial purposes

• Shogunates:

  • Kamakura Shogunate (1192-1333)

    • Capitol Kamakura

    • First military government

  • Ashikaga Shogunate (1338-1573)

    • Capitol Kyoto

    • Weak central government, regional/provincial daimyos fought often and had power

  • Tokugawa Shogunate (1603-1868)

    • Capitol Edo (Modern day Tokyo)

    • Had the most control over society

Feudalism

• Agricultural society

• Most of the population are peasants or serfs

• Warrior class or Ruler Class:

  • Lord vassal relationship, Daimyo samurai

  • Fief holding

• Landowning is foundation of power

• Originated as loyalty to elders, to your clan

• Continues to be viewed as a “family” relationship

• Kinship terms

  • Warriors related by blood at first, then became a mix of related and not

  • Lord = parent

  • Vassal = child

Kamakura Shogunate

• First feudal military government

• Established by Minamoto family

• Capitol at Kamakura (South of modern day Tokyo (Edo))

• Minamoto no Yoritomo → first shogun in 1192

• Warrior/military based government

• Dual leadership: emperor at Kyoto was merely ceremonial

Buddhism

• Came from India

• Spread to China and then to Japan

• Idea of impermanence: live in the moment and appreciate things in nature

• Japan:

  • Zen Buddhism in Japan

    • Personal enlightenment through meditation

  • For Japan, people still believed in Shinto, mixture of Shinto and Buddhism

  • Buddha was considered a Kami

  • Suffering from desires that aren’t real

  • Rewards for those who want to release this suffering

  • Karma affects person for all their different lives

  • Nirvana = bliss

  • Warfare caused Buddhism to become salvation for people

    • Offers hope

    • Battles of getting land

    • Similar to Christianity in Medieval Europe

  • Many different Buddhist sects

Zen Bu

Confucianism

• Founded by Confucius in 6th-5th century BCE.

• Main principle is ren, which describes that people should behave in a loving, selfless, and moral way.

• Principles of li and yi dictate actions.

• Li describes the actions that are right because of the needs of society.

• Yi describes the actions that are inherently right, good, and moral.

• Hsiao is the principle of filial piety, which means that children should respect their parents.

• Virtue is seen as leading by the proper moral example.

Mandate of Heaven

• Heaven grants right to rule

• Only one heaven so only one ruler

• Represents heaven on earth

• Right to rule based on ruler’s virtue

• Right to rule not limited to one dynasty

  • If ruler is not moral, mandate of heaven withdrawn

• Positive aspects

  • Ruler has prestige and power once in power

  • Can’t question power

  • New ruler gains power quickly

  • No questioning, elections

• Rulers must be virtuous

• Justifies rebellion if rebellion is successful

  • If you win, you now have mandate of heaven

  • Ex. natural disasters show shift

Five Human Relationships

• Wulun

1. Ruler and Subject: Loyalty and benevolence

2. Father and Son: Familial love and filial piety

3. Husband and Wife: Wife is property of Husband

4. Older Brother and Younger Brother: Older brother → Protector/mentor for younger brother, Younger brother → respect/obedience

5. Friend and Friend: Mutual, equal trust

Religious Toleration

• Common during early Tang China

• Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism

Spread of Islam

• Spread through Silk Road, Trans-Saharan, Indian Ocean 

• Middle east to East asia and Africa, a little to Europe

Shinto

• Native Japanese Religion, indigenous

• Polytheistic 

  • Kami are nature spirits

Kami

• Shinto deities

• Temporary homes of unique places in nature

• Practical, a Kami for everything you might want to pray to 

  • A Kami for everyday needs

Golden Age

• Long period of time where civilization is at its peak

• Peace and prosperity

• Tang and Song periods

• Art, science + literature flourished

• Advances in science, technology, and education

• Economic growth and expanded trade

• Quality of life is better

Movable Type

• Type of printing technology

• Uses individual, rearrangeable, and reusable characters

• Faster printing

• Spread of knowledge

Paper Money

• Introduced during Song

• Made trade easer

Selective borrowing

• Japan adopted Chinese ideas but adapted them

• Korea served as a Land Bridge

• Examples:

  • Government:

    • Chinese style bureaucracy, centralized government

    • Civil service exam not used, needed to be born noble

    • Emperors were figureheads, power in hands of shogun

    • Prince Shotoku’s Constitution:

      • Based on Confucian values

• Religion + Philosophy

  • Buddhism:

    • Blended with Shinto beliefs

    • Zen Buddhism

    • Idea of impermanence

  • Confucianism

    • Used for ethics + social order

    • Seen in government

  • Writing + Language

    • Adopted Chinese writing system

      • (before did not have writing, only spoken)

      • Noble/aristocratic men needed to be able to write in Chinese 

    • Kana

      • Own writing system

      • Used by women in Heian Period

  • Architecture

    • Buddhist temples modeled after Chinese styles

    • Pagodas

Kana

• Japanese phonetic writing system

• Heian period women would write in this

Lady Murasaki

• Aristocratic woman in Heian Period

• Wrote first ever novel called “The Tale of Genji”

Grand Canal

• Built during Sui

• Connected North and South of China

• Improved economy: trade and transportation

Daimyo

• Powerful Japanese feudal lords

• Commanded samurai armies

• Landowners with castles and castle towns

Samurai

• Warrior class

• Loyal to daimyo

• Would rather die on a battlefield in glory than get dishonored

• Lived by Bushido Code

• Could use Seppuku to re-earn honor

• Followed Zen Buddhism

  • Allowed them to focus on the moment → focused on fighting in battlefield

Bushido

• Code of ethics, morals, honor, and behavior for Samurai to follow

  • Required

• Emphasizes honor and loyalty to daimyo as the most important thing

  • Need to be fearless in face of death

  • Earned honor if died on battlefield

• Blend of Confucian, Shinto, and Zen Buddhist values

Seppuku

• Ritual suicide for Samurai

• Cleansed bad reputation

• Earned back their honor for family

Mongol Invasion of Japan

• Two invasions, 1274 and 1281:

  • First invaded China → Kublai Khan (Genghis Khan grandson) declared emperor of China

  • Set sights on Japan →Sea invasion on Hakata bay

  • Mongol scroll = representation of the invasions

  • Mongol military significantly stronger than samurais of Japan

  • 2nd time: 140,000 men from Mongols to invade Japan

    • Largest armada in history until D-Day

  • Both times, typhoon winds known as kamikaze made Mongols flee

    • Thought to have been sent by Kami as protection

      • They were blessed

Silk Road

• Vast trade network connecting the East and West

• Traded a variety of goods like silk, spices, ideas, religion (Buddhism)

Shoen

• Private Japanese estates

• Tax-exempt → economically powerful

• Part of feudal Japan

• Undermined/decreased central government control

Chinese Women’s Status

• Property of father or husband

• Status based off of Confucianism

• Inferior to men

• Foot binding

Chinese Social Pyramid

1. Scholar-officials/bureaucrats/government people

2. Peasants → farmers produced food to feed the country

3. Artisans → produced luxury goods, not necessities

4. Merchants → didn’t produce anything of their own, benefitted off of other people’s labor

Heian Women

• High status women

• Highly educated

• Writers and artists

• Wrote in Kana

• Lady Murasaki and Sei Shonogan

Japanese Feudal Pyramid

1. Emperor

2. Shogun

3. Daimyo

4. Samurai

5. Peasants

6. Artisans 

7. Merchants