Unit 1: Developments in East Asia (c. 1200 – c. 1450)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key historical terms, governance structures, technological innovations, religious practices, and regional comparisons from Unit 1: Topic 1.1.

Song Dynasty

The wealthiest and most innovative empire in East Asia (960–1279), characterized by political stability, Neo-Confucian influences, and artistic and intellectual achievements.

Imperial Bureaucracy

A vast organization of appointed officials carrying out state policy, representing a long-standing continuity in Chinese governance.

Emperor Song Taizu

The Song emperor who expanded educational access to lower-class men so they could perform well on civil service exams based on Confucian texts.

Meritocracy

A system of governance in which officials earn their positions through performance on civil service exams rather than hereditary status.

Grand Canal

An internal waterway system over 30,000 miles long that made China the most populous trading area in the world during the Song Dynasty.

Champa Rice

A fast-ripening, drought-resistant strain of rice from Vietnam that allowed double-cropping and cultivation on hillsides and lowlands in China.

Proto-Industrialization

A set of economic changes in which rural, home-based artisans produced goods like porcelain and steel using simple equipment rather than factory machinery.

The Tributary System

An arrangement where surrounding states paid money or goods to the Chinese emperor, cementing Chinese political and economic dominance while stimulating trade.

Kowtow

A ritual bow demonstrating respect to the Chinese emperor during tributary exchanges.

Scholar Gentry

A powerful social class created by bureaucratic expansion in China that outnumbered the hereditary aristocracy and was educated in Confucian philosophy.

Foot Binding

A patriarchal practice among aristocratic families in China where young girls' feet were tightly wrapped to signal status, severely restricting movement until banned in 1912.

Woodblock Printing

A printing system invented in China in the 7th century that permitted mass production of texts such as farming booklets and Buddhist scriptures.

Theravada Buddhism

A form of Buddhism focused on personal spiritual growth through meditation and discipline, strongest in Southeast Asia.

Mahayana Buddhism

A form of Buddhism focused on spiritual growth for all beings and service, strongest in China and Korea.

Tibetan Buddhism

A form of Buddhism focused on chanting, strongest in Tibet.

Zen Buddhism (Chan Buddhism)

A syncretic faith fusing Buddhist doctrines with Daoist principles, emphasizing direct experience and meditation.

Neo-Confucianism

A syncretic system evolved between 770 and 840 combining rational thought with Daoism and Buddhism, emphasizing ethics and reinforcing filial piety.

Filial Piety

The duty of family members to subordinate their personal desires and needs to those of the male head of the household and the ruler.

Sinification

The process of assimilating Chinese traditions and culture, faced by surrounding realms like Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.

Prince Shotoku Taishi

A Japanese prince who promoted Buddhism, Confucianism, and Shinto in Japan.

Heian Period

A Japanese historical period (794–1185) where Japan emulated Chinese political structures, art, and literature.

The Tale of Genji

The world's first novel, written by Murasaki Shikibu during the Heian period in Japan.

Daimyo

Powerful land-owning aristocrats in Japanese feudalism who held significantly more power over their lands than European nobility did.

Bushido

The Japanese samurai code of honor emphasizing frugality, loyalty, martial arts, and honor unto death.

Chivalry

The European code of honor emphasizing duty to country, God, and women/courtly love.

Polygyny

The practice of having multiple wives, which was rejected by Vietnamese women.

Contextualization

The historical thinking skill of viewing events within their specific situation by considering preceding and succeeding circumstances to identify patterns, themes, and causes.