Notes

Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty ruled China from 618 AD to 907 AD. China's territory extended farther east, north, and south (including parts of Japan, India, Malaysia, and Korea) due to military campaigns. This allowed the Tang to have great influence over cultures like Japan and Korea.
The Tang developed more contact with India and the Middle East through trade routes, particularly the Silk Road.
Foreigners from Turkey, India, Iran, Japan, Korea, and Malaysia lived in the Tang capital city, bringing their cultures with them.
Buddhism was adopted by the imperial family and was spread through trade and movement.
The Tang built a strong army capable of defending its borders.
Sung Dynasty
The Sung Dynasty ruled China from 960 AD to 1279 AD.
Many scientific innovations were developed during the Sung Dynasty. For example, the invention of gunpowder, a paper money system, woodblock printing, and movable type were all innovations attributed to either the Tang or Sung dynasties. These innovations were later adopted by Japan and Korea.
In terms of religion and philosophy, Buddhism retained influence especially in art and literature, but Confucianism also grew in popularity. A new belief system, called Neo-Confucianism, attempted to blend the ideas of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism. Neo-Confucianism focused on not only ethics that were important to Confucianism, but also on spiritual matters.
Great Innovations
Tea was first brought to Europe through China. The tea plant originated in southeast Asia, including areas of southwest China, areas in which it grew naturally. Drinking tea became very popular in many other cultures, particularly in Europe. In the modern era, tea trade became a major cause of the First Opium War between China and Great Britain.
The manufacture of paper was developed in China by a court official. He was the first person to make paper from wood pulp, the modern method of making paper.
Wood-block printing allowed multiple images or text to be printed by carefully arranged wooden blocks. It had a major influence on the development of the modern printing press.
The compass was invented by Chinese scientists to allow them to navigate water and land. The compass is still used today in a variety of forms.
Gunpowder was the first chemical explosive in recorded history and was first discovered in the 9th century by Chinese alchemists. There are many theories of how gunpowder eventually made its way to Europe, but many historians believe that it was traded along the Silk Road. Gunpowder was first used in fireworks, but later it was used for military purposes. In the West, it changed the face of warfare.
Important Terms
Legalism: Legalism was a prevailing belief system in China. It required that people strictly follow the law or would suffer dire consequence. Under this system, the emperor had ultimate power. He could therefore banish or kill anyone who challenged his power as well as confiscate weapons in order to prevent uprisings.
Scholar-Official: The Chinese scholar-official was an important member of society to due wealth and education. These officials often held this power because they were educated while the majority of the Chinese population was not. For this reason, the scholar-officials enjoyed authority, prosperity, and influence in Chinese society.
Silk Road: The Silk Road was a series of trade routes throughout Asia. It became an important means of trading not only goods but also ideas and technological advances. It was by way of the Silk Road that Buddhism was spread from India into China. The Silk Road was improved by the stable government and political system put into place by the Mongols.
Confucianism: Confucius' philosophy emphasized personal and government morality, correctness of social relationships, justice, and sincerity. A key concept of Confucianism is that, in order to govern others, one must govern oneself. Confucianism also included the idea of meritocracy, or a system of government based on ability to rule. Confucian thought is based on varying levels of honesty. The elements of Confucianism include ritual and places importance on relationships. For example, children should show reverence to their elders, and in turn, seniors showing concern those who are juniors to them. Obedience to parents and loyalty to friends and family were also important aspects of Confucianism.
Neo-Confucianism: Also known as new Confucianism, it describes the form of Confucianism developed during the Sung Dynasty in the 10th to 13th centuries. Neo-Confucianism arose in response to the power of the Buddhists and Taoists. By adopting some of their beliefs, the Neo-Confucians were able expand upon their ideas of what is real.Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty was established in China in 1279 by the Mongol ruler Kublai Khan. The Yuan Dynasty controlled China until 1368 when Zhu Yuanzhang overthrew the Mongol emperor. Zhu Yuanzhang became emperor and took the name Hong Wu. He named his dynasty Ming, which means "brilliant."
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty became the ruling power in China in 1368 after Zhu Yuanzhang overthrew the Yuan Dynasty. Many reforms were introduced, including the reform of the civil service system. The civil service system, which required people to pass tests in order to obtain a government job, had existed in China since it was first created by the ancient Tang and Song Dynasties. This system, however, had become corrupt and ineffective. During the Ming Dynasty, the government implemented a new testing system with tests that were much more difficult than those used in previous dynasties.
Economy
An increase in agricultural production was a result of the stability of the Ming period. Increased production meant more food. The population went up, and fewer people were needed to work in the fields because of a surplus of food. This led to increased trade because people had more time to produce items and could sell those items in cities. Some people decided to become artisans and made items like silk cloth, textiles, and porcelain.
Culture
The Great Wall of China was built at different stages throughout China's history. In an attempt to restore Chinese culture, the Ming rebuilt the Great Wall and built the Forbidden City as a memento of the emperor's power. Much of the wall that is in existence today was built during the Ming Dynasty.

The Great Wall of China
Woodblock printing, first invented in the Han Dynasty, made it possible for more people to have access to books. This led to an increase in the literacy rate during the Ming Dynasty.
A fragile ceramic known as porcelain is thought to have been first invented in China. The Ming Dynasty is well known for creating beautiful white and blue patterned porcelain. Ming porcelain was very popular in many places throughout the world.
The strong trade and military systems of the Ming enabled Ming architecture techniques to spread and influence societies in east and southeast Asia.
Religion
The government of the Ming Dynasty officially followed the philosophical and ethical teachings of Confucius. He believed in both personal and governmental morality, as well as the importance of study. His goal was to see peace and prosperity bestowed upon the people.
Confucianism was the official religion of China during the Ming Dynasty and focused its beliefs around honesty.
Exploration
Early Ming emperors desired to spread Chinese culture around the world. Foreign trade was one way Chinese culture began to reach others.
A man by the name of Zheng He was sent on seven expeditions by the Ming Dynasty between 1405 and 1433. Zheng He sailed throughout the Indian Ocean and reached the eastern coast of Africa. Zheng He traded Chinese goods and demanded tribute from foreign leaders.
Although these voyages had spread Chinese culture and increased trade opportunities, they were also quite expensive. In 1433, the voyages ended as the government decided to invest more money in domestic projects and to become more isolationist.
Isolationism
In the 1400s, Ming leadership decided to practice isolationism, by avoiding contact with other nations. In an effort to separate China from foreign influence, the Ming dismantled the Chinese fleet, banned foreign trade, and refused to admit foreigners into China.
During this period of isolationism, the development and innovation of new ideas slowed down significantly within China.
One benefit of isolationism was the revival of a pure practice of Chinese culture and traditions.
Qing Dynasty
The Manchus conquered the Ming Dynasty after the government had been weakened by a drastically growing population and a series of ineffective emperors. The Manchus established the Qing Dynasty in 1644. The Ming Dynasty was the last dynasty to be ruled by ethnic Hans; the Qing Dynasty was ruled by the Manchus. The Manchus ruled China from 1644 until 1911. Although they were not Chinese, they adopted many Chinese customs and traditions in order to gain approval of the Chinese people they were ruling.Japanese Medieval Society
During the Middle Ages, the central Japanese government grew weak and began to lose control over the many parts of the empire. As a result, local clans began to fight each other for power and for control of territory. Large landowners hired armies of warriors, known as samurai, to protect their holdings, and gradually, a feudal warrior society emerged. Aspects of feudal Japanese society included the following:
Daimyo were the feudal rulers, a class like the nobles and lords in Medieval Europe.
Owning land was seen as a sign of high social standing in the agricultural economy.
Japanese peasants paid taxes to the daimyo in the form of rice and worked on the daimyo's land holdings.
Samurai were the military nobility, the ruling class of warriors who pledged allegiance to the daimyo. They carried swords called katanas and were well-known for their fighting abilities.
Samurai were well-mannered and educated and served as models for other soldiers. They adopted customs like poetry, music, and calligraphy.
Samurai were also expected to follow a strict code of ethics known as Bushido, the Warrior Code. Bushido required samurai to be courageous, honorable, and loyal.
The Warrior Code remained influential in Japanese society through the 20th century, and was used to enlist men in suicide missions (also known as kamikaze missions, which is Japanese for "divine wind") during World War II.
Peasants in Japan were similar to European serfs, in that they lived and worked on the land of the daimyo in return for protection.

Samurai from the Satsuma clan in approximately 1867
Rise of the Shogun
Being a type of monarchy, Japan was ruled by an emperor for much of its history. During the Middle Ages, however, the emperor had little power over the country. In the 1100s, one of the warring clans, the Minamoto family, was able to defeat their rivals to become the most powerful family in the country. Minamoto Yoritomo, the head of the Minamoto family, forced the emperor to give him the title of shogun, which means "general." From this point on, though the emperor remained the head of the country, the shoguns actually ruled.
Sengoku Period
In the 1300s, the central government under the shogun again lost control of the country. Without any real leadership, the country broke into pieces with different families and factions competing for control. This period is known as the Sengoku Period, or Warring States Period.
During the Sengoku Period, the daimyo built large castles to protect themselves from attack. Cities grew around these castles, and the daimyo offered protection to the villagers, usually peasants, in exchange for military service. In the 1500s, three strong daimyo attempted to again unite the country under one leader. Oda Nobunaga, the first daimyo to arm his soldiers with firearms from Europe, easily defeated his rivals and took over a large part of Japan. Following Oda's death, Toyotomi Hideyoshi rose to power and continued Oda's efforts in uniting the country.
Tokugawa Shogunate
In 1603, the emperor named Tokugawa Ieyasu to be the shogun of Japan. This event began what is known as the Tokugawa Shogunate, a time period that lasted until 1867.

Tokugawa family crest
Under the Tokugawa shoguns, life for many Japanese began to change. The Tokugawa firmly controlled the daimyo in order to keep them loyal to the shogunate through the sankin-kotai system. This system reduced the power of the daimyo and made it quite difficult for them to rebel against the government. For example, a daimyo were required to travel to the capital at Edo every other year, which was quite expensive and reduced their resources making it more difficult for them to rebel against the government. The shogunate also required the daimyo to leave their families in Edo all-year round as hostages. These measures were successful in bringing a period of stability and peace to the country and allowed Japan to prosper and grow.
In 1617, Tokugawa Iemitsu became the third shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty. The shogunate was a hereditary system of power, meaning the title was passed down from generation to generation. Tokugawa Iemitsu was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Therefore, he was the natural successor.
Under the Tokugawa shogunate, Japanese society was divided into four classes: samurai and daimyo were at the top of the hierarchy, farmers and artisans made up the middle classes, and merchants were the lowest classes. Although social mobility had previously been allowed in Japan, it was forbidden during the Tokugawa shogunate. This meant that people remained in the class in which they had been born.
Fearing that Europeans could eventually take control of Japan, the Tokugawa shogunate banned all trade with Europeans in 1636, with the exception of the Dutch. The Japanese were aware of the fact that the Spanish had taken control of the Philippines and worried that their country could also fall victim to European control. The shogunate also banned Japanese people from leaving Japan and prohibited the construction of ships capable of ocean voyages. Japan's geography helped it to maintain its isolation for over two hundred years. Because it is entirely surrounded by water, Japan could only be reached by ships. Japan was able to restrict most ships from entering its ports and did not have to fear people entering the country by crossing land borders.
Japan eventually ended its isolationist policy in 1854 when it signed a treaty with the United States. This treaty occurred after the U.S. sent four ships, known as the Black Ships, from their navy to impress the Japanese with their advanced technology. Commodore Matthew Perry was a United States naval officer on one of the ships. He worked for months with the Japanese officials and was finally successful in negotiating a treaty that opened trade between the U.S. and Japan.