Centuries of Glory

Geography of Southeast Asia

Stretching from Asia to Australia, Southeast Asia can be found in between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It is made up of the mainland peninsula and islands. The mainland peninsula borders China on the north and India on the west. The islands are Sumatra, Borneo, and Java. Southeast Asia is part of the tropics. The region has long annual rains because of the monsoon winds.

Kyle

Geography of Southeast Asia Continued…

This country has never been united culturally or politically because of the geography of the mainland and the islands. There are five great rivers which flow from the north on the mainland. These rivers create valleys towards the sea. There are many hills and mountains between the valleys which create problems with traveling and communication. Over the centuries, many different cultures with different languages settled in the region.

Kyle

Geography of Southeast Asia Continued…

In Southeast Asia, if you had political power, it meant that you controlled the trade routes and harbors. Southeast Asia is on a direct sea route which is between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. Also, the Strait of Malacca and the Sunda Strait are the two waterways that connect the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. So, merchants were charged high fees by local lords for the use of the harbors, for protection from pirates, and to pass through the different waterways.

Kyle

Influence of India

Today, there is evidence of many Indian influences in Southeast Asia’s religion, languages, and art. In the first century A.D., Indian merchants boats were pushed to Southeast Asia by monsoon winds. The Buddhists and Hindu missionaries spread their faiths. Kingdoms were modeled on Indian political ideas. Poems were written in India’s ancient language of Sanskrit.

Kyle

Tan’gunWas the founder of Korea the son of a god and a bear?

The tale of Tan’gun

Hwan-ung, son of the ruler of Heaven wanted to live on earth.

Hwan-ung landed on Mount T'aebaeksan and establishes a city which he named Shinshi.

Hwan-ung hears a tiger and bear praying to become human. He orders them to eat sacred food and to stay out of sunlight.

The tiger gives up, but the bear, being wise, listened to Hwan-ung and transforms into a woman.

The woman prays under a tree to be blessed with a child.

Hwan-ung takes her for his wife and gives birth to Tan-gun.

Tan-gun became a powerful leader and creates the Choson kingdom.

Finally, he returns to Shinshi and becomes the mountain god.

Or…A Royal Descendant

From the Shang dynasty of china

Korea: * Had their own traditions * Shaped their traditionsFrom Chinese influences

Creation of Korea

By: Katie Zheng

The Beginning of Early KoreaAnd facts about geography

Geographical Facts

•Korea is in Asia, and is located on a peninsula.

•It’s hot in the summer and freezing in the winter. Temperate.

•Farming is very limited

•Korea is isolated.

•Korea is mostly hills and mountains.By: Katie Zheng

How Korea Came to be:Korea was controlled by clans and tribes, and slowly, though Chinese influences began learning about ideas such as religion, philosophy, writing, and government.

There were 3 kingdoms, and eventually, Silla defeated the other two and chased out the Chinese (who had conquered most of Korea).

The Silla influenced a new writing system and built monasteries.

Korea has many occasional typhoons.

The Rise and Fall of the Koryu -- 935-1392

++ The Koryu dynasty started with a rebel officer named Wang Kon, who became king after the previous rulers had weakened.

++ They had borrowed many things from China, like a Confucian school to train scholars and a centralized government.

++ Even with the centralized government, Korea was separated; the aristocracy lived in one area, while peasants and laborers lived in another.

++ Overall, the nobles had better positions in the civil service than the peasants, and this lead to many rebellions in the 1100s.

++ Mongols began to attack Korea in 1231, demanding a large tribute that the Koryu had to pay.

++ The empire collapsed in the 1350s, and they had a new dynasty by 1392.

Alison Schilling

Arts of the Koryu

The Koryu were very artistic, making beautiful pottery.

Besides pottery, poetry was also a big part of Koryu culture. They also created a large set of wooden blocks with all of the Buddhist scriptures on it. Although it was destroyed, it was rebuilt soon after, and it still stands today.

The Koryu were very artistic, and had made great achievements that other nations could not produce.

Alison Schilling