Topic 1.1 Flashcards
Developments in East Asia (20 cards)
Order of Chinese Dynasties
Tang, Song, Yang, Qing
Song Dynasty Government System
- Financial Challenges?
Bureaucracy -> China’s Bureaucratic System = Meritocracy
- Poor Underrepresented
- Bureaucracy had grown so large, that by creating too many jobs by paying the officials too much
- Dried up China’s surplus of wealth
Describe Civil Service Exam
Good Scores = Good Job in Bureaucracy, Tests based on Confucian Knowledge
Describe Accomplishments of the Song Dynasty
Rapid Prosperity, Population Growth
Describe Grand Canal
Inexpensive and efficient internal waterway transportation, extended over 30 thousand miles. Most popular trading area in the world for China.
Technological Advancements in China
- Agricultural
- Manufacturing
- Exploration
- Printing
- Agriculture: Gunpowder, Champa Rice, Manure, Irrigation System, Water wheels, pumps, plows, and terraces.
Increased productivity and helped unusable land become usable; produced an abundance of food and population grew. - Manufacturing: Coal, Steel, Porcelain, Silk
- Exploration: Compass, Ship Redesign, Paper Navigation Charts
- Printing: Woodblock Printing
Song Economic System
- Taxes
- Tributary System
Taxes: changed how they built public projects -> paid people to work on them (Increased Money and Circulation)
Tributary System: Other states had to pay or provide goods to honor the Chinese emperor (Stability and stimulated trade)
Song Social Structure
- Scholar Gentry
- Farmers
- Artisans
- Merchants
- Peasants
Role of Women in Song China
Foot Binding-> Wealthy women got this, suitors desired doll like features
Respect for women and expectation that they would defer to men
Religious Diversity In China
Buddhism, Confucianism, and Syncretism
Buddhism: Types
- 3 Types of Buddhism
- Theravada Buddhism: personal spiritual growth through meditation.
- Mahayana Buddhism: spiritual growth for all things and on service.
- Tibetan Buddhism: focused on chanting.
Buddhism: Ideologies
- Four Noble Truths
- Eight Fold Path
- Four Noble Truths: personal suffering can be alleviated by eliminating cravings or desires.
- Eight-Fold Path: the precepts that can lead to enlightenment of nirvana.
Buddhism: How it spread to China?
- Syncretism
Monks introduced Buddhism to China by relating its beliefs to Daoist beliefs.
- Syncretism: Blend of religions
Created a syncretic mix of Daoism and Buddhism (Chan Buddhism, Zen Buddhism)
- Song Dynasty accepted Buddhism but did not promote it.
What was Filial Piety?
- Why was it important?
The duty of family members to subordinate their desires to those of the male head of the family.
- Emphasis on respect for one’s elders helped the Song maintain their rule in China
Describe Neo-Confucianism
- Warring Period
- Warring Period: a period with no gods, just a system on how to treat others.
- After, Confucianism was brought back and they called it ‘New Confucianism’ aka. Neo-Confucianism.
- Combined rational thought with abstract ideas of Daoism and Buddhism
How did China influence its neighboring countries? (Sinification)
- Sinification: the assimilation of Chinese traditions and practices
- All of them benefitted off of China but faced the challenge of maintaining their own cultures
How did China influence Japan?
- Shinto
- Prince Shotoku Taishi
- Heian Period
- Prince Shotoku Taishi (574-622): promoted Buddhism, Confucianism, and woodblock printing.
- Shinto: Mix of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Japan’s local religion - During the Heian Period (794-1185): emulated Chinese traditions in politics, arts, and literature.
Japanese Feudalism
- Feudal Hierarchy
Built upon hereditary hierarchies
- Serfs were those born into economic dependency (Lower Class)
- Samurai were born into roles of protecting (Knights)
* Bushido: stressed frugality, loyalty, martial arts, and honor unto death
- Daimyo were born into lives of privilege (Nobles)
* More powerful than the emperor or shogun
How did China influence Korea?
- Similarities and Differences?
Similarities:
1. Adopted Confucian and Buddhist beliefs, as well as their writing system.
2. Tributary System
Differences:
1. Korean elite were able to prevent certain Chinese reforms from ever being implemented
- ex: Civil Service Exam: no merit based system for entering the bureaucracy
How did China influence Vietnam?
- How did they show resistance to their influence?
- Adopted the Chinese writing system and agricultural styles
- Resistance:
- Launched violent rebellions against Chinese influence
- Preferred nuclear families and women had more freedom than China
- Instead of loyalty to the emperor, scholar-officials owed more allegiance to the village peasants
- Rejected foot binding and polygyny
