WAP East Asia (1200–1450)Overview of the Post-Classical Period (1200–1450)

AP World History Study Guide: East Asia (1200–1450)

Definition: A historical era characterized by the expansion of large empires.
Types of Empires:
- Re-establishment Empires: Build on existing systems, updating them for the period (e.g., Tang and Song Dynasties in China).
- New Empires: Introduce fundamentally different structures (e.g., Islamic Empires, covered in other lessons).
Key Focus for AP Exam: Understand continuities (persistent systems) and changes (innovations) in Tang/Song China.

Continuities from Han Dynasty:
- Dynastic cycle and Mandate of Heaven.
- Merit-based bureaucracy with exams based on Confucian principles and Chinese history.
- Dominance over East Asian societies through tribute states.
- These systems persist throughout Chinese history until the 1900s.
Key Changes:
- Expanded bureaucracy and imperial power.
- Introduction of foreign religions (e.g., Buddhism) impacting politics.

Pre-Tang Context: Warring States period led to political chaos with warlords, landed elites, and nobility holding power.
Tang Dynasty Strategy:
- Reduced noble influence by expanding bureaucracy.
- Created more government jobs filled by non-elites through education.
- Established academies for studying Confucian texts, Chinese history, and laws.
- Opened opportunities for lesser nobles and merchants to take civil service exams, increasing social mobility.
Outcome: Increased stability, reduced noble power, and strengthened imperial authority.

Definition: States pay tribute (gold, goods, and symbolic submission) to avoid conquest or gain trade benefits.
Key Tribute States:
- Korea:
  - Paid tribute to avoid conquest and gain access to Chinese markets.
  - Adopted Confucian bureaucracy, Chinese language (later evolved into Korean), and education systems.
  - Did not adopt civil service exams due to small population and lack of a significant merchant class.
- Vietnam: Similar to Korea, paid tribute for autonomy and trade benefits.
Japan (Not a Tribute State):
- Traded with China but maintained independence.
- Selectively adopted Chinese influences (Confucianism, written language, respect for emperor).
- Developed feudalism due to powerful warlords (daimyo) and samurai, with a figurehead emperor.
- Feudal Structure:
  - Decentralized power shared between emperor and daimyo.
  - Daimyo controlled land, supported by samurai for military service.
  - Shogun: A powerful daimyo acting as a military leader in case of invasion or internal conflict.

Buddhism in China:
- Spread via Silk Roads through merchants and missionaries.
- Attractive due to its equitable nature, allowing social mobility.
- Empress Wu elevated Buddhist influence in government.
Neo-Confucianism:
- Developed to counter Buddhist influence by blending Confucianism with Daoist elements (meditation, harmony).
- Reinforced patriarchy, emphasizing women’s obedience to husbands.
- Foot Binding (Song Dynasty):
  - Practice among wealthy families to bind young girls’ feet to a “lotus” size (3 inches).
  - Symbolized wealth (wives didn’t need to work) and reinforced patriarchal control.
  - Spread from nobility to lesser nobles and merchants.

Golden Age of China: Tang/Song era marked by peace, prosperity, and trade.
Key Technologies:
- Movable Type:
  - Enabled faster, less labor-intensive printing of books.
  - Increased literacy among the wealthy, facilitated trade, and aided civil service exam preparation.
- Porcelain:
  - Refined into a luxury good (white clay for decorative items).
  - High demand globally, alongside silk.
- Magnetic Compass:
  - Improved navigation for Silk Roads and Indian Ocean trade.
  - Reduced travel time, increased trade efficiency.
- Junk Ships:
  - Large (over 100 feet), watertight cargo ships carrying over 1,000 pounds.
  - Enabled long-distance trade with fewer trips.
- Gunpowder:
  - Initially developed for fireworks, later used in hand cannons (unpredictable until the 1700s).
  - Limited military use in this period but significant for future developments.
Agricultural Innovations:
- Champa Rice: Introduced via Vietnam tribute, high-yield crop that supported population growth.
- Improved irrigation and steel/iron plows enhanced agricultural output.
Financial Innovations:
- Paper Money: Exchanged for copper coins, safer for trade but only valuable in specific markets.
- Flying Money: Early credit system (like checks) for long-distance trade, reducing bandit risks.
- Growth of banking and diasporic merchant communities (e.g., Chinese merchants in the Middle East).

Continuities: Dynastic cycle, Mandate of Heaven, Confucian bureaucracy, and tribute system.
Changes: Expanded bureaucracy, Neo-Confucianism, foot binding, and technological/economic advancements.
Tribute States: Korea and Vietnam adopted Chinese systems; Japan selectively adopted influences while developing feudalism.
Technological Impact: Movable type, porcelain, magnetic compass, junk ships, and gunpowder drove trade and prosperity.
Population and Agriculture: Champa rice and irrigation improvements led to population growth, necessitating financial innovations.

Memorize key terms: Mandate of Heaven, Confucian bureaucracy, Neo-Confucianism, foot binding, Champa rice, movable type, junk ships.
Understand the tribute system’s role in spreading Chinese influence.
Connect technological advancements to economic and social impacts (e.g., literacy, trade, population growth).
Compare Tang/Song China’s re-establishment empire with new empires (e.g., Islamic Empires) for context.