Inner and East Asia

Inner and East AsiaInner and East Asia

600 - 1200600 - 1200

Sui DynastySui Dynasty

• Reunified China

• Lasted 34 years

• Collapsed - 615

Tang EmpireTang Empire

• 618 – Li family gained control

• Took name “Tang”

• Avoided over centralization– Keep local officials in charge – Oversaw the local officials

• Descended from Turkic elite of northern China– Continued Confucian system

Tang War MethodsTang War Methods

• Chinese weapons– Crossbow– Armed infantry

• Inner Asian horsemanship– Iron stirrups

Iron stirrupsThis bas-relief from the tomb of Li Shimin depicts the type of horse on which the Tang armies conquered China and Central Asia. The horses were equipped with saddles having high supports in front and back, breastplates, and cruppers, all indicating the importance of high speeds and quick maneuvering on the field of battle. Most significant were the iron stirrups, which were in general use in Central Asia from the time of the Huns (fifth century). The stirrups could support the weight of fully shielded and well-armed soldiers who rose in the saddle to shoot arrows, use lances, or simply urge the horse to greater speeds. (University of Pennsylvania Museum)

Iron stirrups

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Tang women playing poloThe Tang Empire, like the Sui, was strongly influenced by Central Asian as well as Chinese traditions. As in many Central Asian cultures, women in Tang China were likely to exercise greater influence in the management of property, in the arts, and in politics than women in Chinese society at later times. They were not excluded from public view, and noblewomen--like these four court ladies--could even compete at polo. The game, widely known in various forms in Central Asia from a very early date, combined the Tang love of riding, military arts, and festive spectacles. (The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri (Purchase: acquired through the generosity of Katherine Harvey))

Tang women playing polo


BuddhismBuddhism

• Mahayana predominated

• Absorbed local gods/goddesses

• Made conversion more attractive

ExpansionExpansion

• More contact with Western Asia and India

• More cultural diffusion

• Stronger influence of Buddhism

• Absorbed wide variety of cultural ideas– Referred to as ‘cosmopolitan’ because of the

diversity

Xuanzang returning to Chang'anMonks, missionaries, and pilgrims followed the Silk Road to bring Buddhism to Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and Japan. The Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang (600-664) left written accounts of his travels following the Silk Road, from which Buddhism had arrived in China. Along the way he encountered Buddhist communities and monasteries that previous generations of missionaries and pilgrims had established. Here we see him returning to the Tang capital Chang'an from Tibet in 645, his ponies laden with Sanskrit texts. (Fujita Art Museum)

Xuanzang returning to Chang'an


EconomyEconomy

• Chang’an – capital

• Connected to coast by– Roads– Canals– Grand Canal – linked Yangzi and Yellow

rivers

PoliticsPolitics

• Tributary system – from Han times – independent countries acknowledge the Chinese emperor’s supremacy– Sent embassies to Chang’an– Often meant more than the money sent

• Could gain access to trade system of China

Indian Ocean TradeIndian Ocean Trade

• Helped Judaism and Islamic influences

• Build huge ocean going vessels– Carried 2 x’s cargo of Mediterranean ships

• Disease moved – 7th Century– Plague of Justinian – bubonic – Also traveled to Korea, Japan and Tibet

Cultural ExchangeCultural Exchange

• New designs for ceramics, painting and silks

• Pants adopted from Turks of Central Asia

• Cotton imported – replaced hemp for clothes

• Un-equal balance of trade – China exported more than it imported

Power StrugglesPower Struggles

• 600 – 751 – Uighurs and Tibetans built rival states

• Carried on extensive trade between all 3

• By 807 – political decay led to fall of Tang

UighurUighur

• Originated in Northern Mongolia

• Eventually moved into modern Turkey

• By 8th century – moved into Inner Asia

• Trade centers established– Prosperous– Literate– adaptable

TibetTibet

• Stable – China, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and

Central Asia meet

• Strong cultural influences from territories– Adopted alphabet from India– Buddhist pilgrimages added knowledge

• Math • farming• Astronomy • milling of grain• Divination

• Islam practiced• Iran’s monarchical traditions• Greek medicine practiced• Marriage between Tibet king and Tang princess

- Mahayana Buddhism practiced• Excelled at war – wore out both China & Tibet• 800’s – tried to abolish monasteries – Buddhist

monks killed the king

End of Tang EmpireEnd of Tang Empire879 - 907879 - 907

• Pecked to death by ducks….– Over expansion– Complex tax systems– Demoralized troops– Scandals– Cultural decay– Coups attempted– Huang Chao- led rebellion 879 – 881

• Tang emperors ruled until 907 in name only

Song EmpiresSong Empires960 - 1279960 - 1279

• Central Asia

• Cut off from Liao Empire and Tangguts

• Established trade networks with East, West, and Southeast Asia

Song IndustriesSong Industries

• IMPORTANT !!!!

Historians look upon the Southern Song as the premodern state and society that came closest to initiating an industrial revolution. (Bulliet 255)

Advances built on Tang willingness to accept new ideas from distant places

Technological AdvancesTechnological Advances

• Introduced use of fractions– Describe phases of the moon

• Developed precise calendar– 1st to note explosion of Crab Nebula - 1054

• Contributed to timekeeping

• Developed compass

NavigationNavigation

• 1090 – compass with glass covering used

• Greek astrolabe used

• Junk – ocean going ships– Movable rudder– Watertight bulkheads

MetalsMetals

• Large army required weapons

• Needed to control iron and coal mines in N China

• 11th century – cast iron production reached @ 125,000 tons (equal to output of 18th century

• Produced steel (@ 800 years before Bessemer)

GunpowderGunpowder

• Initially developed for religious ceremonies

• Song use it to fire flaming arrows

• 1100’s – launch shells against enemies – Shards dismembered and killed horses and

cavalry– Short range made them totally defensive

Song SocietySong Society

• Neo-Confucianism – new interpretations of Confucian thought developed at Song academies– Based on ideas of Zhu Xi (1130 – 1200)– Perfect state attainable through proper study

and cosmology

• More accepting of Buddhism– Zen – mental discipline could win salvation

Civil Service SystemCivil Service System

• Government positions given based on examinations

• Most talented men got the best jobs– Improved government admin– Candidates improved marriage prospects– Honor to families

Movable TypeMovable Type

• Evidence prior to 1000

• Cheaper books

• Promoted literacy

• Changed country life– Dissemination of information on planting,

irrigation, harvesting, threshing and weaving– Spreads idea from north to southern rural

areas

EffectsEffects

• Population grew to over 100 million by 12th century

• Urban centers grew– Developed sewer system – diverted rivers to

flush away waste and disease– Controlled rodent and insect infestations

• Isolated bubonic plague to rural areas• Combated malaria

"Going up the River"In Song times many cities in China grew to 50,000 or more people, and the capital, Kaifeng, reached over a million. The bustle of a commercial city is shown here in a detail from a late-eleventh- or early-twelfth-century cityscape scroll: Zhang Zeduan, Life Along the River on the Eve of the Qingming Festival. This scene shows draymen and porters, peddlers and shopkeepers, monks and scholars, a storyteller, a fortuneteller, a scribe, and a woman in a sedan chair. (The Palace Museum, Beijing)

"Going up the River"


Economic ChangeEconomic Change

• Paper money and credit used

– Paper money – government issued – not very reliable

– Credit – family based – more trusted and worked well for trade

Tax farming – sale of tax collection roles- income generated from ‘overcharges’

Economic GrowthEconomic Growth

• Private capital promoted development

• Government did not control commercial or industrial development

• ‘modern’ – growth of urban middle class

WomenWomen

• Becoming more subordinate

• Legally being disenfranchised

• Socially restricted

• Foot binding– Status symbol– Control– dehumanized

Turfan women grind flourWomen throughout Central Asia and East Asia were critical to all facets of economic life. In the Turkic areas of Central Asia, women commonly headed households, owned property, and managed businesses. These small figurines, made to be placed in tombs, portray the women of Turfan--a Central Asian area crossed by the Silk Road--performing tasks in the preparation of wheat flour. (Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous District Museum)

Turfan women grind flour


KoreaKorea

• Peninsula– <20% suitable for farming– Fishing – Forests in N and E until modern times

• Ruling house – Koryo – Strong Chinese influence– Adopted Confucianism and Buddhism

• Developed movable type which traveled to Song China

Movable type, KoreanWith the improvement of cast bronze tiles, each showing a single character, it was no longer necessary to cast or carve whole pages. Individual tiles could be moved from page frame to page frame. In Korea, where this set was cast, movable type that was more stable in the frame and gave a more pleasing appearance was produced, and all parts of East Asia eventually adopted this form of printing for cheap, popular books. In the mid-1400s Korea also experimented with a fully phonetic form of writing, which in combination with movable type allowed Koreans unprecedented levels of literacy and access to printed works. (Courtesy, Yushin Yoo)

Movable type, Korean


Bronze statue of MaitreyaThis gilt bronze image of Maitreya was made in Korea during the Three Kingdoms period (Silla, Paekche, and Koguryo). It depicts the Buddha Maitreya, the Future Buddha who presides over Tushita Heaven. The rounded face, slender body, and gracefully draped robe help convey the idea that the Buddha is neither male nor female, but beyond such distinctions. (Courtesy, Yushin Yoo)

Bronce statue of Maitreya


Wall painting of Korean huntersThe Korean elite of the late fifth to early sixth century--the date of this tomb mural--were warriors who took pleasure in hunting. Here men on horses are depicted hunting tigers and deer. The skill and artistry of the painters also testify to the high level attained by Korean artists of the period. (Courtesy, Yushin Yoo)

Wall painting of Korean hunters


JapanJapan

• Archipelago– 4 main islands– Capital on Honsu, biggest main island

• Cities built without walls– Lots of contact with Korea due to sea trade– Writing system, Confucianism, and Buddhism arrive

• Tenno – emperor – family believed to have ruled Japan from the beginning of time– Same family still holds title– Does not (and very seldom) have any real power

Horyuji Temple

Horyuji TemplePrince Shotoku sponsored the magnificent Horyuji Temple and staffed it with clergy from Korea. Japanese Buddhist temples, like those in China and Korea, consisted of several buildings within a walled compound. The buildings of the Horyuji Temple (built 670-711; Prince Shotoku's original temple burned down) include the oldest wooden structures in the world, and house some of the best early Buddhist sculpture in Japan. The three main buildings depicted here are the pagoda, housing relics; the main hall, with the temple's principal images; and the lecture hall, for sermons. The five-story pagoda could be seen from far away, much like the steeples of cathedrals in medieval Europe. (The Orion Press)


Prince ShotokuPrince Shotoku (574-622) helped strengthen Yamato rule in Japan by introducing Chinese political and bureaucratic practices. In 604 he issued the "Seventeen Article Constitution," which upheld the rights of the ruler and commanded his subjects to obey him. Prince Shotuku was a generous patron of Buddhist temples and also opened direct relations with China. Here he is shown, along with two attendants, wearing Chinese-style robes and holding the Chinese symbol of office. (Imperial Household Collection, Kyoto)

Prince Shotoku


Jujiwara FamilyJujiwara Family

• Nobles – protected the emperor

• Had real power of government

• Cultural pursuits @1000– Murasuki Shikibu – woman who wrote The

Tale of Genji– Poetry written– Simplified writing system created by women -

Page from "Tale of the Genji"

Page from "Tale of the Genji"The narrative handscrolls illustrating The Tale of Genji, a romance of Japanese court life written in the late tenth century by Lady Murasaki Shikibu, are the most celebrated of Japanese aristocratic artworks. Theearliest set of illustrations on this theme comes from 1120-1130 and survives only in fragments. The novel of fifty-four chapters originally must have covered at least twenty separate scrolls with hundreds of illustrations and thousands of sheets of calligraphy. It recounts the young manhood of Prince Genji and follows his adventures in Court with a series of ladies; it ends when Genji is 30 years old and is considering the priesthood. (Tokugawa Art Museum, Nagoya)


Kamakura ShogunateKamakura Shogunate

• Unsettled time – 1156 – 1185

• Warriors battles for control

• Social order shifts– Emperor – figure head– Shogun – head of a clan (= to medieval lord)– Daimio – vassals– Samurai – knights– peasants

Samurai armor, 12th c.The samurai were skilled warriors who were rapidly becoming a social class in the twelfth century. Their emergence was made possible by the development of private landed estates. To keep order local lords organized private armies of samurai. In return for each samurai's loyalty and service, the lord granted him land or income. A member of the Tairaclan once wore this twelfth-century set of samurai armor. Armor had to serve the practical purpose of defense, but, as in medieval Europe and medieval Islam, it was often embellished, turning armor into works of art. (Suzanne Perrin/Japan Interlink)

Samurai armor, 12th c.


Tea-leaf jar, Chinese, found in JapanTea reached Korea and Japan from China as a part of Buddhist culture. By the fourteenth century, when this 42-centimeter-tall tea-leaf jar was imported to Japan from south China, tea from China was still prized, but the Japanese had begun to appreciate the distinctive flavors of teas from different regions of Japan. With the development of the tea ceremony, tea drinking became an art in Japan, and jars such as this one were treasured as art objects and used by tea masters. (The Tokugawa ReimeikaiFoundation)

Tea-leaf jar, Chinese, found in Japan


Sesshu paintingSesshu Toyo (1420–1506) is renowned as the creator of a distinctive style in ink painting that contrasted with the Chinese styles that predominated earlier in Japan. He owed much of his training to the development of Japanese commerce in the period of the Ashikaga Shogunate. As a youth he traveled to China, where he first learned his techniques. As he developed his style, a market for his art developed among the merchant communities of the Ashikaga period, and spread to other urban elites. ( TokyoNational Museum/DNP Archives)

Sesshu painting


VietnamVietnam

• SE Asia – coastal plains– 2 main rivers – Red in north and Mekong in

south

• Rice based agriculture• Adopted Chinese bureaucratic training and

Mahayana Buddhism• 936 – took name Dai Viet • Stayed in good with Song empire as an

independent country

Mochica earringElites of the Moche period (c. 200 B.C.E.– 500 C.E.) on the northern coast of Peru commissioned vast quantities of jewelry. This gold and turquoise earring depicts a warrior-priest wearing an owl-head necklace, holding a removable war club (right hand) and shield (left hand), and flanked by attendants. Peanuts had recently been domesticated in the area, and the peanut beading around the edge suggests the leader's power over natural fertility in an agriculturally marginal region. The reverse side is of silver. (Photographby Susan Einstein, courtesy of UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History)

Mochica earring


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Inner and East Asia