THE FIRST GLOBAL AGE: EUROPE & ASIA

 The desire for a share in the valuable spice

trade spurred Portugal & Spain to search for
new trade routes to Asia. Aided by better ships
& other technological advances, Europeans
explored the world, coming upon the Americas
in their travels. Europeans established trading
posts in Asia. India, too, established a
presence in Southeast Asia, where geography
contributed to the development of a number of
diverse Southeast Asian cultures.
Exploration Unit:

ENCOUNTERS IN EAST ASIA

WARM-UP

 Theterms isolation, Hermit Kingdom, &

closing the door pertain to East Asia
between the 1500s & 1700s.

 What might these terms indicate about

East Asian foreign policy during this
period?
ANSWER TO THE WARM-UP

 After the Ming dynasty, the Qing (ching)

dynasty brought some changes to China.
However, both dynasties limited contact
with the West.
 Korea, stung by Japanese & Manchu
invasions, isolated itself & became known
as the Hermit Kingdom.
ANSWER TO THE WARM-UP (CONT.)

 In
Japan, the Tokugawa shoguns first
welcomed foreign merchants but then
barred them from the country.

 What does it all mean?

In short, China, Korea, & Japan limited
contact with western nations between
the 1500s & 1700s.
SETTING THE SCENE
 Europeans who  Europeans, however,
reached Asia in the were impressed with
1500s often made who & what they found
poor impressions on in East Asia.
locals.
 Asians thought that
Europeans were…
Ignorant
Wanting in
ordered life
Very dirty
Had no manners
EUROPEAN TRADE WITH CHINA

 “Since our empire owns the world,

there is no country on this or the
other sides of the seas which does
not submit to us.”-document from the
Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty ended overseas
exploration in mid-1400s
EUROPEAN TRADE WITH CHINA

 Portuguese reached China by sea in 1514

To the Chinese, they had little to offer in
exchange for silks & porcelains
European textiles & metalwork were
inferior to Chinese products
Therefore, the Chinese demanded gold
or silver
EUROPEAN TRADE WITH CHINA
 Strict Limits on Trade
 Eventually the Ming opened a trading post at Macao
where Portuguese, Dutch, English & other Europeans
could trade w/ Chinese merchants, but under strict
limits.
 For example…

 trade could only be conducted under the

supervision of imperial officials
 once trading season ended, they had to sail
away
MACAO
EUROPEAN SCHOLARS & MISSIONARIES
 A few European scholars, like Jesuit priest
Matteo Ricci, did make a positive impression
on Ming China.
 1580s, Ricci learned to speak Chinese &
adopted Chinese dress.
 Ricci & other priests had little success
spreading their religious beliefs
 But Chinese rulers welcomed the chance to
learn the arts & sciences of Renaissance
Europe.
THE MANCHU CONQUEST

 By the early 1600s, the Ming dynasty

was decaying.
 Revolts erupted & Manchu invaders
from the north pushed through the
Great Wall.
 In 1644, victorious Manchu armies
seized Beijing & made it their capital.
QING (CHING) RULE

 The Manchu set up a new dynasty-

Qing
Manchu barred intermarriage
between Manchus & Chinese
Manchu women were forbidden to
follow the traditional Chinese
practice of foot binding
QING RULE

 For each top government position, the Qing

chose two people, one Manchu & one Chinese.
 Manchu troops stationed across the empire
ensured loyalty.
 Two rulers
 Kangxi (kahng shee) 1661-1722, extended Chinese
power into Central Asia & promoted Chinese culture
 Qianlong (chyehn lohng) 1736-1796, expanded the
Chinese borders
PROSPERITY UNDER QING DYNASTY

 The Chinese economy expanded under both

emperors.
 New crops from the Americas, such as potatoes
& corn, boosted farm output, which in turn
contributed to a population boom.
 Population rose from 140 million in 1740 t0 over
300 million by 1800.
 Further growth in handicraft industries,
including silk, porcelain, & cotton.
QING DYNATY’S RESPONSE TO WESTERNERS

 The Qing maintained the Ming policy

of restricting foreign trade.
 Still, Europeans kept pressing to
expand trade
LORD MACARTNEY’S VISIT TO CHINA

 Brought samples of British-made goods, which

the Chinese thought were gifts offered as
tribute to the emperor
 Took offense because they were cheap, crude
products.
 When Macartney met with the emperor, he refused to
perform the traditional kowtow, touching his head to
the ground to show respect.
 Spoke of the superiority of the English
 Do you think the Chinese liked him? NO!!!!!!
WHAT IS CONFUCIANISM?
 Ethical & philosophical system
developed from the teachings of
Confucius. It is a complex system of
moral, social, political,
philosophical, and quasi-religious
thought that has had tremendous
influence on the culture & history of
East Asia.
KOREA & ISOLATION

 Like China, Korea restricted outside contacts in

the 1500s & 1600s.
 The Choson dynasty embraced Confucian
ideas.
 Like the Chinese, Koreans felt that Confucian
learning was the most advanced in the world.
 The low status of merchants in Confucianism
led Koreans to look down on foreign traders.
KOREA & ISOLATION
 Other events led Korea to turn inward…
A Japanese invasion in the 1590s devastated the
land of Korea.
 In 1636, before overrunning Ming China, the
Manchus conquered Korea.
 In response to all of this, Koreans chose
isolation, excluding all foreigners except the
Chinese & a few Japanese.
 When European sailors shipwrecked on Korean
shores, they were imprisoned or killed.
JAPAN & FOREIGN TRADERS

 Unlike the Chinese or Koreans, the Japanese at

first welcomed western traders.
 1543, Portuguese reached Japan; later the
Spanish, Dutch, & English.
 They arrived at a turbulent time when there
was a struggle for power.
 The Japanese quickly acquired western
firearms & built castles modeled on
European designs.
JAPAN & FOREIGN TRADERS

 Japan was much more open to European

missionaries than China.
 Jesuits, like Spanish priest Francis Xavier,
found the Japanese curious & eager to learn
about Christianity.
 The Tokugawa shoguns, however, were
increasingly hostile toward foreigners.
 TOKUGAWA SHOGUNS
 After learning how Spain had
seized the Philippines, they
saw Europeans as invaders.
 They also disliked competition from
Christian missionaries; therefore, they had
them expelled and brutally persecuted
Japanese Christians.
 By 1638, they had barred all western
merchants & forbidden Japanese travel
abroad.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?

How might limited contact

with the West have both
strengthened & weakened
the countries of East Asia?