East and South Asia

Describe the dominant characteristics, contributions of, and interactions among major civilizations of Asia,

Europe, Africa, the Americas and the Middle East in ancient and medieval

times

H.3b.G

Seljuk Turks • 1st people in area to engage in

conquest – Gained main trade routes between East

Asia, Middle East, and Europe

• While skilled in fighting, they were unable to set up a well-organized government

Mongols

• Take over Seljuk Turks • Made up of clans • Skilled fighters on horseback using

bows and arrows

Genghis Khan

• Organized clans under 1 gov’t • Brought new code of laws called yasa • Military campaigns were planned by

chiefs of clans for the first time • Given the name “Kahn” meaning

absolute ruler

Military Achievements of Genghis Kahn

• Disciplined Calvary units • Commanders selected based on

merit (or talent) not by family ties

Mongol Conquest

• Victories over nearby civilizations brought in money which brought in new recruits

• Made it possible to attack China • Where they learned siege warfare

Mongol Empire

• Created largest land empire in history

• Many trade routes passed through Mongol lands and encouraged closer cultural contact between East and West

Mongols Adapt

• Respected the culture of conquered people and learned from them – Islamic Religion – Turkish Language

• All Mongols gave allegiance to the Kahn but locally became self-reliant an developed independent domains

Timur Lenk

• Devout Muslim, hoped to spread Islam to new nations

• United Turkish-Mongols by conquest and extended rule over much of the Middle East

• Defeats the Ottoman Empire

China

• Following collapse of Han dynasty, rival groups fight for control

Tang Dynasty

• 618 AD peasant uprisings allow Li Yuan to take control and establish Tang Dynasty

Government

• Tia Cong – warrior and shrewd administrator, restores governments and implements the Civil Service tradition

• Gave land to farmers and enforced peace – enable them to experiment with new

strains of rice and better ways to grow it.

Civil Service

• Government officials had to pass civil service exam which tested their mastery of the Confucian principles – ie. Obey emperor as a son would obey a

father

Meritocracy

• Where people were promoted based on talent and performance

• Allowed all males to take exams • Most poor people couldn’t afford

tutors to prepare them for the exams

Foreign Influences

• Devoted resources to construction of roads and water ways – Made travel within China and

neighboring countries easier – Easier for gov’t officials to complete

duties – Merchant trade increases

Silk Road

Silk Road

• Camel caravans brought Chinese goods and ideas to other cultures and returned with new products and ideas – Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam

The Arts

• Xuanzang welcomed artists to court • Arts flourished – porcelain, and a

fine translucent pottery became known as “China”

Block Printing

• Developed a form of block printing – Carved into wood, inked & pressed to

paper

• Encyclopedias, dictionaries, and histories of China

Block Printing

Tang Decline

• Turkish armies revolted against China, cut off trade routes and ended the thriving exchange along the Silk Road

• Due to military weakness the Tang Dynasty ends

Song Dynasty

• Military General Zhao Kuangyin seizes throne

• Kept peace with the Mongols by paying them in Silver

Cultural Contributions

• More firmly entrenched Civil service system

• Wealthy elite group rises and becomes known as Mandarins

Rich and Poor

• Economic growth because Song rulers used tax revenues to fund public works like irrigation canals

• New crops like tea, faster growing rice

• Urban centers prosper

Arts and Sciences

• Landscape painting reached peak • Perfected the compass • Produced gun powder • Bamboo tube rockets • Mongols were able to obtain military

tactic secrets and use it against them defeating the dynasty

Yuan Dynasty

• Mongols establish power with Kublai Khan (grandson of Genghis)

Kublai Khan • Extends the borders to Korea and

Southeast Asia • Complied with some Chinese

traditions but tries to keep Mongolian culture

• Highest positions in gov’t went to Mongols and gov’t documents written in Mandarin

Marco Polo

• One of the most notable visitors to Kublai Khan’s court

• Stayed for 17 years • Wrote about his adventures and

Europeans loved reading about them

Mongol Peace and Decline

• Travels in China improves – Obtain glass, hides, clothes, silver,

cotton, carpets – Weak ruler – Chinese stage rebellion – Buddhist monk leads army against

Mongols

Chapter 14, Section 3

• Open your books to page 351 to complete Section 3 Worksheet, this worksheet will go in your binder as notes

• You will also complete the Vocab Worksheet over Chapter 14

Korea

• Yi Dynasty- – Opens schools to teach Chinese classic to

civil service candidates – Eldest son in each family had a duty to

serve parents until their death

King Sejong

• Bronze instruments to measure rainfall (oldest rainfall totals in the world)

• Simplified writing to spread literacy • Japan tries to capture Korea but

fails due to ironclad warships

Japan

Japan

• Less than 20% of land was suitable for farming

• Got most of food from sea • Offers natural protection • Area of earthquakes, typhoons,

floods, and volcanic eruptions

Creation Myth

Izanami and Izanagi

• Formed the islands • Created the sun goddess and storm

and moon god as her companions • Storm god has bad temper and

scares the sun god into hiding • Tempted out and gods banish storm

god to earth

Sun Goddess Grandson

• Sends grandson to govern people of Japan

• Gives him Jewel, Mirror and sword to prove he was divinely sent

• Each emperor since then has claimed to be a descendant until Hirohito

Chinese Influences • Great Change – made all land the

emperors not clan leaders, clan leaders could oversee peasants but couldn’t assign land or collect taxes

• Never accepted Civil Service Exams • Buddhism, Chinese Art, Medicine,

astronomy, philosophy, Chinese writing

Heian Period or Kyoto

• Pursuit of beauty • Devoted hours each day to writing

letters in poetry form • Calligraphy – believed a persons

hand writing was an indicator of their character – One could fall in love by seeing beautiful

handwriting

Decline of Heian Period

• Government breaks down because of neglect and loses control

• 2 Families fight for control and the way of the warrior emerges

Way of the Warrior

• Yoritomo Minamoto becomes shogun (general) and is delegated most real political and military power

• Samurai – landowning warriors • Daimyo – most powerful

landowning warriors • Fought on horseback with bow &

arrow and steel sword

Samurai

• Followed Bushido – way of the warrior bravery, self-disciplined, and loyal

• Demanded samurais suffer and defend honor, if they were defeated or dishonored they were expected to commit suicide

Growth of Merchant Class

• Each region begins specializing in goods and such as pottery, paper, textiles, and lacquerware

• Trade Increases

Religion and Art

• Buddhism – new variation taught about a personal afterlife and the way to achieve it was trust in Buddha

• Influence of Nuns, priests, and monks decline

• Zen develops focusing on bodily discipline and mediation