Hist 100 World Civilization I Instructor: Dr. Donald R. Shaffer Upper Iowa University

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Lecture 11 Buddhism Spreads to China

Buddhism reached China before the Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE) Mahayana Buddhism gained a following there because it appealed to many different segments of Chinese society    Most appealing though to middle and lower rungs Provided a simple faith and plan of devotion promising enlightenment Chinese authorities came to accept Buddhism because it helped reconcile the common people to their lot, but there always existed a tension with Confucianism Chinese Buddhist sects   Tian-tsi Pure Land   True Word Chan Chinese Buddha of the Tang Dynasty (619-907 CE)

Lecture 11 After the Han: The Three Kingdoms

   After the Han, China divided into three kingdoms reflecting the the country’s natural divisions  Wei (north)  Shu (west)  Wu (south) China also came under renewed pressure from northern nomads  The Toba, who originated in Mongolia, conquered Wei  This group came under the thrall of Chinese culture, eventually being absorbed Southern resurgence   Southern China actually benefited from the Toba invasion, as talented northerners sought refuge there They helped develop the South economically and culturally The Three Kingdoms (221-580 CE)

Lecture 11 Sui Dynasty (580-618 CE)

  The process of Chinese reunification began under the Sui   In a sense, their role was similar to the Qin:   reuniting the country after a period of division but quickly falling because their authoritarian rule and heavy demands on the peasantry made them unpopular Although there were four Sui emperors rather than one Grand Canal  Also like the Qin, the Sui overtaxed the country with a monumental building project   The Sui started a canal to connect the Yangtze and Yellow rivers The canal strengthened ties between the north and south Grand Canal

Lecture 11 Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE)

   In 618, Li Yuan, a Sui governor, took power when Sui power disintegrated He instituted reforms to avoid the extravagance and abuses of the Sui   Land reform to develop a prosperous peasantry Bureaucratic reforms to rationalize administration and maintain quality of Mandarins  New efforts in foreign affairs and military power to expand China’s territory and sphere of influence These reforms faltered among Li’s successors and the Tang eventually fell to a combination of military rebellions, peasant uprisings, and nomadic invasions Li Yuan

Lecture 11 Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE)

  Era of the Five Dynasties (907-960)  After the Tang’s fall, China experienced a period of the rapid rise and fall of five military rulers  At the end of this period, the general Taizu finally prevailed and established and new durable dynasty Song accomplishments  China’s population reached 100 million    Tea became the popular drink of China China invented an early form of printing by carving characters and illustrations on to wooden blocks Gunpowder, invented under the Tang, was improved so it could propel primitive rockets The territory of the Song Dynasty Including land lost to the Jurchen Between 1125 and 1126

Lecture 11 Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 CE)

  Mongols  A Central Asian people that con quered the largest land empire ever   Among their conquests was China   They first conquered the Jurchens, capturing Beijing in 1215 In 1279, they conquered Southern Song, despite fierce resistance Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan declared himself Chinese emperor in 1271, inaugurating the Yuan Dynasty Ethnic Chinese never accepted the Mongols as legitimate rulers, and the Mongols ruled them repressively  The Chinese established secret societies dedicated to overthrow the Mongols —Red Turbans being most famous  Red Turbans launch a revolt in 1351, that succeeded in 1368 Kublai Khan

Lecture 11 Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE)

   Established after the Red Turbans overthrew the Mongols   Their leader, Zhu Yuanzhang, declared himself emperor The Ming were the last dynasty ruled by ethnic Chinese Ming government   Seeking to implement the lessons of life under the Mongols, the Ming built a large army They also built a navy  It was under the Ming that the eunuch, Zheng He, made his voyages into Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean Decline  Economic decline and famine left the Ming vulnerable to the Manchu and internal revolt

Lecture 11 Japan (1)

  Introduction  The origins of the ethnic Japanese are yet uncertain, but language analysis suggests they are more closely related to the Koreans than to the Chinese  Like the Koreans, they were heavily influenced by the Chinese, importing both Buddhism and Confucianism, which took their place alongside the native civil religion, Shinto Yamato Kingdom   Chinese sources depict early CE Japan as an agricultural society dominated by a feudal warrior elite In the 3 rd century CE, the Yamato clan subordinated a huge number of other clans  The present Japanese royal house descended from the Yamato rulers Yamato Kingdom in the 7 th century CE

Lecture 11 Japan (2)

  Rise of the Samurai    Over time, the Yamato lost power to provincial aristocrats They kept the emperor, but turned him into a religious figurehead Between the 7 a warrior elite th and 12 th century, the soldiers of the aristocrats gradually developed and melded with them into —called samurai Other important concepts     Shogun: military warlord ruling in the emperor’s name Daimyo: feudal lords Samurai: warriors owing allegiance to Daimyo Bushido: the strict Samurai code stressing military honor, courage, stoic acceptance of hardship, and, above all loyalty  Violation of the code brought disgrace, which could only be avoided or expatiated through “seppuku”—ritual suicide Samurai warrior in battle armor (c. 1860) Seppuku

Lecture 11 Japan (3)

 Heian Era (794-1185)  The Fugiwara family became powerful, dominating the imperial family through intermarriage and regencies  Kamakura Shogunate (1185-1333)    The Minamoto clan emerged on top from the civil war that erupted at the end of the Heian Era, declaring their leader Yorimoto, Shogun The Hojo displaced the Minamoto in 1219, letting them remain Shoguns, but being the real power It was during the Hojo’s rule that Japan fended off two Mongol invasions in 1274 and 1281, helped both times by typhoons or kamikaze (“divine wind”)  Term adapted to Japanese suicide pilots during World War II