Developments in East Asia (1200-1450)

Confucianism emphasized a hierarchical society with unequal relationships (father > son, husband > wife, ruler > subject).
Greater entities should treat lesser entities with benevolence, while lesser entities should obey.
Filial piety: Honoring ancestors and parents; used to promote honoring the emperor.
Confucianism declined after the Han dynasty but experienced a revival during the Tang dynasty and continued into the Song dynasty.
Neo-Confucianism incorporated Buddhist and Taoist ideas, demonstrating both continuity and innovation in Chinese thought.
Rulers used the hierarchical view to justify their rule, benefiting those at the top but potentially disadvantaging those at the bottom.

Women were relegated to subordinate positions in society.
Women's legal rights were restricted; property became their husband's; widows and divorced women were forbidden to remarry.
Foot binding: A practice of breaking and binding young girls' feet to make them smaller; signified elite status because women couldn't perform manual labor.

Bureaucracy: A governmental entity carrying out the emperor's will.
The imperial bureaucracy grew during the Song Dynasty, helping rulers maintain their rule.
Civil service examinations were used to select eligible men for bureaucratic jobs.
Exams were based on Confucian classics, ensuring qualified officials and awarding positions based on merit rather than connections (unlike the Han dynasty).
This system enhanced the competency and efficiency of bureaucratic tasks.

Politically independent but maintained a tributary relationship with China.
Korean officials would acknowledge China's supremacy and pay tribute to the emperor.
Close relationships fostered cultural adoption, e.g., civil service examinations and Confucian principles.
Confucianism marginalized women even more so than in China.
Chinese cultural influence primarily affected elite members of Korean society.

Separated from China by ocean, influencing voluntary cultural adoption.
Major cultural borrowing occurred before this period (7th-9th centuries CE) with attempts to reorganize power based on Chinese imperial bureaucracy.
Chinese Buddhism and the writing system were adopted.
Japan adopted what was useful and discarded what was not.

Bordered China to the south, similar to Korea's relationship.
Politically independent but participated in the tributary system.
Elite members adopted Confucianism, Buddhism, Chinese literary techniques, and the civil service examination system.
Women in Vietnam were not as marginalized as in China; evidence includes female deities and a female version of Buddha.
Vietnam never adopted foot binding (nor did Korea or Japan).

Four Noble Truths:
- Life is suffering.
- Suffering is caused by craving.
- Suffering ceases when craving ceases.
- The Eightfold Path leads to the cessation of suffering.
The Eightfold Path includes moral lifestyle and meditation.
Karma and rebirth carried over from Hinduism.

Theravada Buddhism (Sri Lanka): Closest to original form; emphasizes escaping the cycle of birth and death; mainly practiced by monks.
Mahayana Buddhism (East Asia): Accessible to all; emphasizes compassion and the Buddha as a divine figure.
Tibetan Buddhism (Tibet): Includes mystical practices like lying prostrate and elaborate imaginings of deities.
Chan Buddhism: A distinct Chinese version of Buddhism.
Buddhism continued to play a significant role in Chinese society despite the emphasis on Confucianism.

Large-scale manufacturers and home-based artisans produced iron and steel for armor, coins, and agricultural tools.

Iron plows and rakes were widely used.
Champa rice (from Vietnam) was drought-resistant and could be harvested twice a year, doubling agricultural output to feed China's large population.
$more \, food = more \, babies$

Expanded the Grand Canal (linked Yellow and Yangtze Rivers), reducing trade costs.
Improvements to the magnetic compass improved navigation.
New shipbuilding techniques included watertight bulkheads and stern-mounted rudders, enhancing navigation and trade.