China and Early Japan Flashcards
What happened to China after the collapse of the Han Dynasty
China fell into an extended period of division and civil war
How was Confucianism impacted after the fall of the Han? Provide 2 examples
1 Turned to different creeds/Messianic
2 Buddhism became popular
How did Buddhism spread to China
Brought by missionaries and merchants traveling over the Silk Road
Who took over the Sui Dynasty? What was his goal for China
Yang Jian. Sought to create a unifying ideology for the state to enhance its efficient
Define Tribute
An act, statement or gift that shows gratitude, respect, or admiration
What were 2 issues that lead to the downfall of the Tang Dynasty
1 corrupt leaders
2 drought
What led to the final collapse of the Dynasty
The Kirghiz defeated Uighurs and turned on the Tang government in its moment of weakness and overthrew it
Song Dynasty Date
960-1279
Why did the early Song Emperors have a harder time defending their territory than that of the Tang
He was unable to reconquer the northwestern part of the country from the nomadic Khitan people
Describe the Grand Council
Apex of the government hierarchy, assisted by a secretariat and a chancellery; it included representatives from all 2 authorities, civil, military and censorate
How did the Song try to help the poor regarding the Civil Service Examinations
Training academies were set up to have kids pass
Describe the Scholar Gentry
They were called this because the gentry prized education and became the primary upholders of the Confucian tradition
How did the Song try to resolve the land problem?
By returning to the successful programs of the early Tang and reducing the power of the wealth landed aristocrats.
What were 3 changes to Commerce/Trade during the Tang and Song
1 Guilds
2 Grand Canal
3 Paper Currency/Credit
Why did most trade along the Silk Road pass through the Takilmakan Desert?
If you went the direct route “go in and you won’t come out”
Why did the Maritime routes become popular
The Silk Road was so hazardous
What were the Chinese ships known as? How did Marco Polo describe the “junks”
Junks - 4 masts and could carry several hundred men, many more than contemporary ships in the West
What were three products exported from China
1 Tea
2 SIlk
3 Porcelain
What dynasty did the Mongols succeed in taking over
The Song Dynasty
How was Mongol society organized in the 1160s
they were organized loosely into clans and tribes and even lacked a common name for themselves
Why do historians describe the Mongols as in a constant “state of stress”
Because they had no source of subsistence beside their herds
Genghis Khan
1162 - 1227
Genghis Khan was also known as
Temuchin
How did Khan’s childhood inspire him to take power
His father was murdered by a rival and was forced to seek refuge in wilderness
1206
was elected Genghis Khan (“universal ruler”) at a massive tribal meeting in the Gobi Desert
How did Fire-Lance impact battle during this time period
It started cannons. Fire-lance was able to spew out 30-40 yds
What changes did Genghis Khan have to make in order to be an effective ruler? How was this different than traditional Mongolian life/culture?
Set up a capital city to administer the new empire, but prohibited his fellow Mongols to practice sedentary occupations or living in cities. Before the Mongols were purely nomadic had a simple life
What happened to the empire after Khan’s death
Was divided into several separate Khanates, each under the autonomous rule of one of his sons by his principable wife
Who becomes the leader of the Yuan Dynasty
Khubialai Khan
How did the Mongols adapt to the Chinese political system.
Made use of local talents in bureaucracy
How were the Mongols culturally different than the Chinese
China was Buddhist
What were 3 reasons on why Mongols were effective rulers
1 Relatively tolerant economic policies of the southern Song
2 Bringing much of Eurasian landmass under a single rules
3 Encouraged long distance trade
What were 2 reasons historians believe caused the Mongols to leave Central Asia for China
- drought and overpopulation may have depleted the available pasture on the steeps
-Lack of food
Why do other historians contribute Khan’s greatness to his reliance on the Ordos
Ordos - a system of reconstructing tribes into decimal units whose top level of leadership was organized on bureaucratic lines. The Mongols applied it to create disciplined military units
Although linked to the Black Death, Mongols brought Pax Mongolia to Asia. Describe it.
Era of widespread peace, described as “the idea of the unified conceptualization of the globe” creating a “basic informational circuit” that spread commodities, ideas and invention
What are 2 reasons as to why historians believe Zheng He made 7 voyages outside of China
1 Show the world about China
2 Trade
List the 4 major islands of Japan
Hokkaido
Honshu
Kyushu
Shikoku
Describe the climate of Japan
It has a temperate climate like the US. It is slightly warmer on the east coast
Where do the majority of people live in Japan Why
Along the east coast, warmer, surrounds Tokyo, farmers are able to harvest 2 crops of rice
Japan is an island nation. How has that impacted their national and cultural identity? How does that compare to China
Volcanic soils are extremely fertile which helps farmers. There are many earthquakes, some destroy entire cities. Earthquakes can than trigger tsunamis that destroy areas along the coast.
Why would a shogunate system be beneficial in times of chaos
It kept everyone stable and in one position
Shogun
Attemped to increase the powers of the central governemnt while reducing rival arstiocratic clans to vassal status
How did Buddhism influence the Tang Dynasty
Buddhism spreads along the Silk Road. Buddhism spread like crazy and was so adaptable
Describe the city of Chang’an
It was the capital of the Han Dynasty
What became the “cement” that held everything together for the Song Dynasty?
Confucianism, it establishes a balance, everyone has a role
Describe how Civil Service Exams helped the aristocratic families
1 Had money to pay
2 Held in major cities
Describe how students cheated on the civil service exam
Brought in Confucian texts
writes on paper
writes on hands
What were 3 reasons on why the Mongols became one of the “shortest lived of the great dynasties”?
1 Excessive spending on foreign conquest
2 growing internal stability
3 factionalism and corruption at court and in the bureaucracy
Why do you think the Ming Dynasty brought back Confucianism after the Mongols eliminated it
Gives them peace in times of chaos
The Japanese consider themselves a “divine nation” why?
Gods birthed them so they called themselves a divine nation
Why would a shogunate system be beneficial in times of chaos
It kept everyone stable and in one position
When Buddhism spreads to Japan what are the 2 sects? How did it differ than Chinese Buddhism
1 Mahayana/ Theravada
2 Zen Buddhism
When reading about the “Three Great Unifiers” what did they all have in common
to create a stronger Japan
Shang
Bronze age
Orcal bones
early calligraphy
ying yang
first dynasty
Zhou
800 yrs long (longest dynasty)
coinage
bureaucracy
MOH/Dynastic Cycle
Confucian/Daosim
Qin
Tettercotta army
shin wang di
legalism
19 years (quickest dynasty)
great wall of china
ban confusim/ daosim
Han
golden age
not too strict not too lenient
about 400 yrs
silk road
infrastructure
Confucius
Confuciansm
confusious
analects
“place”
filial piety
5 relationships
Daoism
Lao Tzu
Tao Te Ching
Dao
Natural Instincits
Legalism
People born evil –> strict rules
