Mary Redmond

Period-4
5-14-10

The Impact of Chinese culture to Eastern Asia

China’s golden age helped to combine and influence the cultures in eastern Asia,

of Japan and Korea.

Beginning in 618 AD the Tang Dynasty reunifies China from chaos for 400 years.

China gained many accomplishments while the Tang Dynasty ruled. They rebuilt the

bureaucracy, grew the civil service, built schools, strengthened government, and

developed a new law code. When the Song Dynasty took rule the Chinese improved

farming methods which led to flourish of arts because of commerce due to the surplus of

crops. China influenced eastern countries in Asia through language, writing, government,

and religion. This built the building blocks for Japan, Korea, and Ming Rulers to bring

Confucianism back.

Korea was strongly influenced by the location of being right next to China.

China extended political control to Korea, and also gave a cultural bridge from China and

Japan. In 108 B.C. Wudi, the Han emperor, from China invaded Korea and brought a

military colony there. This is how Chinese government on Confucianism, Chinese

writing, and farming influenced on Korea. In 682 the Silla Dynasty set up a national

Confucian academy to train high officials, and later also built a civil-service examination

influenced by China. Although in China peasants were able to receive political influence

by passing a exam. But, in Korea only aristocrats are able to take the test. Later, trouble

between peasants and the aristocrats came the overthrow of the Silla dynasty. During
Koryo Dynasty in Korea Confucianism spread at this time also. Other inventions were

also expanded from the Chinese at this time having to do with Budhism

Koreans adapted and changed Chinese traditions before the Japanese took them. During

the Three Dynasty Period, Koguryo, Paekche, and Silla Korea took many cultural ways

of China. With the help of the Tang Dynasty the Silla united all of the Korean Peninsula.

China helped Korea in the beginning by sometimes governing. Buddhism and

Confucianism impacted Korea from the Chinese as it was very important to the Koreans.

When Korea acknowledged Chinese overlordship, they decided to use Confucian ideas.

Trading with China gave Korea many advantages when needing supplies. When the Silla

Dynasty fell the Koryo Dynasty formed and ruled from 935 to 1392 AD. The Koreans

used wood block painting from China.

The early traditions of Feudal Japan were impacted muchly from Korea and

China. The Japanese language was and is very similar to the Korean and Chinese

languages. Korean artisans also brought their skills to the islands of Japan. Buddhism was

introduced, along with Chinese writing. The Japanese and Chinese cultures were very

much alike. Japan spread Chinese through technology and arts, rather than their own

language. Fashion, gardens, and tea drinking were all brought from China to Japan.

Japanses started using Kana for their writing systems to represent their speech. Although

China and Japan were closely related a difference was in Japan women had a higher
status than in China. In China boys were valued more than girls. In Japan women shaped

the court.

Today China, Korea, and Japan are….