Introduction to Chapter 8

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CHAPTER 8

China and the World

East Asian Connections 600–1300

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World History Archive/age fotostockChinese Astronomy The impressive achievements of Chinese astronomy included the observation of sunspots, supernovae, and solar and lunar eclipses as well as the construction of elaborate star maps and astronomical devices such as those shown here. The print itself is of Japanese origin and depicts a figure wearing the dragon robes of a Chinese official. It illustrates the immense cultural influence of China on its smaller Japanese neighbor.

Together Again: The Reemergence of a Unified China

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A “Golden Age” of Chinese Achievement

Women in the Song Dynasty

China and the Northern Nomads: A Chinese World Order in the Making

The Tribute System in Theory

The Tribute System in Practice

Cultural Influence across an Ecological Frontier

Coping with China: Comparing Korea, Vietnam, and Japan

Korea and China

Vietnam and China

Japan and China

China and the Eurasian World Economy

Spillovers: China’s Impact on Eurasia

On the Receiving End: China as Economic Beneficiary

China and Buddhism

Making Buddhism Chinese

Losing State Support: The Crisis of Chinese Buddhism

Reflections: Why Do Things Change?

Zooming In: Gunpowder

Zooming In: Izumi Shikibu, Japanese Poet and Lover

Working with Evidence: The Leisure Life of China’s Elites

“China will be the next superpower.”1 That was the frank assertion of an article in the British newspaper the Guardian in June 2006. Nor was it alone in that assessment. As the new millennium dawned, headlines with this message appeared with increasing frequency in public lectures, in newspaper and magazine articles, and in book titles all across the world. China’s huge population, its booming economy, its massive trade surplus with the United States, its entry into world oil markets, its military potential, and its growing presence in global political affairs — all of this suggested that China was headed for a major role, perhaps even a dominant role, in the world of the twenty-first century. Few of these authors, however, paused to recall that China’s prominence on the world stage was hardly something new or that its nineteenth- and twentieth-century position as a “backward,” weak, or dependent country was distinctly at odds with its long history. Is China perhaps poised to resume in the twenty-first century a much older and more powerful role in world affairs?

I n the world of third-wave civilizations, even more than in earlier times, China cast a long shadow. Its massive and powerful civilization, widely imitated by adjacent peoples, gave rise to a China-centered set of relationships encompassing most of eastern Asia. China extended its borders deep into Central Asia, while its wealthy and cosmopolitan culture attracted visitors from all over Eurasia. None of its many neighbors — whether nomadic peoples to the north and west or smaller peripheral states such as Tibet, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam — could escape its gravitational pull. All of them had to deal with China. Far beyond these near neighbors, China’s booming economy and many technological innovations had ripple effects all across the Afro-Eurasia world.

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Even as China so often influenced the world, it too was changed by its many interactions with non-Chinese peoples. Northern nomads — “barbarians” to the Chinese — frequently posed a military threat and on occasion even conquered and ruled parts of China. The country’s growing involvement in international trade stimulated important social, cultural, and economic changes within China itself. Buddhism, a religion of Indian origin, took root in China, and, to a much lesser extent, so did Christianity and Islam. In short, China’s engagement with the wider world became a very significant element in a global era of accelerating connections.

A MAP OF TIME
39 C.E. Trung sisters’ rebellion against China in Vietnam
4th–7th centuries Early state building in Korea
300–800 Buddhism takes root in China
589–618 Sui dynasty and the reunification of China
604 Seventeen Article Constitution in Japan
618–907 Tang dynasty in China
688 Withdrawal of Chinese military forces from Korea
794–1192 Heian period in Japanese history
845 Suppression of Buddhism in China
868 First printed book in China
939 Vietnam establishes independence from China
960–1279 Song dynasty in China
ca. 1000 Invention of gunpowder in China; beginning of foot binding
1000 The Tale of Genji (Japan)
1279–1369 Mongol rule in China

SEEKING THE MAIN POINT

Chinese history has often been viewed in the West as impressive perhaps, but largely static or changeless and self-contained or isolated. In what ways might the material in this chapter counteract such impressions?