Chapter 12: East Asia 800-1400 C.E.

Question 1

Song dynasty (11)

Answer 1

1. Mid 10th C.E.- Late 13th C.E., China
2. Under the Song, the economy of China experienced a revolution commonly known as the Medieval Chinese Economic Revolution in which rice cultivation expanded, food supply increased, agricultural prosperity flourished, cities grew, and new commercial crops and industrial products were produced on a large scale.
3. The Song dynasty succeeded the Tang dynasty and continued to be ruled by a monarch. Ex: Taizu, the founder of the Song dynasty.
4. The Confucian scholar official system was greatly expanded.
5. Neo-Confucianism gained popularity.
6. Chinese poetry and literature flourished (golden age).
7. Golden age of Chinese technology. Ex: movable type printer, gunpowder, and compass
8. Conquered by the Mongols and succeeded by the Yuan dynasty.
9. Women’s roles declined as foot binding and concubinage became more popular and prevalent throughout Song society.
10. CC: Compare Song China to Japan, Vietnam, and Korea in that they all practiced Confucianism. Compare the influence of Confucianism in Song China was similar to the influence of Christianity in Europe. Contrast Song China and Japan in that women’s roles were more limited than those of Japan.
11. COT: Song China continued from the Tang dynasty in that it remained a dynastic monarchy, kept the Confucian scholar official exams, and a golden age for Chinese poetry, literature, and art. Song China changed from the Tang in that new technology (new strains of rice, movable type printer, and the compass) were developed and the economy expanded and became more diversified. Song China also changed in that it did not control northern China like previous dynasties.

Question 2

Medieval Chinese Economic Revolution (11)

Answer 2

1. 9th C.E.- 12th C.E., China
2. Under the Song dynasty rice cultivation expanded, food supply increased, and agricultural prosperity flourished.
3. Paper money was invented
4. Formation of merchant guilds.
5. Rapid expansion of cities due to trade (Kaifeng, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou).
6. Farmers left farms to work in cities as craftsman and merchants
7. Flourishing of foreign trade with neighbors in Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, also internally between towns.
8. Expansion of commercial crops (sugar, oranges, tea, wine, silk, and cotton).
9. Advances in industrial techniques and manufacturing (metallurgy, iron production, ship building, gunpowder)
10. CC: Contrast because Song China’s economy underwent an economic revolution, while Japan did not; compare to Europe’s Commercial Revolution in Italy and Northern Germany(12th-14th C.E)
11. COT: The economy of Song China changed from that of the Tang in that it expanded and became more diversified.

Question 3

Compass (5)

Answer 3

1. 12th C.E., China
2. Aided merchants in navigating the ocean for international trade.
3. A by-product of the Medieval Chinese economic revolution.
4. Major invention of the Song dynasty
5. CC: Compare to technologies and scientific acheivements in the Abbasid Dynasty in the Middle East(8th-12th C.E).
6. COT: Change in that Chinese were developing new technology to explore the world

Question 4

Emperor Taizu (7)

Answer 4

1. Mid 10th C.E., China
2. Founder of the Song dynasty
3. Military leader who unified central and northern China
4. Placed armies under central government control
5. Expanded Confucian scholar official system and incorporated it more with government
6. Curbed warlordism (control by one military leader) by assigning civil officials to supervise generals.
7. Constantly fought the rulers of northern China, the Khitans (state of Liao), but eventually signed a peace treaty.
8. CC:
9. COT:Continued in that the Confucian-scholar system was still being used

Question 5

Liao (5)

Answer 5

1. 10th C.E.- 12th C.E., Northern China
2. Dynastic state ruled by the non-Chinese Khitans
3. Militarily superior to Song dynasty
4. Conquered by the Jurchens of Jin
5. CC:
6. COT: Liao changed in that it went from being ruled by Chinese to having non-Chinese rulers over northern China

Question 6

Jin Dynasty(6)

Answer 6

1. 12th C.E.-13th C.E., China
2. Non-Chinese state in Manchuria(North of China).
   3.Conquered the Khitans of Liao, however were later themselves conquered by the Mongols (who set up the Yuan dynasty)
3. Military confederation of tribes which ruled over Northern China.
4. Pushed the Song out of Northern China, which led the Song to move its court to Hangzhou.
   CC:
   COT: Change in that a new foreign people started to take over China

Question 7

Movable type printing (6)

Answer 7

1. 10th C.E.-13th C.E., China
2. A system of printing in which one is able to place character blocks in an order to create words or sentences.
3. Enabled scholars to create large libraries
4. Made books more available and cheap.
5. Aided the spread of literacy
   CC: Contrast to any other region because only China had this technology.
6. COT: Song China changed in that people became more literate and educated due to the movable type printer.

Question 8

Song literature and art (6)

Answer 8

1. 10th C.E.-13th C.E. China
2. Creation of first encyclopedia
3. Expansion of the Confucian scholar official system aided innovations in literature and art.
4. Golden age of calligraphy, poetry, writing, and painting.
5. Famous Confucian scholar officials/artists: Ouyan Xiu, Su shi, and Shen Gua.
   CC:
6. COT: Song China continued in that it remained in a golden age of arts and literature.

Question 9

Neo-Confucianism (5)

Answer 9

1. Early to late 12th century CE, China
2. The revival of Confucian thinking that was developed by Zhu Xi (12th century)
3. Combined Confucian and Buddhist teachings and developed the ideas of li (principle) and qi (vital life)
4. Blamed for the decline in women’s status in Chinese society
5. CC: Compare to Conciliarism(14th-16th centuries, leaders such as Wycliff and Hus) also compare to Sufism(more about spirtual personal goal, aesthetic) in the Muslim Middle East(9th-13th centuries)
   COT:

Question 10

Heian Japan (8)

Answer 10

1. 8th C.E.-12th C.E., Japan
2. Built Chinese influenced capital in Kyoto.
3. Borrowed less culture and ideals from China.
4. Dynastic monarchy but was controlled by the Fujiwara clan with rulers such as Fujiwara Michinaga (10th CE-11th CE)
5. Government aristocratic dominated
6. Cloistered government (A system in which an emperor retired to a Buddhist monastery but continued to exercise by controlling his young son on the throne)
7. Women could inherit property and be educated.
8. CC: Contrast Heian Japan from Song China in that the government in Japan was more aristocratic and not based on education. Compare Heian Japan to Song China in that they both developed innovations and were in a golden age of literature.
9. COT: Japan changed in the Heian period in that women gained more rights and respect.

Question 11

Kamakura Shogunate (12)

Answer 11

1. 12th C.E.- 14th C.E., Japan
2. Preceded by a civil war between the Taira and the Minamoto clans. The eventual victor was the Minamoto clan under Yorimoto, who became shogun and begun the Kamakura Shogunate.
3. Age of Samurai (warriors), Daimyos (lords), and feudalism.
4. Peasants in Kamakura Japan never became serfs.
5. The Shogun appointed military land stewards who were officials placed in charge of overseeing estates, and military governors who were officials appointed to enforce the law in the provinces and oversee the samurai there.
6. Buddhism grew during the time period and splintered into many sects such as Zen and Esoteric.
7. Agriculture productivity and the population grew due to new strains of rice and agricultural techniques.
8. Golden age of Japanese literature, such as The Tale of the Heike
9. Decentralized gov’t
10. CC: Compare to Kamakura Japan to Europe in the Middle Ages in that they both used the feudalism system and were primarily agricultural based economies. Contrast Japan from Middle Age Europe in that peasants never became serfs while peasants in Europe did.
    COT: Continuity in that Buddhism continued to become popular. Change in that literature experienced a Golden Age. Change in that feudalism started being used.

Question 12

Buddhism in Japan (5)

Answer 12

1. 9th C.E.- 14th C.E., Japan
2. Esoteric Buddhism- A sect of Buddhism that maintained that the secrets of enlightenment could be accessed through mandalas, mudras, and mantras. This sect was started by Kukai.
3. Buddhist monasteries started becoming more authoritative with the development of monk-soldiers to protect the monasteries.
4. Zen Buddhism-A school of Buddhism that emphasized meditation and truths that could not be conveyed in words.
5. Pure land Buddhism-A sect of Buddhism that believed that paradise could be reached through simple faith in the Buddha. Started by Honen.
   6.CC: Contrasted with Japan, China based its government on the Confucian scholar system.
   COT: Continued in that Buddhism was still popular.
   Change in that Buddhism posed a political threat because it developed an army.

Question 13

Cloistered Government (4)

Answer 13

1. 8th C.E.- 12th C.E. Japan
2. The system in which an emperor retired to a Buddhist monastery, but continued to exercise power by controlling his young son on the throne
3. This system was used to counteract Fujiwara rule during Japan’s Heian period by giving the emperor more authority than he would otherwise have.
4. COT: Heian Japan changed from the Nara in that emperors became titular rather than having real authority.

Question 14

Tale of the Genji (5)

Answer 14

1. 11th C.E. Japan
2. One of the first novels ever written
3. Depicted aristocratic court culture of the Heian period
4. Written by Lady Murasaki
5. Paved way for other female writers to express their writings
6. CC:Compare to any region which is writing great works of literature, however in contrast, women writers were big in Japan and no where else.
7. COT: Change in that the Tale of Genji marked the beginning of female writers

Question 15

Tang Dynasty (4)

Answer 15

1. 7th C.E.- 10th C.E., China
2. Gaozu and Taizong were first two rulers of Tang Dynasty, and both composed armies with troops from foreign countries
3. Buddhism was the most prominent of the multitude of belief systems(Confucianism and Buddhism) in the Tang Dynasty.
4. Medieval Chinese economic revolution was started during late Tang Dynasty, and government abandoned bolts of silk as currency increased the demand of copper coins
5. CC:
6. COT: Change in that women(Empress Wu and Consort Yang Guifei) assumed political positions; however, because they failed and caused chaos, women were seen as evil and malicious.

Question 16

Chinese Scholar-officials and accomplishmets (5)

Answer 16

1. 10th C.E.-11th C.E., China
2. Used Examination system (a system used to elect government officials through written exams)
3. Scholar-officials were broader and better educated than former elite
4. Men had to memorize Confucian texts, master many forms of writing, and discuss political issues
5. Guang (a prime minister, wrote Chinese history from the Warring States Period to Song dynasty) and Su Song (adapted water-powered clock by adding a chain-driven mechanism that also told day of the month, the phae of the moon, and more features) were two successful Confucian scholar-officials
6. CC:
7. COT: Change in that officials who helped run the state were well educated and had the same ideas with other officials which fostered unity and less disagreements.

Question 17

Fujiwara Family (4)

Answer 17

1. Late 10th C.E., Japan
2. Ruled with privatization of political authority and reversion to clan politics
3. Developed the cloistered government
4. Fujiwara Michinaga dominated the court, acquired great lands and built fine palaces
5. CC:
6. COT:

Question 18

Go-Daigo (4)

Answer 18

1. 14th C.E., Japan
   A powerful nobleman who begins a civil war with other noble families which ends Kamakura and begins the Ashikaga Shogun.;
2. Sparked and uprising in great families, local lords, samurai, and Buddhist monasteries; demonstrate how decentralized and militaristic Japan was in the Medieval Ages
3. Destroyed Kamakura Shogunate in mid 14th century
4. CC: Compare to War of the Roses in Europe or the War of the Three Henrys in France. Contrast to China and Mali (West Africa) where the emperor had control over noble families
5. COT: Continued Japan’s feudal and decentralized political and social structure in place since the late Hiean period.

Question 19

Age of Samurai (5)

Answer 19

1. 10th C.E., Japan
2. Samurai are Japanese soldiers that ride on horse back and armed with weapons
3. Samurai lived under Bushido (the code of conduct by which samurai were expected to live)
4. Samurai were made possible by development of private landholding
5. CC: Comparison to European knights and the European feudal system; Contrast b/c the Japanese peasants were not serfs b/c they were not tied to the land! Don’t get that mixed up! Also compare b/c vassals in Europe also practiced a code of conduct (Chivalry)
   6 COT: Change in that the aristocracy was now armed and able to own serfs(feudalism)

Question 20

Culture during Heian (3)

Answer 20

1. 8th C.E.- 12th C.E., Japan
2. Golden age of Japanese aristocratic culture and literature: Tales of the Genji by Murasaki and Pillow Book by Sei Shonagon
3. Growth of Buddhist sects such as Esoteric and Chan Buddhism
4. Development of Japanese phonetic script (Hiragana ひらがな)
5. CC:
   6 COT: Change in that there was a cultural flowering in this period.

Question 21

Cloistered Government (4)

Answer 21

1. 8th C.E.- 12th C.E. Japan
2. The system in which an emperor retired to a Buddhist monastery, but continued to exercise power by controlling his young son from behind the throne
3. This system was used to counteract Fujiwara rule during Japan’s Heian period by giving the emperor more authority than he would otherwise have.
4. COT: Heian Japan changed from the Nara in that emperors became titular rather than having real authority.

Question 22

Tale of the Genji (5)

Answer 22

1. 11th C.E. Japan
2. One of the first novels ever written
3. Depicted aristocratic court culture of the Heian period
4. Written by Lady Murasaki
5. Paved way for other female writers to express their writings
6. CC:Compare to any region which is writing great works of literature, however in contrast, women writers were big in Japan and no where else.
7. COT: Change in that the Tale of Genji marked the beginning of female writers