Introduction for Chapter 21

21 Continuity And Change in East Asia 1400–1800

> What fueled population and economic growth in East Asia between 1400 and 1800? Chapter 21 examines major developments in China and Japan from 1400 to 1800. Under the Ming (1368–1644), China saw agricultural reconstruction, commercial expansion, and the rise of a vibrant urban culture. In the early seventeenth century, after the Ming Dynasty fell into disorder, the non-Chinese Manchus founded the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911) and added Taiwan, Mongolia, Tibet, and Xinjiang to their realm. In Japan the fifteenth century saw the start of a long period of civil war. At the end of the sixteenth century, Hideyoshi (HEE-deh-YOH-shee) became the supreme ruler. After his death, power was seized by Tokugawa Ieyasu (toh-koo-GAH-wuh ee-eh-YAH-soo). Under the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603–1867), Japan restricted contact with the outside world and social mobility among its own people. Yet Japan thrived, as agricultural productivity increased and a lively urban culture developed.

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Kabuki Actor Urban entertainment flourished in Japan under the rule of the Tokugawa shoguns. This late-eighteenth-century woodblock print was made for the many fans of the Kabuki actor Matsumoto Yonesaburo, who specialized in performing female roles. (Private Collection/Photo © Boltin Picture Library/The Bridgeman Art Library)

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1368–1644 1603–1867
Ming Dynasty in China Tokugawa Shogunate in Japan
1405–1433 1615
Zheng He’s naval expeditions Battle of Osaka leads to persecution of Christians in Japan
1407–1420 1629
Construction of Beijing as Chinese capital Tokugawa government bans actresses from the stage
1467–1600 1639
Period of civil war in Japan Japan closes its borders
ca. 1500–1600 1644–1911
Increased availability of books for general audiences in China Qing Dynasty in China
1549 1793
First Jesuit missionaries land in Japan Lord Macartney’s diplomatic visit to China
1557
Portuguese set up trading base at Macao