Set #2 Flashcards
Who was Kublai Khan and why was he important?
Genghis Khan was the grandfather of Kublai Khan. The Mogolian Empire reached its greatest extent under Kublai. Having inherited Mongolia and northern China, Kublai Khan added southern China to his dominion. He is celebrated as a unifier of China and the founder of the Yuan imperial dynasty. He is also the “Great Khan” of Marco Polo’s travels, who entertained the Venetians and gave them passports for their journey.
Describe drama and plays written during the Yuan dynasty of China.
The earliest Chinese plays which were sung, spoken, acted and mimed, were written in the Yuan period by Chinese scholars. Allegedly, the plays contributed to protests against Mongol rule and occupation and are said to have contributed to rebellion against the empire and its consequent fall.
Describe the founding and fall of the Yuan dynasty in China.
Kublai Khan is widely considered to be the founder of the Yuan dynasty of China. However, the dynasty would eventually fall to rebellion. According to Mongol law, the indigenous people, the Han Chinese, were the lowest class within Chinese society. In the 1340s, a disastrous flood of the Yellow River and the conscription of thousands of Han peasants for forced labor led to widespread rebellion, and the Yuan dynasty was finally overthrown in 1368 CE.
Describe the origins of the Great Wall of China.
Through the Great Wall that survives today was constructed during the Ming dynasty, its foundations were first laid by Qin Shihuang in 214 BCE, when he connected the fortifications of the small kingdoms of the Warring States period to form a barrier that would defend the empire against northern barbarians.
Describe the first Ming dynasty emperor and his actions as emperor.
The first Ming emperor was a former peasant named Hongwu. During his reign he reorganized the army and attempted to reform the land tax system. In 1380, Hongwu abolished the post of chief minister, revised the legal code, and ensured that imperial power could not be challenged in court. This was supported by a surveillance system operated by spies, secret agents, and the “Brocade Guards”, who carried out major purges of corrupt officials.
Describe the rise and rule of the second Ming emperor, and also events during his reign.
Hongwu, the first Ming dynasty emperor, was usurped by his son in 1403 and ruled as emperor Yongle. He transferred the capital to Beijing and began building a magnificent palace complex, the Forbidden City. Nobody was allowed to enter without permission, and it was intentionally made as isolated from the world as possible. Beijing became the major bureaucratic and military center, but other cities and towns also grew apace. Many of these other cities were linked by a great waterway system, the Grand Canal.
Describe the rise of books and book publishing during Ming dynasty China.
The spread of printing during this time period and the demands of a more literate public led to a publishing boom. Classic novels such as “The Romance of the Three Kingdoms”, “Water Margin”, and “Journey to the West” (known in the West as “Monkey”) came out for the first time in print, and books with colored wood-block illustrations were published.
Describe the invasion of Ming China by the Oirat peoples and the events that resulted from it.
After Yongle’s death, the Ming dynasty was threatened by a new group of ethnic outsiders, the Mongol-speaking Oirat peoples. They began a massive invasion of China in 1449. Emperor Zhengtong unwisely counterattacked, but his forces were ambushed at Tumu and he himself was taken hostage. The Oirat failed to take the opportunity to capture Beijing, and Zhengtong was eventually released, but the Tumu incident marked the beginning of the end of expansionist policies of the Ming. From then on, frontier strategy became much more defensive. Lacking the military resources to contrl the steppe regions that had been the source of the invasion, the Ming built a barrier to contain the Mongol threat. Brick and stone were laid over the earthen walls first constructed by the Qin dynasty to create the Great Wall.
Describe how trade with the West began during Ming dynasty China and why it was important.
Portugese merchants first reached China in 1514, and in the 1550s they established a trading stations at Macao on the southeast coast. The beginnings of trade with the West marked a turning point in Chinese history; for the next 300 years, China’s fortunes would be inextricably linked to its mercantile relationship with Western powers.
Who was Zheng He and why was he important?
Ming rule saw the creation of a vast imperial navy. Between 1405 and 1433, the Muslim eunuch Zheng He commanded seven ambitious maritime expeditions. The first comprised 317 ships and 27,870 men, and put in at several Indian ports. On subsequent voyages, he reached Hormuz on the Gulf of Oman, and ships from his fleet put in at Jidda in Saudi Arabia. Zheng He’s voyages took him to 37 countries, and resulted not only in increased trade for China, but also in the capture of pirates that had plagued Chinese waters. An account of Zheng He’s voyages was written by the Muslim scholar Ma Yuan.
Describe the decline and fall of Ming dynasty China.
The Ming had the most effective central bureaucracy in the world at the time, but by the end of the Ming period, the heavy hand of imperial control, court intrigues, and factional fighting between groups of officials had made a significant contribution to the fall of the dynasty. By the late 16th century, the Ming dynasty was in decline. Weak emperors were dominated by their advisors, who increasingly influenced political decisions. In the north, a new threat from the nomadic Jurchen had arisen, as Nurhaci organized the tribes into the Manchu nation. Economic problems prompted peasant rebellions, and in 1644 rebel forces under Li Zicheng took Beijing. Li was ousted in turn by the invading Manchus.
Briefly describe Japanese history up until the rise of the samurai in the late 12th century CE.
The first inhabitants of Japan arrived from the Asian mainland around 30,000 BCE. By 8,000 BCE they were producing distinctive jomon (rope-patterned) pottery – possibly the first pottery made anywhere in the world. These early Japanese were hunter-gatherers. Around 3000 BCE, the arrival of rice from East Asia revolutionized Japanese society. Rice cultivation required a peasant workforce living in settled communities. Large landowners became regional rulers who fought for access to water and fertile land. In the 6th to 7th centuries CE, contact with Asia brought the Buddhist religion and with it Chinese high culture, including writing in the form of Chinese characters. Japan eventually gave rise to a line of sacred emperors sometime during the 3rd century CE. During the Heian Period (794 - 1185 CE), power devolved from the emperor to the Fujiwara clan, which controlled the imperial court and dominated Japan until the rise of the samurai.
Describe Japan at the time of the rise of the samurai.
Twelfth-century Japan was a country with an elaborate, subtle, artistic culture that was developed at the imperial court in the capital, Kyoto. But in many areas outside the capital, life was lawless and unruly. In many provinces, clans (extended families) of samurai warriors ruled by force. Among the most powerful of them were two long-established families of high standing, the Minamoto and the Taira. Their ancestors had been imperial princes who, in the 9th century, were dispatched from Kyoto to uphold the emperor’s authority in distant provinces. There, fighting men flocked to serve them, and the two families became leaders of powerful warrior clans. From their provincial bases, in the 12th century CE the Minamoto and Taira returned to compete for supreme power in the capital, Kyoto.
Describe the Gempeii Wars.
During the 12th century CE, the Minamoto and Taira clans of samurai began to compete for absolute power over the capital at Kyoto. As the dominant family at the imperial court, the Taira at first had the upper hand, but a series of fierce conflicts, known as the Gempeii Wars, ended with the Minamoto family triumphant. At two decisive battles, in 1184 and 1185, the Taira were slaughtered in combat, driven to mass suicide, or captured and executed. Minamoto Yoritomo, the head of the Minamoto clan, was established as the country’s first military dictator, or “shogun”, with his capital at Kamakura, far to the east of Kyoto. The emperor was left in the old capital as a powerless figurehead.
Describe rule under the shoguns after the Gempeii Wars.
The rule of the shoguns, which was to continue until the mid-19th century, established the samurai as the dominant military and social elite. Originally rough fighting men at odds with effete court culture, the samurai class eventually came to combined the refined with the savage. In theory, the samurai ascribed to an austere code of honor known as “bushido”, a code of conduct and a way of life. Bushido attempted to combine learning and military prowess, and emphasized frugality, loyalty, mastery of martial arts, and, above all, honor. Rather than face defeat, samurai were expected to commit ritual suicide (“seppuku”), often by cutting open the stomach (“hari kiri”).
