Unti 1 developments East Asia

Buddhism

A non-theistic religion (no belief in a creator god), also considered a philosophy and a moral discipline, originating in India in the 6th and 5th centuries BCE. It was founded by the sage Siddhartha Gautama who, according to legend, had been a Hindu prince.

Confucianism

A philosophy developed in 6th-century BCE China, which is considered by some a secular-humanist belief system, by some a religion, and by others a social code.

Daoism

A Chinese philosophy attributed to Lao Tzu (c. 500 BCE) which developed from the folk religion of the people primarily in the rural areas of China and became the official religion of the country under the Tang Dynasty. It is therefore both a philosophy and a religion.

Neo-Confucianism

The name commonly applied to the revival of the various strands of Confucian philosophy and political culture that began in the middle of the 9th century and reached new levels of intellectual and social creativity in the 11th century in the Northern Song Dynasty.

Equal-Field System

A system of land distribution developed during the Tang dynasty where people were given land based on family size and needs. 

Foot Binding

A cultural practice, existing in China from the 10th century until the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, that involved tightly bandaging the feet of women to alter their shape for aesthetic purposes.

Grand Canal

A man-made waterway that runs north and south in eastern China. It is the longest man-made waterway in the world. It was built during the Sui Dynasty in order to easily ship grain from the rich farmland in southern China to the capital city in Beijing. This also helped the emperors to feed the soldiers guarding the northern borders.

Gunpower

The first explosive to have been developed. Popularly listed as one of the "Four Great Inventions" of China, it was invented during the late Tang dynasty (9th century).

Mahayana Buddhism

 A later form of Buddhism that claimed the Buddha was a god and could help people achieve Nirvana. It is the largest Buddhist sect in the world, and its beliefs and practices are what most non-adherents recognize as "Buddhism" in the modern era.

Kamakura Period

In Japanese history, the period from 1192 to 1333 during which the basis of feudalism was firmly established and saw lasting developments in government, agriculture, and religion and managed to withstand the Mongol invasions of the late 13th century CE.

Muromachi period

 An era of Japanese history from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi shogunate, known also as the Ashikaga shogunate. They renewed the relationship between Japan and China, and a new Muromachi culture emerged in Kyoto and spread through Japanese society.

Nirvana

In Hinduism and Buddhism, it is the highest state that someone can attain, a state of enlightenment, meaning a person's individual desires and suffering go away.

Samurai

Applies to all the members of the warrior class that rose to power in the 12th century and dominated the Japanese government until the Meiji Restoration in 1868.

Shinto

Meaning 'way of the gods,' is the oldest religion in Japan. The faith has neither a founder or prophets and there is no major text which outlines its principal beliefs.

Shogun

Was the military leader and de facto ruler of Japan from 1192 to 1867. Officially, they served the emperor, but the vast majority of power rested with the military leader. Ruling over smaller, land-owning lords called daimyos through a feudal system, they ruled medieval Japan as a dictatorship, protecting their vassals from enemies in exchange for loyalty and serving in the army.

Sui Yangdi

Was the second emperor of the Sui dynasty of China whose major contribution was the building of the Grand Canal.

Tang Taizong

The second emperor of the Tang Dynasty and is considered one of the greatest rulers in Chinese history for his reforms of the government and the laws, his religious tolerance, and the prosperity China enjoyed under his reign.

Uighurs

a member of a Turkic people powerful in Mongolia and eastern Turkestan between the 8th and 12th centuries who constitute a majority of the population of Chinese Turkestan

Wu Zhao

Also known as Empress Wu Zetian, was the first and only woman emperor of China.

Zhu Xi

Preeminent Neo-Confucian master of the Southern Song (1126–1271), is generally ranked as second only to Confucius (551–479 BCE) in influence.