Asia

Kinkakuji Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan

c. 1200-1450

Objectives

Explain how systems of belief and their practices affected society in the period from c. 1200 to c. 1450.
Explain the systems of government employed by Chinese dynasties and how they developed over time.
Explain the effects of Chinese cultural traditions on East Asia over time.
Explain the effects of innovation on the Chinese economy over time.
Explain how the various belief systems and practices of South and Southeast Asia affected society over time.
Explain how and why various states of South and Southeast Asia developed and maintained power over time.
Explain the causes and effects of the rise of Islamic states over time.
Explain the effects of intellectual innovation in Dar al-Islam.
Explain the process of state building and decline in Eurasia over time.
Explain how the expansion of empires influenced trade and communication over time.
Explain the significance of the Mongol Empire in larger patterns of continuity and change.

Religious Traditions

Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Shinto, and their core beliefs and practices, continued to shape societies in South and East Asia.

Spread of Hindu cultural influence

Shiva Nataraja from Tamil Nadu, Chola Dynasty India

Hinduism

audio pronunciation guide:

Spread of Buddhism

The Tibetan Buddhist bhavachakra, representing saṃsāra, helps ordinary people understand Buddhist teachings.

Buddhism

audio pronunciation guide:

Hinduism & Buddhism from Dave Phillips

Scene from the Song Dynasty Illustrations of the Classic of Filial Piety (detail), depicting a son kneeling before his parents

Confucianism

audio pronunciation guide:

Yin-yang symbol

Daoism

audio pronunciation guide:

Chinese philosophies from Dave Phillips

Amaterasu, one of the central kami in the Shinto faith

Shinto

audio pronunciation guide:

Kami
Amaterasu

Asian Religious Traditions Quizlet

East Asia

Northern Song in 1111

Kangxi Emperor aboard a Chinese junk

European illustration of the Porcelain Tower

The 1,104 mile long Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal, the world's oldest and longest artificial river, links northern and southern China.

Links:

Empires and states in Afro-Eurasia and the Americas demonstrated continuity, innovation, and diversity in the 13th century. This included the Song Dynasty of China, which utilized traditional methods of Confucianism and an imperial bureaucracy to maintain and justify its rule.
Chinese cultural traditions continued, and they influenced neighboring regions.
The economy of Song China became increasingly commercialized while continuing to depend on free peasant and artisanal labor.
The economy of Song China flourished as a result of increased productive capacity, expanding trade networks, and innovations in agriculture and manufacturing.

Song Dynasty China

audio pronunciation guide:

Throne Hall at Gyeongbokgung, royal palace of the Joseon dynasty

Korea

audio pronunciation guide:

East Asian Civilizations Quizlet

South and Southeast Asia

Vijayanagara Empire

Srivijaya maritime empire

stable for Vijayanagara war elephants

Angkor Wat, 12th century Hindu (later Buddhist) temple, Cambodia

Borobudur on the island of Java in Indonesia is the world's largest Buddhist temple. It was constructed during the 9th-century.

State formation and development demonstrated continuity, innovation, and diversity, including the new Hindu and Buddhist states that emerged in South and Southeast Asia.

audio pronunciation guide:

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Khan Academy - Angkor Wat
BBC Culture - The Surprising Discovery at Angkor Wat
National Geographic - Angkor Wat’s Collapse From Climate Change Has Lessons for Today

Smithsonian - The Lost City of Cambodia
Google Maps - Temples of Angkor

Borobudur, Indonesia

Khan Academy - Borobudur
Culture Trip - Borobudur: Indonesia's Most Beautiful Temple
National Geographic - Wandering the labyrinths of Jogja

Great Temples of SE Asia: Angkor Wat and Borobudur from Dave Phillips

Oceania

Australasia comprises Australia, New Zealand, and some neighboring islands.

area of Polynesian colonization between 700-1200 CE

ruins of Nan Madol on Pohnpei Island

audio pronunciation guide:

Civilizations of SE Asia & Oceania Quizlet

Dar al-Islam

In this time-elapsed photo, Muslims circle the Ka’aba in Mecca during hajj, the pilgrimage to Islam's holy city.

copy of al-Bukhari, 13th century Egypt

Sufi mystic dervishes dancing, 15th century

The battle of Wadi al-Khazandar (1299) depicting Mongol archers and Mamluk cavalry.

Islam, Judaism, Christianity, and the core beliefs and practices of these religions continued to shape societies in Africa and Asia.
As the Abbasid Caliphate fragmented, new Islamic political entities emerged, most of which were dominated by Turkic peoples. These states demonstrated continuity, innovation, and diversity.
Muslim rule continued to expand to many parts of Afro-Eurasia due to military expansion, and Islam subsequently expanded through the activities of merchants, missionaries, and Sufis.

audio pronunciation guide:

Dar al-Islam Quizlet

Mongol Empire

Mongol soldiers, in Jami al-tawarikh by Rashid-al-Din Hamadani, 1305-1306

Yuan empress Chabi

Empires collapsed in different regions of the world and in some areas were replaced by new imperial states, including the Mongol khanates.
The expansion of empires—including the Mongols—facilitated Afro-Eurasian trade and communication as new people were drawn into their conquerors’ economies and trade networks.
Interregional contacts and conflicts between states and empires, including the Mongols, encouraged significant technological and cultural transfers.

audio pronunciation guide: