Chapter 12 - Empires in East Asia

The Tang monarchs sought to reestablish China's enormous bureaucracy in order to manage their vast realm.
* They accomplished this by recreating and expanding the Han Dynasty's civil service examination system.
Tang monarchs imposed crushing levies in the mid-700s to cover mounting government costs.
* These caused hardship for the people, but they were insufficient to fund the expenditures of military expansion and new construction projects.
During the Tang and Song dynasties, artisans and scholars produced significant technological achievements.
* Movable type and gunpowder were two of the most essential inventions.
Advances in agriculture contributed to China's rapid expansion. Rice farming was enhanced in particular by farmers.
* China imported a new kind of fast-ripening rice from Vietnam about the year 1000.
Foreign trade flourished under the Tang and Song rulers. The famous Silk Roads that connected China and the West were defended by Tang imperial soldiers.

Ancient Chinese Arts

The Eurasian steppe is divided into two sections.
From Central Asia to Eastern Europe, the western steppe stretches.
* Some of the ancient invaders you've heard about, such as the Hittites, were born there.
The Huns, Turks, and Mongols all began their lives in the eastern steppe, which now encompasses modern-day Mongolia.
The contrasting lifestyles of nomadic and settled peoples resulted in continual interaction.
* They frequently exchanged goods in a peaceful manner.
* Horses, for example, were traded for basic necessities like as food, metal, fabric, and tea.
Nomads were used to hardship and shortage.
Following Genghis' death, his sons and grandsons resumed the conquest drive. Armies led by them drove out of Inner Asia from the south, east, and west.
* They invaded Korea after completing their conquest of northern China.
They razed the Russian city of Kiev and advanced to the Adriatic Sea's shores.
* They had Venice and Vienna under their control.
Many of the Mongol-invaded areas never recovered. Some cities' populations were wiped away.
* The Mongols also demolished old irrigation systems in places like the Tigris and Euphrates valleys.

Map of the Steppe

The Mongol monarchs and their Chinese subjects had little in common. The Mongols maintained their distinct identity as a result of their distinctions.
* Mongols lived apart from Chinese people and had their own set of laws.
Under Kublai Khan, foreign trade expanded. The Mongol Peace, which made the caravan routes across Central Asia secure for trade and travel, was largely responsible for this.
* Traders used the Silk Roads and other ways to convey Chinese silk and porcelain, which were highly coveted in Europe and western Asia.
Marco Polo was caught and imprisoned during a conflict between Venice and its rival city, Genoa.
He had more time in prison to recount the entire account of his trips and exploits.
* He told his awestruck audience about China's wonderful cities, fantastic wealth, and bizarre things he had seen there.
In 1294, Kublai Khan died. The Yuan Dynasty began to fade after his death.
* Family members were constantly squabbling about who would rule.
Four distinct khans ascended to the throne in the space of eight years.
The whole Mongol Empire had crumbled by the time the Yuan Dynasty fell apart.
* The Ilkhanate of Persia's government fell apart in the 1330s. Until the 1370s, the Chagatai khans governed Central Asia.
* Only the Golden Horde remained in control in Russia.

The first written reference of Japan dates from the first century B.C. in Chinese texts. At the time, Japan was not a unified nation.
* Hundreds of clans, on the other hand, were in charge of their own domains.
* Each clan had its own gods and goddesses who they worshipped.
The Yamato clan had established itself as the main clan by the 400s A.D.
* The Yamato claimed to be descended from Amaterasu, the sun goddess.
Buddhism was one of the most major influences brought by Korean travelers.
* The Japanese royal court officially embraced Buddhism in Japan in the mid-700s.
For the majority of the Heian period, Japan's true authority was held by the wealthy Fujiwara family.
* The Fujiwaras' and the central government's power began to wane about the middle of the 11th century.
Japan's two most powerful clans struggled for control in the late 1100s.
* The Minamoto family triumphed after nearly 30 years of fighting.

Painting of Japanese Samurai

By the first century A.D., Indian commerce ships were arriving in Southeast Asia, taking advantage of the monsoon winds.
* Following that, Hindu and Buddhist missionaries propagated their faiths throughout the region.
On the islands of Southeast Asia, powerful kingdoms arose. On the island of Java, for example, the Sailendra dynasty controlled an agricultural kingdom.
* The Buddhist temple at Borobudur, built by the Sailendra kings, is another of the world's great architectural marvels.
The Vietnamese were the people of Southeast Asia who were least influenced by India.
Vietnam, which is located on the coast directly south of China, fell under Chinese control.
* China conquered northern Vietnam in 100 B.C., under the great Han Dynasty.
Korea is a peninsula that juts out from Asia's mainland toward Japan. Its size is comparable to that of the state of Utah.
* Summers in Korea are scorching, while winters are bitterly cold.
Different clans or tribes governed different regions of the country in early Korea, as they did in early Japan.
* The Han empire captured much of Korea in 108 B.C. and created a military government.
Koreans learned about centralized governance, Confucianism, Buddhism, and writing from the Chinese.