EMPIRES IN EAST ASIA

1. EMPIRES IN EAST ASIA 600-1350

2. Section 1: Tang and Song China

3. The Tang Dynasty Expands China • Wendi was the first emperor of the Sui Dynasty lasting from 581 to 618. • Their biggest accomplishment was the building of the Grand Canal (1,000 miles). • The Tang Dynasty replaced them and lasted for 300 years. • The Tang Dynasty continued the internal improvements began by the Sui Dynasty and reunified much of China.

5. The Tang Dynasty Expands China • They Tang Dynasty also expanded the civil service exams created by the Han Dynasty. • This system placed less emphasis on nobilityand more emphasis on educationwhen choosing leadership for the government. • To pay for their vast expansion the Tang Dynasty imposed high taxes on it’s people. They could not keep up with their own expansion and eventually lost land to foreign invaders and internal rebellion. • Chinese rebels murdered the last Tang emperor (a child) in 907.

6. The Song Dynasty Restores China • After the fall of the Tang Dynasty, China was divided into several kingdoms for about 50 years. • In 960 General Taizu reunited China and became the first Song Dynasty emperor. • Southern China saw rapid economic growth under the Song.

7. An Era of Prosperity and Innovation • Under the Tang and Song Dynasties there were many technological advances the most important of which were movable type, gunpowder, porcelain, the mechanical clock, paper money, the magnetic compass and the use of negative numbers in math. • The introduction of a new kind of rice from Vietnam allowed farmers to produce enough food to keep up with the rapidly growing population.

9. An Era of Prosperity and Innovation • Sea trade expanded and decreased the need for the Silk Roads. • The Chinese spread Buddhismthroughout East Asia as Islam and Christianity gained some followers in China. • Art and poetry also flourished during the Tang and Song Dynasties.

10. Changes in Chinese Society • Chinese nobility based on land ownership began to give way to the highly educated “Gentry” who became the top social class. • Peasants continued to be at the bottom of the social classes and worked hard for land owners. • Women were seen as less important than men. Girls in wealthy families had their feet tightly boundas a status symbol that also crippled them.

11. Section 2: The Mongol Conquests

12. Nomads of the Asian Steppe • Areas in the middle of Europe and Asia called the Eastern and Western Steppe were roamed by nomadicpeople who moved from pasture to pasture in cycles to feed the domesticated animals they relied on for meat and milk. • They often traded with stationary townspeople but were sometimes tempted to raid and loot from the wealthy townspeople.

13. The Rise of the Mongols • Mongolsroamed the Eastern Steppe for centuries but never had the strength for conquest. • Finally a man who became known as Gengis Khan united the Mongols and launched a campaign of terror across central Asia. • Khan was a brilliant strategist and organizer who often used terror to intimidate many adversaries into surrendering. • Inhabitants of cities who failed to surrender immediately were slaughteredwhen the battle had been won.

15. The Mongol Empire • Khan and his successors created the largest unified land empire in history spanning from China to Poland. • As rulers the Mongols were tolerantof the conquered peoples cultures and often took on aspects of these cultures themselves. • This practice led to differences between the Mongols themselves and the eventual splitting up of the empire. • During the period of Mongol rule throughout Europe and Asia trade thrived as Mongol warriors ensured the safety of trade routes.

17. Section 3: Mongol Rule

18. Kublai Khan Becomes Emperor • Genghis Khan’s grandson Kublai Khan eventually became the Great Khan in 1260. • He focused on conquering the rest of China after which he became the Emperor of China. • This unified China for the first time in 300 years. • Kublai Khan also tried in vain to conquer Japansending a fleet carrying 150,000 warriors only to be wiped out by a typhoon after 53 days of battle.

19. Kublai Khan

21. Mongol Rule in China • Mongols had little in common with the conquered Chinese so they mostly lived apart from them. • Mongol rulers controlled the central government in China but allowed Chinese rulers to control local governments. • It was during Kublai Khan’s reign that Marco Polo and his caravan passed through China. He wrote about what he saw in a wildly popular book though many in Europe thought it was filled with tall tales.

23. The End of Mongol Rule • Heavy spending on fruitless wars, luxury and public works led to high taxes and resentmentof Chinese who would eventually overthrow Kublai Kahn’s successors in the Yuan Dynasty. • Mongol rule also faded in the other parts of Europe and Asia by the 1370’s. • Only the Golden Horde in Russia lasted another 250 years before being overthrown in 1480.

24. Section 4: Feudal Powers in Japan

25. The Growth of Japanese Civilization • Japan is made up of over 4,000 islands. Most Japanese live on the four largest islands. • Early Japan was very fragmented with various clans controlling separate islands. • Most worshiped God’s of nature in what became known as Shinto. • Yamato emperors became the leading clan by the 400s. • Any clan that gained power usually ruled behind the scenes with the emperor acting as a figure head controlled by these clans. • This dual leadership endured in Japan for hundreds of years.

27. Japanese Culture • Over time Japanese culture became more influenced by mainland Asia. • Buddhismworked its way into Japan and became blended with Shinto beliefs. • Soon the Japanese sent missionsto China to study their culture and bring back ideas to Japan. • Though Japan embraced many aspects of Chinese culture they never used the civil service system of government. • In Japan only a noble birth could lead to political power.

28. Life in the Heian Period • In the late 700s the imperial court moved its capital from Nara to Heian. • The upper class in Heian created a refined court society that emphasized formality in almost every aspect of life. • Everyone was also expected to write poetry and paint. • The world’s first novel called “The Tale of Genji” came from this period in Japan.

30. Feudalism Erodes Imperial Authority • Land owners often acted independently from the central government in Japan and gained more and more power as the years passed. • Through the use of private armies these land owners took more power in Japan through the feudal system. • These land owners would fight each other so they used samurai warriors as body guards. • Eventually military leaders called shogunshad the real power behind puppet emperors.

32. Section 5: Kingdom of Southeast Asia and Korea

33. Kingdoms of Southeast Asia • Islands and peninsulas in southeast Asia were vital to trade because of their location. • Also because of their location they were occupied by many cultures but adopted mostly Indianand Chinesepractices and religions.

35. Korean Dynasties • Korea was also led by several different dynasties over the years. • They adopted Chinese culture but also kept their own identity and remained independent. • The most important function of Korea was serving as a cultural bridge between China and Japan because of its location.