Introduction

Question 1

Give some background to Japan’s position in East Asia

Answer 1

Japan = ‘origin of the sun’ (Nihon)

People at the time weren’t happy being grouped as part of East Asia (Japan sought its own cultural identity)

Efforts at the time to suggest that Japan was somehow separate to East Asia.

Japan had a lot of influence (architecture, layout of imperial palaces)

Question 2

Give some background to China’s position in East Asia

Answer 2

General view of a sinocentric regional order – a regional order that gravitates around China. Bolstered by China = ‘middle kingdom’

The borders of China varied dramatically throughout history

Question 3

Give a quote from Liang quote regards to China

Answer 3

“China is what people of other races call us. It is not the name the people of this country have selected for themselves”

Question 4

Give two models regarding China’s position oil East Asia

Answer 4

Universal model

Exclusive model

Question 5

What is the Universal model

Answer 5

All-under heaven – civilised centre, with areas becoming less civilised as you radiated away from the centre of china. Everyone has the capacity to be civilised

Question 6

What is the exclusive model

Answer 6

Only people living in this region can ever be civilised.

Those residing ion the Middle kingdom “are human”.
Those living outside are animals “naked creatures”

Question 7

How did Korea see itself in relation to China for much of the period

Answer 7

The Chinese civil order had widespread appeal across East Asia until 20thC
Korea saw themselves as part of it.
Used that elevated sense of political status to deal with Japan and neighbours.

Question 8

How did the Chinese perspective shift after WWII

Answer 8

Singing the ‘East is Red’ after WWII – now sees itself within a nation-state system rather the dominant civilising influence

Doesn’t see itself as part of the struggle between capitalism and communism and instead as the head of the 3rd world order

1970’s this vison collapses

Question 9

What was the situation in Japan on the eve of WWII

Answer 9

Japan prior to WWII was much more a global and cosmopolitical place than after the war.

• Tokyo was the centre of an empire in East Asia.
• Taiwanese schoolchildren sent on school trips to Japan and saw themselves as subjects of imperial Japan

The USA inherited the sphere of influence that japan had carved up