Mckayworld9ch7 eastasia

A History of World Societies Ninth Edition

CHAPTER 7East Asia and the Spread of Buddhism,

221 B.C.E.–800 C.E.Modified by J. Usher

Copyright © 2011 by Bedford/St. Martin’s

John P. McKay Bennett D. Hill John Buckler● ●Patricia Buckley Ebrey Roger B. Beck●

Clare Haru Crowston Merry E. Wiesner-Hanks●

Review Questions• 1. How did Chinese life change socially,

culturally, and politically under the Qin (pronounced “chin”) and Han empires?

• 2. How did Buddhism arrive in East Asia from India and what was its appeal?

• 3. How was China perceived by its neighbors in Korea, Vietnam, and Japan? What elements of Chinese culture were adopted by these other cultures?

I. The Age of Empire in China:The Qin and Han Dynasties

A. The Qin Unification, 221–206 B.C.E.

1. Shihuangdi. The king of Qin identified himself as the First Emperor (Shihuangdi). He was focused on organizing China into a stronger and more unified state.

2. Centralization

3. Standardization

4. The Great Wall

5. The First Emperor’s tomb


B. The Han Dynasty, 206 B.C.E.–220 C.E.• 1. The Han Dynasty under Gaozu discontinued some of the

Qin’s unpopular policies and reduced taxes.• 2. Under Emperor Wu, the Han government increased

control of private business and commerce. Monopolies were formed in the production of iron, salt, and liquor.


C. Han Intellectual and Cultural Life• 1. Confucian scholars began to criticize the Han government.

Han Confucians developed cosmological theories around the concepts of yin and yang and the five phases.

• 2. Art and literature focused on the spiritual world and occult forces. Chinese history was written in a comprehensive form documenting political events.


D. Inner Asia and the Silk Road• 1. Inner Asian nomads had always posed a threat. Their

herding lifestyle conflicted with Chinese farming. While fighting and chasing Xiongnu nomads, the Chinese military learned of other civilized states to the west.

• 2. After meeting the people to the west, the development of trade routes known as the Silk Road ensued. China’s control had now expanded from Korea and Southeast Asia to the populations to the west.

• 3. A tributary system was developed in which foreign powers had to send envoys to China for an official exchange of gifts. The tributary system reinforced the belief of the Chinese that their society was the center of the civilized world.


E. Life in Han China

1. Commerce markets

2. Specialized labor• 3. The Chinese family was structured around male

authority. Marriages were arranged, and brides joined their husbands’ families.

F. China and Rome

1. Barbarian threats

2. Differences


G. The Fall of the Han and the Age of Division

1. Child emperors

2. Age of Division

3. Southern aristocracy

4. Northern Dynasties

II. The Spread of Buddhism Out of India

A. Buddhism’s Path Through Central Asia• 1. Under King Kanishka I of the Kushan empire, Buddhism

spread throughout Central Asia. • 2. Central Asian Buddhism was called Mahayana and was an

inclusive and devotional religion. Parthians translated Buddhist writings into Chinese script.

II. The Spread of Buddhism Out of IndiaB. The Appeal and Impact of Buddhism in China• 1. Monasteries became an important part of the social,

economic, and political life of China. Becoming a monk meant the removal of patriarchal identity and taking a vow of celibacy.

• 2. Buddhism created an opportunity for women to avoid an arranged marriage by joining a nunnery. Buddhist views represented a break from Confucianism.

• 3. China had not erected statues of gods in places of worship before Buddhism. Now the Chinese decorated Buddhist temples with religious images.

• 4. Critics viewed Buddhism as immoral and a threat to the Chinese state. While a few attempts were made to close northern monasteries, there was no effort made to suppress Buddhist belief.

III. The Chinese Empire Re-created: Sui (581–618) and Tang (618–907)

A. The Sui Dynasty, 581–618

1. Yang Jian

2. The Grand Canal

B. The Tang Dynasty, 618–907

1. Gaozu and Taizong

2. Empress Wu of the Tang Dynasty was the only woman in Chinese history to take the title of emperor and was an effective ruler.

3. Xuanzong

4. The rebellion of An Lushan

III. The Chinese Empire Re-created:Sui (581–618) and Tang (618–907)

C. Tang Culture

1. Tang metropolises

2. Foreign influences

3. Poetry

4. Buddhism in Chinese life

IV. The East Asian Cultural Sphere

A. Vietnam• 1. A southern Chinese population called the Yue moved

farther south and became known as the people of the Red River Valley in northern Vietnam.

• 2. Trieu Da first organized a kingdom of Viet people in the far south. After killing those loyal to the Chinese emperor, he became the ruler of the state and adopted Viet customs.

• 3. The Vietnamese resented Chinese domination and often tried to revolt. The Trung sisters led one ill-fated revolt against China. They declared themselves queens of an independent Vietnam. They were defeated and eventually committed suicide.


B. Korea• 1. Korea, much like Vietnam, was under Chinese control.

However, the Chinese never controlled the entire Korean peninsula.

• 2. Following the overthrow of Chinese authority, other Korean kingdoms began to emerge, leading to the Three Kingdoms Period. Yet much of China’s culture remained throughout Korean society


C. Japan• 1. Several waves of immigrants to Japan, many of them from

Korea, brought a variety of cultural influences. A social order similar to Korean society developed. The population was divided into clans that fought each other.

• 2. A clan identified with the sun-goddess became the ruling group and were identified as the Yamato rulers. Their native religion was termed Shinto, the Way of the Gods.

3. Prince Shōtoku

4. Nara

Education

Mckayworld9ch7 eastasia