China and Japan Vocab Flashcards
Ming Dynasty
The Ming dynasty was the ruling dynasty of China—then known as the Empire of the Great Ming—for 276 years (1368–1644) following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty.
Qing Dynasty
The Qing dynasty was the last imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917.
Examination System
System of competitive examinations for recruiting officials that linked state and society and dominated education from the Song dynasty (960–1279) onward, though its roots date to the imperial university established in the Han dynasty (206 bc–ad 220).
Opium
A reddish-brown heavy-scented addictive drug prepared from the juice of the opium poppy, used as a narcotic and in medicine as an analgesic.
Taiping Rebellion
A massive rebellion or civil war in China that lasted from 1850 to 1864, which was fought between the established Manchu-led Qing …
Beijing
Beijing, China’s massive capital, has history stretching back 3 millennia.
Treaty of Nanjink
A peace treaty which ended the First Opium War (1839–42) between the United Kingdom and the Qing dynasty of China on 29 August 1842.
Taiwan
A state in East Asia. It is the nationalist government of China since its settlement in 1949. … Formosa is the Portuguese name of Taiwan, which means “beautiful” in Portuguese.
Empress
A female emperor.
Ci Xi
A Chinese empress dowager and regent who effectively controlled the Chinese government in the late Qing dynasty for 47 …
Self-Strengthening
A period of institutional reforms initiated in China during the late Qing dynasty following a series of military defeats and concessions to foreign powers.
Imperial City
A city (as Rome) that is the seat of empire.
Porcelain
A white vitrified translucent ceramic; china.
Boxer Rebellion
Officially supported peasant uprising of 1900 that attempted to drive all foreigners from China.
Tokugawa Shogunate
The last feudal Japanese military government, which existed between 1603 and 1867.
Commodore Matthew Perry
A Commodore of the United States Navy and commanded a number of ships.
Meiji Restoration
A chain of events that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji.
Consulate
The place or building in which a consul’s duties are carried out.
Eta
The seventh letter of the Greek alphabet ( Η, η), transliterated as ‘e’ or ‘ē.’
Edo
A member of a people inhabiting the district of Benin in Nigeria.
The Hermit Kingdom
A term applied to any country, organization or society which willfully walls itself off, either metaphorically or physically, from the rest of the world.
Isolationism
A policy of remaining apart from the affairs or interests of other groups, especially the political affairs of other countries.
Dutch Learning
A body of knowledge developed by Japan through its contacts with the Dutch enclave of Dejima, which allowed Japan to keep abreast of Western technology and medicine in the period when the country was closed to foreigners, 1641–1853, because of the Tokugawa shogunate’s policy of national isolation (sakoku).
Junks
Discard or abandon unceremoniously.
Queue
A line or sequence of people or vehicles awaiting their turn to be attended to or to proceed.
Hsuan-yeh
Second Emperor of the Ch’ing dynasty, who ruled during the years 1661-1722 under the reign-title
Philology
The branch of knowledge that deals with the structure, historical development, and relationships of a language or languages.
Extraterritoriality
The state of being exempted from the jurisdiction of local law, usually as the result of diplomatic negotiations.
