East Asian Empires

Two Great Dynasties in China

12-2-08

The Sui Dynasty

• After the fall of Han in 220

• China falls into chaos – 300 years

• Reunified by the Sui dynasty

• Lasted only 2 emperors• Completed the grand

canal• Endless labor and

projects turned people against the Sui

• Final emperor strangeled

The Tang Empire

• Will last for 300 years• Re-conquered lands

lost since Han fall• Influence over much

of East Asia - Korea• Strengthened central

gov’t

Tang Government• Reintroduced civil service exams• Opened schools to train gov’t officials

– Confucianism– Poetry– Other gov’t exam questions

• Exams open to all – only rich could afford• Very intelligent gov’t

The Tang Empire

• Expanded roads and canals

• To stabilize economy, lowered taxes and took lands from wealthy to give to peasants

• Promoted foreign trade

• Improvements to agriculture

Empress Wu

• Wu Zhao – from 660 SHE wielded real power in China

• 690 she made herself Emperor – first and only woman to hold title

Fall of Tang

• Mid 700’s weakening

• Re-imposed crushing taxes

• Crushed people & still didn’t meet gov’t needs

• Famine (remember the dynastic cycle)

Tang fall

• Couldn’t control empire

• Attacks from Arab armies in west

• Border attacks

• Internal rebellions

• 907 – rebels sack capitol and kill child emperor

The Song Dynasty

• After fall of Tang – China divided by warlords

• 960 – reunited under Song Dynasty

• Also lasted about 300 years

• Smaller empire than before

• Prosperous, powerful and stable

Attempts at Peace

• Never regained western or northern lands

• Tried to maintain peace through paying for it

• Early 1100’s attacked from north – had to retreat to southern China only

Southern Song (1127-1279)

• Rapid economic growth

• South economic heartland of China

• Grew rich from trade with the world

• Had at least 10 cities with 1,000,000 people

Innovations

• Porcelain• Mechanical Clock• Printing (Moveable

type)• Gunpowder• Paper money• Magnetic compass• Fast ripening rice

Question

•Which innovation is the greatest to you?

Status of Women

• Women had traditionally been subservient to men• Woman’s work less important• Binding of feet – crushed foot – Lily Foot• Crippled woman• Status symbol – for husband to have useless wife• She didn’t have to work

Bound foot

The Mongol Conquests

12-3-08

Eurasian Steppe

Eurasian Steppe

• Dry grassland from Hungary to Manchuria

• Home of many invaders

• Very little rain• Extreme temperature

changes (-57 – 96)

Steppe

• People living there were pastoralists – following a seasonal pattern

• They traveled together in groups called clans (usually descended from common ancestor)

• These nomads engaged in peaceful trade• Some societies settled – lived in fear of raids• Nomadic groups would attack and succeed

when towns were weak

Rise of the Mongols

• Out of the Eastern Steppe comes the Mongols – united by Temujin

• He defeated rivals one by one

• Finally unified he is given title Genghis Khan – universal ruler

Conquests

• Over 21 years Genghis led Mongols conquering much of Asia• First focused on China – taking the northern Jin• Then turned to Islamic west Mongolia – angered by murder of

Mongol traders• Campaign of terror against central Asia• All conquered by 1221

Why so great?

• Well organized armies– 10,000 man armies– 1,000 man brigades– 100 man companies– 10 man platoons

Why so great?

• Gifted strategist – use tricks and tactics

• Adopted new weapons and tech from enemies

• Extremely cruel his terror spread fear

• Died in 1227

The Mongol Empire

• His successors continued his conquests

• The Khanates – Genghis’ son Ogadai takes over

• Under his leadership move into Russia, to the Adriatic sea, completed invasion of Northern China and moved into Korea

• Ogadai died and all leaders called back to elect new leader

Khanates

• By 1260 empire divided into 4 Khanates• Khanate of the Great Khan (China and Mongolia)• Khanate of Chagatai (central Asia)• Ilkhanate (Persia)• Khanate of Golden Horde (Russia)

Peace

• Mid 1200’s to Mid 1300’s relative peace and stability

• Trade flourished due to Mongol protection

• So did disease (plague)

Kublai Khan

• Grandson of Genghis• Made Great Khan conquered all of China by

1279• The first foreign invader to take China

Yuan Dynasty

• Kublai Khan makes self emperor Yuan dynasty

• Lasted less than a century

• Important period – united all of China

• China opened to greater foreign trade

• Tolerated Chinese culture and made very few changes to government

Kublai Khan

• Spent almost entire life in China

• Did not hate civilization – enjoyed living luxurious lifestyle

• Maintained summer palace

• Built capital in Beijing

Conquer Japan

• Tried twice to extend rule into Japan

• Huge fleets attacked

• Used Korea to help – almost ruined Korea

• Second attack 150,000 troops invade

• Japanese troops held attackers to standstill

• Divine wind – kamikaze (saved Japan)

Government

• Mongols ruled China but remained separate

• Chinese kept out of high offices… but allowed to serve at local level

• Many positions given to foreigners – Muslims and Christians

• Extended grand canal – and built a paved road next to it

Trade

• Kublai encourages trade

• Invited foreign merchants

• Silk roads took Chinese silk and porcelain to Europe

• Other Chinese inventions went west as well

Marco Polo

• Venetian trader• Served the Chinese

gov’t• Told of great stories

and adventures• Collected all in a book• Believed China

greatest civilization in the world

End of Mongols

• Near end of Kublai reign empire began to crack

• Needless wars• Extreme luxuries • Kublai died in 1294• Overthrown by Ming dynasty 1368• Mongol empire starts to fall apart by 1330s• 1480 the end of the Mongols

Effects of Mongols

• Many people killed

• Cities and their supports destroyed

• Valleys ravaged

• Over time Mongols adopted traits of vanquished

• Ilkhans and Golden Horde became Muslim

• Empire is split

Japan & Korea

12-11-08

Japan

• “Japan” comes from Chinese “ri ben” meaning origin of the sun

• Japan borrows from Chinese people

• 4,000 Islands• From Canada to

northern Florida

Geography

• Advantages– Mild Climate– Plenty of Rainfall– Island is good for

protection

• Disadvantages– Mountainous leaves

little room for farming– No natural resources

• Coal• Oil• Iron

– Late summer typhoons occur

– Earthquakes– Tidal waves

Japanese Religion

• Shinto – way of the gods• No rules or philosophy• Based on respect for

forces of nature• Worship of ancestors• Any beautiful or unusual

tree, rock or waterfall contained kami (divine spirits that dwell in nature)

Yamato Emperors

• By 7th Century Yamato clan became leading clan

• Claimed to be from the sun goddess Amaterasu

• Never overthrown – when a clan would lose power it would rule in the emperors name

Adapting to Chinese Customs and Ideas

• Mid 700’s Buddhism become an official religion

• Did not give up Shinto beliefs – Buddhist rituals became Shinto, temples were used by both

• Adopted Chinese system of writing• Art mimicked Chinese art• Everyday things – Drinking tea, cooking

gardening hairdressing

Government

• Even tried to model government on China

• Introduced a strong central gov’t

• Tried to introduce exam system for gov’t jobs

• Failed to take hold

• Instead Noble birth remained central to Japan gov’t

Heian Japan

• 794 the Capital moved to Heian from Nara

• Many noble families moved also

• Nobles would fill days with ritual and art

• Etiquette important – no loud laughter or mismatched clothing (women dyed clothes to match seasons)

• Everyone at court was expected to write poetry or paint

Feudalism Erodes Imperial Authority

• Heian central gov’t was very strong

• Eventually challenged by great landowners

• Fujiwara family very powerful (eventually more concerned with luxury and art than governing)

• Landowners living away from capital set up private armies

Decline

• Countryside became lawless

• Armed soldiers on horses preyed on farmers

• Pirates ruled seas

• Farmers would exchange land for protection from local warlords

Samurai

• Each warlord surrounded himself with bodyguards

• Lived by a code of behavior (Bushido)– Reckless courage– Reverence for the gods– Fairness– Generosity towards those

weaker than himself– Dying an honorable death

more important than long life

Shogunate

• For 30 years in the late 1100’s two most powerful families in Japan fought for power

• Emperor gives title of Shogun to man named Yoritomo

• Kamakura shogunate

Shogunate

• Emperor still ruled from Kyoto (Heian rebuilt after war)

• Real power was at the hands of Shogun• This lasted for centuries• Local warlords loyal to Shogun would have

incredible power• Kamakura Shoguns held off invasions of Kublai

Khan• But after wars – too expensive – they were

unable to pay samurai• Local warlords once again in power

Southeast Asia

Geography of SE Asia

• Between the Indian and Pacific Oceans

• Islands almost all the way to Australia

• Never been united• Rivers flow south through

here• Mountains in the area

keep people isolated• Key to control is trade

routes• Influenced by China and

India

Kingdoms and Empires

• Khmer Empire: located in Cambodia main power in SE Asia– Improved rice cultivation– Irrigation and waterways– Built complex capital

• Island trading kingdoms– Sailendra and Srivijaya ruled islands south of

Mainland– Taxed trade and navigation

Kingdoms and Empires

• Vietnam– Influenced by primarily

China– Remained under

China control for almost 1000 years

– Built own capital at Hanoi in 1000’s

– Three time attacked by Mongols – but each time forced them to withdraw

Korea

Korea History

• Clans controlled different parts of country• Han Empire conquered much of Korea• During this time Clans united into 3

kingdoms• Silla – mid 600’s – defeated other

kingdoms• Became Buddhist country• Created a phonetic alphabet using

Chinese characters

Koryu Dynasty

• 935 a rebel officer named Wang Kon gained control of Korea

• Created Koryu Dynasty (935-1392)• Modeled government after China• Wealthy nobles built a huge power base• Rebellions in 1100s • Mongols occupy in 1231-1350• After Mongols removed revolts lead to end of

Koryu• New Dynasty Choson (or Yi) would rule for 518

years

Koryu Culture

• Created pottery – milky green glaze

• Wrote poetry and history

• Korean printers printed entire cannon of Buddhist scriptures

• 81,000 blocks still remain today

THE END

THIS IS THE END OF THE 1st

SEMESTER!!!!