Transcript AKS 40: Japan and China

AKS 40:
Japan and China
Chapter 19.2 and 19.3 – Pages 536-547
Qing Dynasty:
What did China look like?
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Qing Dynasty – founded by Manchus (from
Manchuria) – many Chinese resisted
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Rebellions flared up periodically for decades
Manchus slowly earned respect
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Upheld China’s traditional Confucian beliefs
Made frontiers safe & restored prosperity
Qing Dynasty
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1st Qin Emperor – Shun Zhi died at 24
Qing Dynasty:
Kangxi (1661-1722)
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Reduced gov’t expenses, lowered taxes
Gained support of intellectuals by offering
them gov’t positions
Jesuits told him of European achievements in
science, medicine, and math
Qing Dynasty:
Isolation Continues
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Those that wished to trade w/ China had to
follow certain rules:
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Trade at special ports
Tribute
“Kowtow” ritual (kneeling before emperor &
touching head to ground 9 times)
“There is nothing we lack, as your principal envoy and others have themselves
observed. We have never set much store on strange or ingenious objects, nor do
we need any more of your country’s manufactures.”
- Qian-Long, from a letter to King George III of Great Britain
Qing Dynasty:
Cultural Developments
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Based mainly on traditional forms
Valued technique over creativity
Pottery – high-quality ceramics (porcelain)
Drama popular b/c literacy rates were low
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Focused on Chinese history & cultural heroes
Oda Nobunaga (1568-1582)
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- Oda Nobunaga
Wanted to eliminate remaining enemies
1575 – Nobunaga’s 3,000 soldiers armed w/
muskets crushed enemy force of samurai
cavalry
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“Rule the empire by
force.”
1st time firearms had been used effectively in
battle in Japan
Committed seppuku (ritual suicide of samurai)
Tokugawa Shogunate (military gov’t):
Tokugawa Ieyasu (1603-1616)
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Defeated his rivals at Battle of Sekigahara
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Victory earned him loyalty of daimyo throughout
Japan
1603 – Became sole ruler (shogun)
Moved capital to Edo (later Tokyo)
Enacted policies that resulted in the rule of
law overcoming the rule of the sword
Tokugawa Japan:
Policy of Isolation
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1639 – Shoguns realized that they could safely
exclude both missionaries and merchants
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Sealed Japan’s borders, except Nagasaki
Commercial contacts w/ Euro. ended
200+ years – Japan remained closed & citizens
could not leave
Continued to develop self-sufficiently
Tokugawa Japan:
Cultural Developments
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Traditional culture thrived
New types of fiction began to emerge –
realistic stories about self-made merchants or
hardships of life
Haiku – type of poetry that presented images
rather than ideals
Kabuki theater – skits about modern life
Causes of Population Increase
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Agriculture Improved irrigation & fertilizer use ↑
Farmers produced more food
Nutrition improved  new
crops – corn and sweet
potatoes (Europe)
People lived longer, families
expanded **Columbian Exchange
Impact on Social Structure:
Qing China
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Sons Favored
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Only sons allowed to perform religious rituals
Raised his own family under parents’ roof - help
aging parents on farm
Females not valued – many infants girls killed
Role of Women
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Worked in fields, supervised children’s education,
managed family finances
Some found jobs working as midwives or textile
workers
Impact on Social Structure:
Tokugawa Japan
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Societal Structure
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* Confucian values
important
Emperor top rank (figurehead only)
Actual ruler was shogun – military commander
Daimyo – landholding samurai
*Farmers made
Samurai warriors
ideal citizens
Peasants (4/5 of population) & Artisans
Merchants
Role of Women
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W/ rise of commercial centers, found jobs in
entertainment, textile manufacturing, & publishing
Most led sheltered lives as peasant wives