IMPERIAL CHINA AND ASIA Unit 12

KEY TERMS

1. neo-Confucianism 9. animism

2. calligraphy 10. constitution

3. terror 11. samurai

4. census 12. shogun

5. novel 13. feudalism

6. barbarian 14. meditation

7. shamanism 15. maritime

8. archipelago

CHINA BUILDS ITS EMPIRE

China’s Han empire ended in A.D. 220.

For the next 300 years, Chinese warlords fought with each other.

China finally unified again under a general named Wendi.

He set up a new dynasty called the Sui in which emperors ruled.

His son Yangdi took over after he died and rebuilt the Great Wall.

Farmers hated Yangdi and killed him. This ended the Sui dynasty.

In A.D. 618, one of Yangdi’s generals made himself emperor. He set up a new dynasty called the Tang.

During the late A.D. 600s, a woman named Wu became the only woman in Chinese history to rule the country on her own.

As a strong leader, Empress Wu made the government bigger. She also made the military stronger.

China grew strong again under the Tang.

The Tang dynasty encountered problems when a group of wandering people took control of central Asia and the Silk Road, an important trade route.

Chinese farmers and people in Tibet also rose up against the Tang.

The dynasty ended in A.D. 907.

BUDDHISM IN CHINA

Traders and missionaries from India had brought Buddhism to China in about A.D. 150.

Buddhism taught that people could escape their suffering. Many Chinese who were looking for peace and comfort became Buddhists.

Some Chinese did not like Buddhism. Many thought the monasteries were gaining too much wealth. Others thought that monks and nuns did not encourage respect for families because they did not marry.

In A.D. 845, the Tang destroyed many Buddhist monasteries and temples.

Korea broke free from China when the Han dynasty fell and the Buddhists brought their religion to Korea.

The new government supported Buddhism in Korea and even spread to the islands of Japan.

REVIVAL OF CONFUCIAN IDEAS

The Tang dynasty supported neo-Confucianism, a new kind of Confucianism.

It taught that life in this world was just as important as life in the next one.

The government began to hire people based on their knowledge and their ability to think.

They wanted people to live in this world, help others, find peace, enjoy nature, and serve their communities.

ECONOMIC GROWTH

China’s economy suffered when the Han dynasty ended in the A.D. 200s.

The Tang rulers took power in A.D. 618. They brought peace to the countryside and gave more land to farmers.

This allowed farmers to improve ways to grow food, produce more food, and allowed the population to increase.

Tang rulers also built roads and waterways.

TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES

During the Tang and Song dynasties, people made new discoveries and inventions that changed life in China.

The Chinese learned that coal could be burned to heat things.

They were able to make strong armor, swords, and helmets for their army with steel.

They also used steel to make stoves, farm tools, drills, nails, and sewing needles.

These changes made the army stronger and helped workers do more work.

The Chinese found a way to print books. Using movable type.

Printing also lead to the creation of paper money which would help the economy grow.

The Chinese made gunpowder for use in weapons and fireworks.

LITERATURE AND THE ARTS

Chinese rulers supported art and literature.

They invited artists and poets to live and work in the capital city of Changan.

During the Song dynasty, Chinese artists painted large nature scenes called landscapes.

They also used a brush and ink to write beautiful characters called calligraphy.

MONGOL EXPANSION

The Mongols lived in an area north of China called Mongolia.

They lived in clans, or groups of loosely-related families.

They were excellent horseback riders and skilled fighters.

They elected a young warrior named Temujin to be Genghis Kahn, which means “strong ruler”.

Genghis Kahn brought the clans together and organized the Mongols into a strong army.

Each time he won a battle, he gained wealth and new soldiers.

Soon the Mongols were strong enough to attack big civilizations.

In A.D. 1211 the Mongols invaded China.

They used terror to scare their enemies into giving up. They attacked, robbed, and burned cities. Soon, many people gave in to them without fighting.

Following the death of Genghis Khan in 1227, his sons would split the territory and bring about peace.

Peace was good for trade, and the Mongols now had control of many of Asia’s trade routes.

MONGOL CONQUEST OF CHINA

The Mongols ruled China for 100 years.

They did not mix with the Chinese; stopped giving tests for government jobs; allowed others to practice their own faiths; and, brought China its greatest wealth and power.

The Mongols made China’s empire larger by taking over Korea. They attempted to take over Japan but huge storms destroyed the Mongol fleet.

THE MING DYNASTY

In 1368 a leader named Zhu Yuanzhang took China from the Mongols.

He took the name Hong Wu, or “military emperor.”

During the Ming Dynasty canals and farms were rebuilt; new forests were planted; new roads built; farming grew; silk industry was supported; arts and culture grew; the Forbidden City was built.

CHINESE EXPLORATION

Early Ming emperors were curious about the world outside of China so they built a large group of ships to sail along China’s coast and on the open sea to other countries.

They did this in order to show China’s power; to collect tribute, or money; to learn about other cultures; and to trade with new places.

LOCATION OF KOREA

Korea has been called a bridge between China and Japan.

In 109 B.C. the Chinese took control of the northern part of the Korean peninsula. The Koreans drove them out 300 years later.

Three separate kingdoms emerged: Koguryo, Paekche, and Silla.

Silla brought about a time of peace.

KOREAN CIVILIZATION

The Mongols would take over Korea in 1231.

They would inflict suffering on the Korean people.

They also forced the Koreans to build ships for them.

In 1592 the Japanese invaded Korea, but were turned back.

In the early 1600s the Chinese invaded and forced the Koreans to pay tribute to them.

GEOGRAPHY AND SETTLEMENT OF JAPAN

Japan is an archipelago, or chain of islands, in the Pacific Ocean near Korea.

The first people came to Japan more than 10,000 years ago.

SHINTO: WAY OF THE SPIRITS

The early Japanese believed that humans, animals, plants, rocks, and rivers all have their own spirits. This belief is called animism.

These beliefs developed into a religion called Shinto.

Shinto taught people to: respect nature, love simplicity, and to be concerned about cleanliness and good manners.

PRINCE SHOTOKU

About A.D. 600, a Yamato prince named Shotoku ruled Japan.

He created a constitution and made the emperor all-powerful.

After he died, Japan broke into provinces.

SAMURAI AND SHOGUNS

During the 800s, Japan was ruled by a number of weak emperors.

Other nobles grew to power and formed their own armies to guard their lands and enforce the law.

They gave warriors called samurai land in exchange for service.

In 1180, a civil war broke out.

The emperor rewarded the winner, Minamoto Yoritomo, to keep him loyal.

He named him shogun, or commander of the military.

A DIVIDED JAPAN

A general named Ashikaga Takauji made himself the new shogun in 1333

He was weak and owners of lands would have their own armies of samurai.

The samurai were given land in exchange for loyalty.