1 2 3 Chapter 5 Civilizations of East Asia SARAH DOMINGUEZ, PATRICE CETOUTE, LUCIANA GARZON, JESUS LAMADRID, JOSE HERRERA, DANIELLE MILES, DARYL FERRER, KATHERINE ROBLES, MICHAEL QUIJADA GROUP 3 Chapter 4 Vocabulary Lesson 1 Content Vocabulary u scholar-gentry- in China, a group of people who controlled much of the land and produced most of the land and produced most of the candidates for civil service u dowry- a gift of money or property paid at the time of marriage, either by the bride's parents to her husband or, in Islamic societies, by a husband to his wife Academic Vocabulary u period- an interval of time u complexity- the state of being complex or of having many intricate parts Chapter 4 Vocabulary Lesson 2 Content Vocabulary u khanate- one of several separate territories into which Genghis Khan's empire was split, each under the rule of one of his sons u neo-confucianism- a revised form of Confucianism that evolved as a response to Buddhism and held sway in China from the late Tang dynasty to the end of the dynastic system in the twentieth century u porcelain- a ceramic made of fine clay baked at very high temperatures Academic Vocabulary u acquired- came into possession or control of 1
u acquired- came into possession or control of u available- ready for immediate use; accessible u vision- the way of seeing or believing 4 5 6 Chapter 4 Vocabulary Lesson 3 Content Vocabulary u samurai- "those who serve"; Japanese warriors similar to the knights of medieval Europe u Bushido- "the way of the warrior"; the strict code by which Japanese samurai were supposed to live u shogun- "general"; a powerful military leader in Japan u daimyo- "great names"; the head of noble families in Japan who controlled vast landed estates and relied on samurai for protection u Shinto- "the Sacred Way" or "the way of the God" Chapter 4 Vocabulary u Zen- a sect of Buddhism that became popular with Japanese aristocrats and became part of the samurai's code of behavior; under Zen Buddhism, there are different paths to enlightenment u archipelago- a chain of islands Academic Vocabulary u revenue- the yield of sources of income that a nation or state collects and deposits into its treasury for public use u code- a system of principles or rules Chapter 4 Vocabulary Lesson 4 Content Vocabulary u Theravada- "the teachings of the elders," a school of Buddhism that developed in India; its followers view Buddhism as a way of life u Mahayana- a school of Buddhism that developed in northwest India, stressing the view that nirvana can be achieved through devotion to the Buddha; its followers consider the Buddha a divine figure 2
achieved through devotion to the Buddha; its followers consider the Buddha a divine figure Academic Vocabulary u retain- to keep in possession or use u traditional- established; customary 7 1 2 Lesson 1: China Reunified The Three Dynasties The Sui Dynasty u The Han Dynasty ended in 220 u For the next 300 years China fell into chaos u In 581 a new empire was set under the Sui Dynasty u The Sui dynasty did not last long but it unified China under one ruler u The second ruler of the Sui Dynasty, Sui Yangdi completed the Grand Canal u The canal connected north and south which made it easier to ship rice u Sui Yangdi was a cruel ruler u Forced labor was used to build the Grand Canal The Tang Dynasty u The Tang Dynasty soon emerged which lasted from 618 to 907 u Early Tang rulers were able to create a stable economy u Early Tang rulers also restored civil service practices u Young men in the Tang Dynasty prepared for civil service by studying Confucian classics u One in five students passed the civil service exam and held positions in civil service u Tang rulers worked hard to restore power in China u China developed diplomatic relationships with other states u Tang were unable to prevent plotting and government corruption u During the 8th century the tang dynasty weakened u Tang rule collapsed in 907 3
u Tang rule collapsed in 907 8 9 10 Lesson 1: China Reunified The Song Dynasty u In 960 the Song dynasty rose to power u Song dynasty ruled from 960 to 1279 u Song dynasty experienced many problems early on u Song had to move imperial court to Hangzhou u Song lost control over Tibet u Mongols overthrew the song and created their own dynasty Lesson 1: China Reunified Government and the Economy u The era from the beginning of the Sui dynasty to the end of the Song dynasty lasted nearly 700 years u China was a monarchy that employed a relatively large bureaucracy to maintain an orderly government u The civil service examination gave China a government staffed by a literate bureaucracy u Beyond the capital, government was based on provinces, districts, and villages u The Chinese economy grew in size and complexity u Agriculture flourished, and manufacturing and trade grew dramatically u China was still considered a farming society u In the long period of civil war, aristocratic families had taken control of most of the land, and the majority of peasants had become serfs or slaves u These reform efforts and improved farming techniques led to an abundance of food u Technological developments added new products and stimulated trade Lesson 1: China Reunified u During the Tang dynasty, the Chinese began to make steel for swords by mixing cast iron and wrought iron in a blast furnace 4
furnace u cotton made it possible to make new kinds of clothes u gunpowder, was created during the Tang dynasty u The fire-lance could spit out a mixture of flame and projectiles that could travel 40 yards (36.6 m) u The Chinese also made important advancements in mathematics u The Song government, however, worked to weaken the power of the large landholders and help poor peasants obtain their own land u By the time of the Song, private merchants were active in commerce and trade u Guilds began to appear, along with a new money economy, which is an economic system based on money rather than barter u The use of paper money began in the 700s and 800s u Merchants found that strings of copper coins were too heavy to carry for their business deals, so they used paper money u Trade had declined between the 300s and 500s as a result of the collapse of the Han dynasty and the Roman Empire 11 12 Lesson 1: China Reunified Chinese Society u Economic changes such as increased trade had an impact on Chinese society u Tang and Song era were prosperous ones u Vast majority of people lived off the land and in villages u Changes were occurring in the country side u Block printing provided new ways of communication u Few Chinese women had power u Female children were less desirable than male children u When a girl married she became a part of the husband's family u A girls parents were expected to provide a dowry Lesson 2: The Mongols and Chinese Culture The Mongols 5
The Mongols u Mongols power rose in Asia with stunning speed due to their great army u The Mongols were a pastoral people from the region of modern-day Mongolia who were organized loosely into clans u Temüjin was elected Genghis khan, in 1206 u The army that Genghis Khan unleashed on the world was not unusually large; it totaled less than 130,000 in 1227. It was the Mongols' military tactics, which were devastatingly effective, that set them apart from their enemies u To rule the new Mongol Empire, Genghis Khan set up a capital city at Karakorum u After the death of Genghis Khan in 1227, the empire began to change. Following Mongol custom, upon the death of the ruling khan, his heirs divided the territory. The once-united empire of Genghis Khan was split into several separate territories called khanates, each under the rule of one of his sons u In 1231 the Mongols attacked Persia and defeated the Abbasids at Baghdad in 1258. Mongol forces attacked the Song dynasty in the 1260s u In their attack on the Chinese, the Mongols encountered the use of gunpowder and the fire-lance. These inventions came too late to save China from the Mongols, however. By the early fourteenth century, foreigners employed by the Mongol rulers of China had introduced the use of gunpowder and firearms into Europe 13 Lesson 2: The Mongols and Chinese Culture u In 1279 one of Genghis Khan s grandsons, named Kublai Khan completed the conquest of the Song and set up a new Chinese dynasty, the Yuan u Under the leadership of the talented Kublai Khan, the Yuan, or Mongol, dynasty continued to expand the empire u Kublai Khan, who ruled China until his death in 1294, established his capital at Khanbalik the city of the Khan later known by the Chinese name Beijing 6
later known by the Chinese name Beijing u Mongol rulers adapted to the Chinese political system and made use of Chinese bureaucrats. Culturally, the Mongols were quite different from the Chinese and became a separate class with their own laws. The highest positions in the bureaucracy were usually staffed by Mongols u Over time, the Mongol dynasty won the support of many Chinese people. Some came to respect the stability and prosperity that the Mongols brought. By bringing the entire Eurasian landmass under a single rule, the Mongols increased trade, especially along the Silk Road. The capital at Khanbalik was a magnificent city, and foreign visitors were impressed by its splendor u The Mongol dynasty eventually fell victim to the same problems that had plagued other dynasties: too much spending on foreign conquests, corruption at court, and growing internal instability u In 1368 Zhu Yuanzhang, the son of a peasant, put together an army, ended the Mongol dynasty, and set up the Ming dynasty 14 1 2 Lesson 2: The Mongols and Chinese Culture Religion and Government u Buddhism was brought to china in the first century A.D by merchants and missionaries from India u As a result of the insecurity that overcome after the collapse of the Han Dynasty u Both Buddhism and Daoism became more attractive to many people u Daoism was a rival system of ideas to Confucianism u Early Tang rulers lent their support to Buddhist monasteries that were set up throughout the country u Buddhist even became advisers at the imperial court u Buddhism was criticized for being a foreign country u Buddhist monasteries had acquired thousands of acres of lands and serfs u During the later Tang Period the government destroyed countless Buddhist temples and monasteries, this forced 7
u During the later Tang Period the government destroyed countless Buddhist temples and monasteries, this forced more than 260,000 monks and nuns to return to a secular life u Confucianism became the heart of the state government u A new doctrine called neo-confucianism served as a Confucian response to Buddhism and Daoism u Neo-Confucianism divided the world into a material and spiritual world 15 16 Lesson 2: The Mongols and Chinese Culture A Golden Age in Literature and Art u The period between the Tang and Ming dynasties was in many ways the great age of Chinese literature u The Tang dynasty is viewed as the great age of poetry in China u At least 48,000 poems were written by 2,200 authors u Chinese poems celebrated the beauty of nature, the changes of the seasons, and the joys of friendship u These poems also expressed sadness at the shortness of life and the necessity of parting u Li Bo and Du Fu were two of the most popular poets during the Tang era u During the Song and Mongol dynasties landscape painting reached its high point u Tang Artisans perfected the making of porcelain u Porcelain-making techniques did not reach Europe until the 18th century Early Japan u Japan s history has been marked by power struggles between rulers and independent families. u The Geography of Japan has played an important role in the development of Japanese history. u Japan is a mountainous archipelago and the population is concentrated on four main islands: Hokkaido, the main island of Honshu, and the two smaller islands of Kyushu and Shikoku. 8
of Honshu, and the two smaller islands of Kyushu and Shikoku. u Japan s total land area is approximately 146,000 square miles (378,000 square kilometers). u Much of Japan is mountainous and only 11% of the total land area can be farmed. u The mountains are volcanic in origin but volcanic soils are very fertile, which helped Japanese farming but the area around the mountains are prone to earthquakes. 17 18 u The fact that Japan is an island nation has also affected its history since their geological isolation contributed to the development of their unique qualities. u These qualities contributed to the Japanese belief that they had a destiny separate from that of the people living on the continents. u The ancestors of present-day Japanese settled in the Yamato Plain near the location of the modern cities of Osaka and Kyoto in the first centuries A.D. u Their society was made up of clans and people were divided between a small aristocratic class (the rulers) and a large population of rice farmers, artisans and household servants. u The local ruler of each clan protected the people in return for a share of the annual harvest but eventually, one ruler of the Yamato clan (named after the Yamato Plain) achieved supremacy over the others and became, in effect, ruler of Japan. u In the early seventh century, Shotoku Taishi, a Yamato prince, tried to unify the carious clans so that the Japanese could more effectively resist an invasion by the Chinese. u Prince Shotoku sent representatives to the Tang capital of China to learn how the Chinese organized their government, then began to create a centralized system of government loosely based on the Chinese model. 9
loosely based on the Chinese model. 19 20 u Prince Shotoku wanted a centralized government under a supreme ruler but his ultimate objective was to limit the powers of the aristocrats and enhance the Yamato ruler's (his own) authority. u The ruler was portrayed as a divine figure and the symbol of the Japanese nation. u Shotoku Taishi's successors continued to make reforms based on the Chinese model which resulted in the territory of Japan being divided into administrative districts, and the senior official of each district was selected from among the local nobles. u The rural village was the basic unit of government and a new tax system was set up. Now all farmland technically belonged to the state and all taxed were to be paid directly to the central government rather than to local aristocrats. The Nara Period u After Shotoku Taishi's death in 622, political power fell into the hands of the Fujiwara clan. u A Yamato ruler was still emperor but was strongly influenced by Prince Shotoku continued the power of the aristocrats. u The powerful families were able to keep the taxes from the lands for themselves and resulted in the central government steadily losing power and influence. The Heian Period u In 794 the emperor moved the capital from Nara to Heiankyo (present day Kyoto). u The emperor continued to rule in name but actual power remained in the Fujiwara clan. u The government was returning to the decentralized system that had existed before and resulted in powerful families (whose wealth was based on the ownership of tax-exempt farmland) to dominate rural areas. 10
farmland) to dominate rural areas. 21 22 u With the decline of central power, local aristocrats took justice into their own hands and turned to military force, and a new class of military servants. u The new class of military servants were to protect the security and property of their employers and were known as the Samurai. u The Samurai ("those who serve") were warriors who fought on horseback, clad in helmet and armor, and carried a sword and a bow. u The samurai, similar to knights in Europe, were supposed to live by a strict warrior code, known in Japan as Bushido ("the way of the warrior"). The Kamakura Shogunate u By the end of the twelfth century, Rivalries among Japanese aristocratic families had led to nearly constant civil war until a powerful noble named Minamoto Yoritomo defeated several rivals and set up his power near the modern city of Tokyo. u To strengthen the state, he created a more centralized government under a military leader known as the shogun (general). u In this new system (known as the shogunate), the emperor remained ruler in name only, and the shogun exercised the actual power. u The Kamakura shogunate, founded by Yoritomo, lasted from 1192 to 1333. u Although the shogunate was a military government, it was unprepared when Mongol ruler Kublai Khan sent 23,000 troops to invade Japan in 1274. u In 1281, Kublai Khan sent nearly 150,000 troops but by fighting behind stone walls they had built, the Japanese forced the Mongols to retreat where a typhoon would then devastate the Mongol fleet. u The wars, however, had strained the political system and in 1333, several powerful families overthrew the Kamakura 11
u The wars, however, had strained the political system and in 1333, several powerful families overthrew the Kamakura shogunate. 23 24 25 Collapse of Central Rule u The power of the local aristocrats grew during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. u Heads of noble families, now called daimyo ("great names"), controlled vast landed estates that owed no taxes to the government. u Family rivalries continued and the daimyo relied on the samurai for protection, and political power came into the hands of a loose coalition of noble families. u By 1500, Japan was close to chaos, a disastrous civil war known as the Onin War (1467=1477) led to the virtual destruction of the capital city of Kyoto. u Central Authority disappeared and powerful aristocrats in rural areas seized control over large territories, which they ruled as independent lords. u Their rivalries caused almost constant warfare. Lesson 3: Life in Early Japan Early Japan u Early Japan was mostly a farming society. u Its people took advantage of the limited amount of province and an enormous amount of rainfall to grow crops. u Markets appeared in towns, and industries such as the making of paper and porcelain emerged. u Goods were carried in cars, on boats, or on human backs. u Japan shipped raw materials, paintings, swords, and other manufactured items in return for silk, porcelain, books, and copper coins. The Role of Women u Woman have had a certain level of quality with men. u An eight-century law code, guaranteed the inheritance rights of women and wives who were abandoned could divorce and 12
u An eight-century law code, guaranteed the inheritance rights of women and wives who were abandoned could divorce and remarry. u A husband could divorce his wife if she did not produce a son or if she committed adultery, talk too much, was jealous, or had a serious illness. u Women did not possess the full legal and social rights of men, but they played an active role at various levels of society. u Women are spring planting, threshing and hulling rice, and acting ass salespersons and entertainers. 26 27 Religion and Culture u Early Japanese people worshiped spirits, called kami, whom they believed resided in trees, rivers, and mountains and that spirits of their ancestors were present in the air around them. u These beliefs evolved into a religion called Shinto ( the Sacred Way or the Way of the Gods ), which is still practiced today. u Shinto became a state doctrine linked to a belief in the divinity of the emperor and the sacredness of the Japanese nation. u Shinto did not satisfy the spiritual needs of all the Japanese people, which some who had turned to Buddhism, which Buddhist monks from China brought to Japan during the A.D. 500s. u Among the aristocrats in Japan, one sect, known as Zen, became the most popular. u The two main schools of Zen teach that nirvana either comes by instantaneous enlightenment or through a long process of mediation. u During much of the history of early Japan, aristocratic men believed that prose fiction was merely vulgar gossip and that was thus beneath them. u From the ninth to the twelfth centuries, women were the most productive writers of prose fiction in Japanese. 13
u From the ninth to the twelfth centuries, women were the most productive writers of prose fiction in Japanese. u The Tale of Genji, written by author Murasaki Shikibu was one of the world s greatest novel. u Her novel traces the life of nobleman Genji as he moves from youthful adventures to a life of compassion in his later years. u Sei Shonagon wrote The Pillow Book, which told her activities as a court lady. u Landscapes serves as important means of expression, like the landscape surrounding the Golden Pavilion in Kyōto displays a harmony of garden, water, and architecture. 28 29 The Emergence of Korea u The Korea Peninsula, only slightly larger than the state of Minnesota, is relatively mountains. u No society in East Asia was more strongly influenced by the Chinese. u In 109 B.C., the northern part of the Korea Peninsula came under the control of China. u Three separate kingdoms emerged: Koguryo in the north, Paeche in the southwest, and Silla in the southeast and each kingdom was governed by the combination of a hereditary monarch and powerful aristocratic families. u Buddhism was introduced and quickly became the state religion of each kingdom. u As the Silla kingdom became more allied with the Chinese, the monarchy turned to Confucian ideals to run the country. u With the support of the Tang dynasty of China, the kingdom of Silla gained control of the peninsula. u In the early tenth century, a new dynasty called Koryo (the root of the modern word Korea) arose in the north. u This kingdom adopted Chinese political institutions in order to unify its territory and remained in power for four hundred years. 14
years. u The Mongols seized the northern part of Korea in the thirteenth century and by accepting Mongol authority, the Koryo dynasty managed to remain in power. u Mongol rule led to much suffering for the Korean people, especially the thousands of peasants and artisans who were forced to build ships for Kublai Klan s invasion of Japan. u After the collapse of the Mongol dynasty in China, the Koryo dynasty broke down. 30 31 India after the Guptas u Buddhism in India was split into the school of Theravada and the Mahayana. u They saw Buddhism as a way of life and that understanding of oneself is the way to gain nirvana or release from the "wheel of life". u Theravada stressed transforming oneself through moral conduct and meditation. u Mahayana saw Theravada teachings as too strict and saw Buddha as a divine figure. u They believed devotion to Buddha leads to salvation after death in Nirvana or heaven. u Both schools declined in popularity and Mahayana was absorbed by Hinduism and Islam. u Both schools became popular by monks in China, Korea, Southeast Asia, and Japan still to this day. The Eastward Expansion of Islam u Early Eighth Century - Islam 's popularity in the Northwestern Indian. subcontinent divides it into Hindu India and two Islamic states, Bangladesh and Pakistan. u Islam succeeded because India was politically disunited into 70 states after the Gupta Empire ended. u Turkish slaves founded Ghanza in Afghanistan as a new Islamic state. 15
Islamic state. u Ghanza's founder died in 997 and his son, Mahmud of Ghanza, began to attack neighboring Hindu kingdoms to the southeast and extended his rule to the Upper Indus Valley and the Indian Ocean u Hindu warriors, the Rajputs resisted Mahmud. u They used infantry based tactics with elephants and fought bravely but were defeated by Mahmud's much faster cavalry troops. u By 1200 Muslims had the entire plain of northern India later known as the sultanate of Delhi. 32 33 u By the fourteenth century the sultanate extended to the Deccan Plateau u In the late fourteenth century the sultanate of Delhi declined. u Near the end of the century, invaders from the northwest crossed the Indus River and attacked Delhi but withdrew. u 100,000 Hindu prisoners were killed before the city gates. u It was India's first meeting with Timur Lenk or Tamerlane, the ruler of a Mongol state in Samarquand, north of Pamirs. u Timur Lenk was born in the 1330s in Samarquand and took power in 1369 to begin a conquest. u In the 1380s he took the eastern Caspian Sea and Mesopotamia. u He had a brief fight in northern India, turned west, then died in 1405 during his campaign. u The brief calm after Timur Lenk was challenged in the sixteenth century by nomadic Moguls in the north and Portuguese ship traders looking for gold and spices. Indian Society and Culture u Islamic rule created tension in Indian society but did not change everyday life. u Muslim rulers acted a foreign conquerors and separated the muslin ruling class from the Hindu population. 16
muslin ruling class from the Hindu population. u They tried to peacefully encourage conversion of Hindus into Islam but some rulers destroyed idol temples and replaced them with mosques. u Muslims realized they had to tolerate the large Hindu population and could not convert all of them but imposed Islamic culture on Hindu society. u The relationship between Muslims and Hindus was of conquerors and conquered, dislike rather than understanding. u Between 500 and 1500, most Indians farmed their own tiny plots and paid a yearly harvest share to the landlord who send a part of the pay to the King who technically owned all the land. u Most Indians were peasants but visitors in 500 and 1500 show that many people lived in the city where the landed elites, and rich merchants lived in wealth. u Rulers naturally had the most wealth. One maharaja or great king had a small state in southern India and had more than 100,000 paid soldiers, 900 elephants, and 20,000 horses. 34 u Another ruler had a thousand high caste women sweep his palace that had a broom and a brass basin with a mixture of cow dung and water to plaster wherever he went. u India got its wealth from Agriculture but also as a trade center between Southwest Asia and East Asia while shipping grounds throughout the world. u The fighting within India declined internal trade but foreign trade remained high especially in the south and the northwestern coast which were located along the traditional trade route to Southwest Asia and the Mediterranean Sea. u Between 500 and 1500, Indian writers and artists built on achievements and made innovations in fields of secular and religious creative endeavor. u Religious architecture from the eighth century and on built monumental Hindu Temples consisting of a central shire surrounded by a tower, a hall for worshippers, an entryway, and a porch in a rectangular courtyard. 17
surrounded by a tower, a hall for worshippers, an entryway, and a porch in a rectangular courtyard. u The greatest examples of Hindu temple art are found at Khajuraho. u 20/80 of the original temples built there in the tenth century. u They had a sense of unity from buttressed towers at various levels on the sides. 35 36 Formation of States in Southeast Asia u Between 500 and 1500, a number of organized states developed throughout Southeast Asia using models adapted to their own needs from China and India, creating unique states. u Southeast Asia, between China and India, is divided into the mainland region that extended southward from the Chinese border down to the tip of the Malay Peninsula and an extensive archipelago, or chain or islands called the golden region or golden islands now known as part of present day Indonesia and the Philippines. u It is a mixture of races, cultures, and religions. u The mainland has several north-south mountain ranges. u These ranges have fertile river valleys that run south or southeast. u The mountains are densely forested and have malariabearing mosquitoes, thus cutting off people in the river valley from each other and limiting contact with the mountain people. u These barriers can explain why Southeast Asia never unified and the development of separate, distinctive cultures in Southeast Asia Vietnam u The Vietnamese were one of the first peoples in Southeast Asia to develop their own state and their own culture. u The Vietnamese clung to their own identity. In the tenth century, they finally overthrew Chinese rule. Chinese 18
u The Vietnamese clung to their own identity. In the tenth century, they finally overthrew Chinese rule. Chinese influence remained, however. u The new Vietnamese state, which called itself Dai Viet, adopted state Confucianism. Following the Chinese model, the rulers called themselves emperors and adopted Chinese court rituals. u They also introduced the civil service examination as a means of recruiting government officials on the basis of merit instead of heredity. u The state of Dai Viet became a dynamic force on the Southeast Asian mainland. As its population grew, it expanded southward. 37 38 Angkor, Thai, and Burma u In the ninth century, the kingdom of Angkor arose in the region that is present-day Cambodia. u The kingdom was formed when a powerful figure named Jayavarman united the Khmer people and established a capital at Angkor Thom. u For several hundred years, Angkor or Khmer empire was the most powerful state in mainland Southeast Asia. u Angkor faced enemies on all sides. To the east were the Vietnamese and the kingdom of Champa. To the west was the Burmese kingdom of Pagan. u In 1432, the Thai from the north destroyed the Angkor capital. The Angkor ruling class fled to the southeast, where they set up a new capital near Phnom Penh, the capital of present-day Cambodia. u The Thai had first appeared in the 500s as a frontier people in China. In the eleventh or twelfth century, encouraged by the Mongol invasion in China in the mid 1200 s, Thai groups began moving southward. u After destroying the Angkor capital, the Thai set up their capital at Ayutthaya, where they remained as a major force in the region for the next 400 years. 19
capital at Ayutthaya, where they remained as a major force in the region for the next 400 years. u They created a unique blend that evolved into the modernday culture of Thailand. u The Thai were also threatened from the west by the Burmese peoples, who had formed their society along the Salween and Irrawaddy Rivers. u In the eleventh century, they founded the first great Burmese state, the kingdom of Pagan. Like the Thai, they converted to Buddhism and adopted Indian political institutions and culture. u During the next two centuries, Pagan became a major force in the western part of Southeast Asia. It played an active role in regional sea trade. Attacks by the Mongols in the late 1200s helped cause its decline. 39 The Malay World u In the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian archipelago, a different pattern emerged. For centuries, this area had been tied to the trade that passed from East Asia into the Indian Ocean. u The area had never been united under a single state. The vast majority of the people were of Malay background, but the peoples were divided into many separate communities. u It was not until the late 1200s that a strong state, the new kingdom of Majapahit, emerged in the region. u In the mid-fourteenth century, Majapahit incorporated most of the archipelago and perhaps even parts of the mainland under a single rule. Majapahit did not have long to enjoy its status,however. By the 1400s, a new state was beginning to emerge in the region. u After the Muslim conquest of northern India, Muslim merchants either Arabs or Indian converts settled in port cities in the region and began to convert the local population. Around 1400, an Islamic state began to form in Melaka, a small town on the western coast of the Malay Peninsula. 20
small town on the western coast of the Malay Peninsula. u From Melaka, Muslim traders and the Muslim faith moved into the interior of the peninsula. Eventually, almost the entire population of the region was converted to Islam and became part of the sultanate of Melaka. 40 41 Life in Southeast Asia u The states of Southeast Asia can be divided into two groups: agricultural societies, whose economies were largely based on farming, and trading societies, which depended primarily on trade for income. States such as Vietnam, Angkor, and Pagan drew most of their wealth from the land. u Trade through Southeast Asia expanded after the emergence of states in the area and reached even greater heights after the Muslim conquest of northern India. The rise in demand for spices also added to the growing volume of trade. u At the top of the social ladder in most Southeast Asian societies were the hereditary aristocrats. u These aristocrats held both political power and economic wealth. u Beyond the major cities lived the rest of the population, which consisted of farmers, fishers, artisans, and merchants. u Most of the societies in Southeast Asia gave greater rights to women than did their counterparts in China and India. Women worked side by side with men in the fields and often played an active role in trading activities. u Chinese culture made an impact on Vietnam. In many other areas of Southeast Asia, Indian cultural influence prevailed. The most visible example of this influence was in architecture. u Hindu and Buddhist ideas began to move into Southeast Asia in the first millennium A.D. In all Southeast Asian societies, as in China and Japan, old beliefs were blended with those of the new faiths. u Monks returning from Sri Lanka spread Theravada Buddhism in Burma in the eleventh century. From Burma, Theravada 21
u Monks returning from Sri Lanka spread Theravada Buddhism in Burma in the eleventh century. From Burma, Theravada spread rapidly to other areas of Southeast Asia. 22