East Asia from 200 to 1250 Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in East Asia from 200 to 1250 Deck (29)
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1
Q

Which dynasty emerged from the chaos surrounding the collapse of the Han Dynasty in China?

A

From the fall of the Han Dynasty in 220, no dynasty managed to rule all of China until the rise of the Sui Dynasty in 586. Although the Sui ruled for less than 50 years, they did establish central control of China as well as expand China’s borders.

2
Q

What internal improvement marked the high point of engineering during the Sui and Tang Dynasties?

A

In the late 500s, the Sui Dynasty began construction on the Grand Canal, which linked China’s two major rivers, the Huang He and the Yangzi. The later Tang Dynasty expanded on the project.

The completion of the Grand Canal highlights the Tang Dynasty’s emphasis on commerce. Under the Tang, silk production increased, the Silk Road continued to be a prominent highway for trade, and China’s fleet of trading junks (some of the world’s best ships) participated in the Indian Ocean trade network.

3
Q

Which Chinese dynasty followed the Sui Dynasty, leading to a 300-year period of internal Chinese stability?

A

The Tang Dynasty, which ruled China from 618 to 907, followed the Sui.

During the Tang Dynasty, China’s borders expanded to include much of Central Asia, Manchuria, Tibet, and the Pacific coast.

4
Q

The military might of China’s Tang Dynasty forced many of its neighbors to acquiesce in becoming tributary states. What are tributary states?

A

Tributary states are nations that retain their independence, but make payments to a more dominant state, either in the form of money or goods. During the Tang Dynasty, Annam (Vietnam), Korea, and Japan paid tribute to the Chinese Emperor.

5
Q

What prominent inventions highlighted the innovations of China during the Tang Dynasty?

A

China invented paper money, in the form of letters of credit to be used by merchants, and also gunpowder, which was originally used in fireworks.

Although China’s prominent trade good remained silk, China began large-scale tea cultivation during the Tang Dynasty, and the practice of drinking tea soon spread to Korea and Japan.

6
Q

In 907, internal dissension and external invasion doomed the Tang Dynasty. The _____ Empire emerged as the most powerful of the separate states that arose in the wake of the Tang’s collapse.

A

Song

The Song Empire emerged in east central China and governed most of the land between the Huang He and Annam (Vietnam). The Song began losing land in the 1000s, and by the 1100s had become a tributary state to the Liao Empire to the north. The Song maintained some independence until the Mongol invasions of the 1270s.

7
Q

Which Chinese state had the most urban population by the 1000s?

A

The state with the world’s largest urban population was the Song Empire; several cities in the Song had more than a million residents.

With the Song Dynasty’s emphasis on trade, Canton (now Guangzhou), a port city on the Chinese coast, was one of the world’s largest cities and trading ports.

8
Q

Much like the Tang Dynasty, the Song Empire was characterized by invention. What were some of the most prominent innovations?

A

During the Song Empire, the Chinese developed block printing long before Gutenberg invented the printing press, although they may have adapted it from the Koreans.

The Chinese also proved adept at adapting techonology to new uses. For instance, in 1090 Chinese traders began widespread use of the compass, which revolutionized naval travel and trade. Previously, the compass had been used for fortune-telling.

9
Q

Define:

Neo-Confucianism

A

Neo-Confucianism refers to the revival of Confucianism from 1000 to 1200. Although China was politically divided, Neo-Confucianism proved to be an important unifying factor.

10
Q

What is foot-binding?

A

Foot-binding was a Chinese practice that became firmly established by the 1200s. A tiny foot was considered attractive by Chinese, and the feet of young Chinese girls were broken and confined to confer to this ideal.

Foot-binding was symptomatic of the large-scale subjugation of women in Chinese culture; women were treated as second-class individuals.

11
Q

What type of Buddhism emerged in 6th-century China, and emphasized meditation as a means of achieving enlightenment?

A

Chan Buddhism (also known as Zen Buddhism) emphasized meditation as a means of gaining enlightenment, as opposed to the mere knowledge and rote memorization of Buddhist teachings.

12
Q

Why was the capital of Japan shifted from Nara to Heian in the late 700s?

A

The Japanese capital was shifted from Nara to Heian to escape the influence of Nara’s Buddhist priesthood. The move inaugurated what is known as the Heian Period and marked the high point of pre-modern Japanese history that lasted from 794 to 1185.

13
Q

During the Heian Period, how was Japan governed?

A

During the Heian Period, the Japanese Emperor became more of a figurehead, while political power rested in the office of chancellor. By 858, the powerful Fujiwara clan had gained permanent control of the chancellorship, which they held into the 1100s.

14
Q

What was the primary influence on Japanese culture during the Heian Period?

A

During the Heian Period, most of Japanese culture was heavily influenced by Tang China and was blended with native Japanese culture. Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism coexisted with Japan’s native religion, Shinto. Beginning in the 1000s, the Fujiwara began emphasizing a more independent cultural tradition and became preoccupied with Japanese court life.

15
Q

The weakness of the Fujiwara brought about what war in the mid-1100s?

A

As the Fujiwara focused on cultural achievements, they delegated military affairs to clans of warriors. Two of these clans ousted the Fujiwara and fought amongst themselves in the Taira-Minamoto War (named after the two clans), which lasted from 1156 to 1185.

The Minamoto were eventually successful and moved the capital to Kamakura. The capital was later moved back to Heian, which was renamed Kyoto.

16
Q

Define:

Shogun

A

Shogun is a Japanese term meaning “great general,” and it refers to the Japanese leader who ruled in the empire’s name from 1192 until 1867. Until the modern era, Japanese history is usually divided into shogunates, which refer to the families that held the office at given times.

Much like the feudal system of Western Europe, in Japan the shogun shared power with powerful landowner-warriors, known as daimyo.

17
Q

What is a daimyo?

A

During Japan’s early shogun period, the daimyo were powerful landowner-warriors who came from Japan’s warrior class, known as the samurai. By the late 1400s, the power of the shogun began to wane and Japan’s daimyo ruled their lands with little regard for the central government.

18
Q

Define:

Bushido

A

Bushido was the code of the Japanese warrior class, the samurai. Bushido was harsher than the chivalric code of Western Europe, but also emphasized loyalty, honor, and personal bravery.

The extreme penalty for violating bushido was ritual suicide.

19
Q

What state developed in northern India in 1206 following the conquest of Delhi by Islamic armies from Central Asia?

A

The capture of Delhi marked the beginnings of the Delhi Sultanate, an Islamic state that ruled most of northern India. The Sultanate introduced Islam into India, in addition to Hinduism and Buddhism which were already well established in India. Southern India remained divided into southern states.

20
Q

The _____ civilization rose to prominence in modern-day Cambodia and Laos beginning in the 500s, achieving its peak between 889 and 1454.

A

Khmer

At its height, the Khmer civilization included portions of Thailand and the Malay Peninsula. Profoundly influenced by Indian religions, the Khmer built legions of Buddhist and Hindu temples. The Khmer capital, Angkor, covers some 40 square miles and is considered an architectural masterpiece.

21
Q

Which empire emerged on the island of Sumatra beginning in the 600s?

A

The Srivijayan Empire emerged on Sumatra and gradually extended its control to parts of Malay and Java.

The Srivijayan accepted both Buddhism and Hinduism, although Buddhism was emphasized so much so that one of the largest Buddhist temple complexes in the world was constructed at Borobudur on the island of Java.

22
Q

What enabled Polynesian sailors to traverse the vast distances of the Pacific?

A

Early in their history, Polynesians developed the outrigger canoe, which could sail up to 120 miles per day. The development of the outrigger canoe enabled the Polynesians to settle on far-flung islands, ranging from Hawaii in the north to Easter Island in the south near Chili.

By 800, the largest Polynesian sub-group, the Maori, had established a large civilization on the islands of New Zealand.

23
Q

Who united the 30 feuding tribes of the Mongols into one entity in 1206?

A

In 1206, Genghis Khan united the Mongols into a unified group. Genghis Khan reorganized the Mongol armies and led them off on a campaign of military conquest throughout Eurasia.

24
Q

What nation was the first target of Genghis Khan’s unified Mongol armies?

A

China was Genghis Khan’s first conquest, and by 1215 the Mongols had captured Beijing. By the time Genghis Khan died in 1227, the Mongols had subdued China, most of Central Asia, and were poised to march westward.

Mongol success was mainly attributable to their quick adaptation of the necessary technology required for warfare in the 1200s. Already skilled horsemen who could move quickly, they adopted siege warfare from their Chinese opponents.

25
Q

Although Mongol efforts against China continued, the second wave of Mongol conquests was also directed against Europe. How far did the Mongols get?

A

The Mongols took over most of Russia and the Ukraine by 1240, and between 1240 and 1242 they attacked Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary, taking over large swaths of land.

They finally overextended themselves when they invaded Poland and Germany, and gradually the tide of Mongol conquest in Europe began to recede. For two centuries, however, Russia and the Ukraine would remain under Mongol control.

26
Q

Which geographical area did the Mongols target in the 1250s?

A

In the 1250s, the Mongols attacked the Middle East. They destroyed the Abbasid Caliphate and were finally turned back by a Mamluke army north of Jerusalem in 1260. At its height, the Mongol territory stretched from the Ukraine to Korea and included the Middle East, China, and Annam.

27
Q

What fate befell the Mongol Empire at the zenith of its power?

A

In 1260, the Mongol Empire was at the height of its power when civil war broke out during a dynastic struggle.

The Mongol Empire was divided into four units. As the most powerful, Kublai Khan, the most famous of the leaders of the four units, took control of China and Mongolia.

28
Q

Who was Timur (or Tamerlane)?

A

Timur was one of the rulers of the Mongol successor states and attempted to recreate the empire of Genghis Khan. Between 1370 and 1405, he conquered the Delhi Sultanate, Persia, and large swaths of Central Asia. His success was short-lived; after his death his empire gradually receded.

29
Q

Define:

Pax Mongolica

A

Pax Mongolica (Mongol Peace) refers to the stability that the Mongolians brought to Eurasia by uniting it under one leader during the 13th and 14th centuries.

The Mongols had a well-established postal system and borrowed many advances from conquered peoples, such as a law code and paper currency from China. They also borrowed new religious beliefs, such as Buddhism and Islam.