| 794–1185 |
Heian period in Japan |
| 804 |
Two Japanese Buddhist monks, Saichō and Kūkai, travel to China |
| 935–1392 |
Koryŏ Dynasty in Korea |
| 960–1279 |
Song Dynasty in China; emergence of scholar-official class; invention of movable type |
| 995–1027 |
Fujiwara Michinaga dominant at Heian court |
| ca. 1000–1010 |
The Tale of Genji |
| 1119 |
First reported use of compass |
| 1120s |
First government-issued paper money introduced by Song |
| 1126 |
Song loss of north China to the Jurchens; Song capital relocated to Hangzhou |
| 1130–1200 |
Zhu Xi, Neo-Confucian philosopher |
| 1185–1333 |
Kamakura Shogunate in Japan; Zen Buddhism flourishes |
| 1234–1368 |
Mongols’ Yuan Dynasty in China |
| ca. 1275–1292 |
Marco Polo travels in China |