Asian Transitions in an Age of Global Change

1. Asian Transitions in an Age of Global Change Chapter 22

2. Introduction • Da Gama reaches India in 16th century • Eager to trade for spices, textiles, and other Asian objects • Asians had little interest in European goods • Silver bullion was accepted for trade • Missionary activities were blocked by Muslim rivals • Asian political divisions very advantageous for Europeans

3. The Asian Trading World & the Coming of the Europeans • Asian Sea Trading Network • Stretched from Middle East and African coasts to Asia • Three main zones: • Arab Zone • Indian Zone • Chinese Zone • Marginal Regions • Japan • SE Asia • East Africa • This area provided mostly raw materials, ivory, & spices

4. The Asian Trading World & the Coming of the Europeans • Two General Characteristics of trade when Portuguese arrive critical to attempting to regulate and dominate Asia • 1. No central Control • 2. Absence of Military force • Trade was mostly peaceful

5. The Asian Trading World & the Coming of the Europeans • I. Trading Empire: The Portuguese Response to the Encounter at Calicut • Gold and silver were used to trade, but under mercantilist thought, a steady flow of bullion was unthinkable • Mercantilist believed state power depended on amount of bullion • Portuguese use military force to establish ports • Defeat Egyptian-Indian fleet in 1509 off Diu • Portuguese continue to capture towns and build forts • Ormuz, 1507 • Goa, 1510 • Malacca • Their goal was to monopolize the spice trade and control shipping

6. The Asian Trading World & the Coming of the Europeans II. Portuguese Vulnerability and the rise of the Dutch & English Trading Empires • Dutch and British take control of Portuguese forts in the 17th century A. The Dutch Trading Empire • Take Malacca, 1620 • Build fort at Batavia, 1620 • Concentrate on cloves, nutmeg, & mace • As demand for spices fell, so did their efforts to control certain crops • Use less force than Portuguese

7. The Asian Trading World & the Coming of the Europeans B. The British • Adopt peaceful trading patterns • Concentrate on coastal India • Focus on cloth rather than spices

8. The Asian Trading World & the Coming of the Europeans III. Going Ashore: European Tribute System in Asia • European military advantage declines as they move to the interior away from their ships • Europeans not as powerful away from their armed ships • Become humble and kowtow to inland Asian rulers • Dutch control coffee growing areas in Java • Spanish conquer northern Philippines • Luzon & Mindanao • Europeans allow indigenous people to keep things the same as long as they paid tribute in forms of agricultural products

9. The Asian Trading World & the Coming of the Europeans VI. Spreading the Faith • Missionary enterprise in South & SE Asia • Protestant Dutch and English have little concern for missionary efforts unlike Catholic Portuguese and Spanish • Little effect on natives due to prior arrival of Islam and Hinduism • Francis Xavier • Jesuit able to convert low caste Hindus • Robert Di Nobili • Italian Jesuit able to convert some high caste Hindus • Recalled to Rome

10. The Asian Trading World & the Coming of the Europeans • Spanish friars converted Filipino leaders and served as government officials • Most Filipinos blended their traditional beliefs with Christianity

11. Ming China: A global mission refused • Ming dynasty founded by Zhu Yuanzhang • Originally a peasant • Expels Mongols • Takes name Hongwu emperor in 1368 • Force Mongols north of the Great Wall I. Another Scholarly-Gentry Revival • Hongwu, like the Han, restores scholarly gentry to high offices • Imperial schools and examination system restored

12. Ming China: A global mission refused II. Reforms • Hongwu transferred powers of the chief minister to the emperor • Honesty, loyalty, & discipline was expected from officials • Bureaucrats guilty of corruption or incompetence were publically beaten • Emperor’s wives were only allowed to come from modest familiesto off set power plays from high ranking families • Limited number of eunuchs to powerful positions

13. Ming China: A global mission refused III. A Return to Scholarly-Gentry Social Dominance • Hongwu promoted public works and aimed to improve lives of the common people • Gentry households grew in power as landlord families buy up peasants land • Women were confined & bearing male children was stressed • Youth subordinate to elders

14. Ming China: A global mission refused IV. An Age of Growth: Agriculture, Population, Commerce, and the arts • Importation of American crops become important for population growth • Maize, sweet potatoes, & peanuts • Population grew from 80-90 million to 300 million from 14th -17th centuries • Chinese manufactured goods in high demand • Ceramics, textiles, etc.. • China received more American silver than any other world economy in early modern history • Macao & Canton only places Europeans were officially allowed

15. Ming China: A global mission refused • Ming prosperity was reflected in the fine arts • Innovations in literature • Woodblock printing • The Water Margin, Monkey, and the Golden Lotus • This novel set the standard for Chinese prose literature

18. Ming China: A global mission refused V. An Age of Expansion: The Zhenghe Expeditions • 1405-1423 • 7 major overseas expeditions including: • Persia • Indian Coast • African Coast • Initial fleet contained 62 ships • Columbus only had 3 in 1492 • Da Gama only had 4 in 1498 • Chinese had the capacity to expand on a global scale at least a century before the Euorpeans

19. Ming China: A global mission refused VI. Chinese Retreat and the Arrival of the Europeans • Overseas trade limited in 1390 • Ming China moves toward isolationism • Europeans probe the globe • Drawn to the Middle Kingdom • Franciscans and Dominican missionaries try to convert commoners • Jesuits try and convert elites • Matteo Ricci and Adam Schall

21. Ming China: A global mission refused VII. Ming Decline and the Chinese Predicament • Later rulers incompetent in holding a highly centralized, absolutist structure • Corruption of officials • Public works projects fall into disrepair • Floods, droughts, & famine rage lands • Some sell children into slaver • Some become cannibals • Exploitative landlords • Internal disorder leads to invasions

22. Ming China: A global mission refused • Exploitative landlords • Internal disorder leads to invasions • Last Mind emperor, Chongzhen, kills himself to avoid capture and the dynasty is overthrown in 1644

23. Fending off the West: Japan’s Reunification & the First Challenge • By the mid-16th century the Japanese had found leaders to restore unity under the Tokugawa Shogunate • Three military leaders who restored unity: Nobunaga • Daimyo lord • Used firearms extensively • Deposes last Ashikaga shougun in 1573 • Killed in 1582

24. Fending off the West: Japan’s Reunification & the First Challenge ToyotomiHideyoshi • Nobunaga’s general • Rules Japan by 1590 • Unsuccessfully invades Korea • 1592 • 1597 • Succession struggle after his death in 1598 • Wanted his son to succeed him, but his vassals seized power for themselves

25. Fending off the West: Japan’s Reunification & the First Challenge Tokugawa Ieyasu • Forms Tokugawa Shogunate – appointed Shogun by the emperor • Reorganizes remaining daimyo • Ruled from Edo (Tokyo) • Tokugawa’s victory ends Japan’s civil wars • Tokugawa family rules for 250 years!!!

27. Fending off the West: Japan’s Reunification & the First Challenge I. Dealing with the Europeans • Europeans in Japan since 1543 • Missionaries & traders • Europeans brought firearms, printing press, clocks, etc… • Nobunaga protects Jesuit missionaries & allows churches to be built • Hideyoshi less tolerant of Jesuits • Saw Christian beliefs as a threat to established social order

28. Fending off the West: Japan’s Reunification & the First Challenge II. Japan’s Self-Imposed Isolation • Measures taken to restrict foreign activities in Japan in 1580’s • Christianity was persecuted in the 1590’s and finally banned in 1614 by Ieyasu Tokugawa • Converts who reused to announce faith imprisoned, tortured, or killed

29. Fending off the West: Japan’s Reunification & the First Challenge • Ieyasu increases isolation & restricts foreign merchants in 1616 • Japanese ships forbidden to sail overseas by 1630 • By 1640, only the Dutch and the Chinese were allowed to visit the island Deshima • By mid 17th century Japan was completely isolated • Neo-Confucian revival replaced by the school of National Learning • Emphasizes Japan’s unique history