China: Understanding Its Past

5. China and the Outside World

China and the Outside World 5 Section T his section looks at China’s interactions with the outside world. These encounters, occurring over many centuries, did not fundamentally change China. Yet they did open Chinese eyes to the outside world. Until the 1600s, the Chinese were advanced beyond other people, whom they considered barbarians . One group of so-called barbarians, the Mongols, eventually conquered China. Before reading about the Mongols, however, you should begin working on two activities, “Making a Timeline” and “Travel Guides to Imperial China,” which you can do as you proceed through this last section of Chapter 1. Make a timeline showing the dynasties and events listed in this activity. Look at the timeline at the beginning of the book for ideas. Use colored pencils or pens to make your timeline attractive and easy to read. You may want to use a long roll of paper so that you can include every item listed. Give each century the same amount of space. You might decide, for example, to have a hundred years equal to one inch. Be sure to indicate on your timeline the centuries “before the common era,” or B.C.E., and the centuries Anno Domini (Latin words for “in the year of the Lord”), or A.D. The readings sometimes refer to centuries instead of specific years. Note that the twelfth century B.C.E. means the years 1199 to 1100 Activity: Making a Timeline B.C.E.; the third century B.C.E. means the years 299 to 200 B.C.E.; the fifth century A.D. means A.D. 400 to 499; and the thirteenth century A.D. means A.D. 1200 to 1299. 1. Place these dynasties on your timeline. The timeline in this book shows dates for each dynasty. Shang dynasty Zhou dynasty Qin dynasty Former Han dynasty Xin dynasty Later Han dynasty Period of Disunity Sui dynasty Tang dynasty Period of Disunity Song dynasty Southern Song dynasty Yuan dynasty (Mongol rule) Ming dynasty Qing dynasty (Manchurian rule) 2. Place these eras in the history of Western civilization on your timeline. They are listed on the timeline in this book. Classical Greek civilization Roman empire Middle Ages Renaissance Reformation 12th century B.C.E. 3rd century B.C.E. 5th century A.D. 13th century A.D. 1199 B.C.E.–1100 B.C.E. 299 B.C.E.–200 B.C.E. A.D. 400–A.D. 499 A.D. 1200–A.D. 1299 Section 5: China and the Outside World 57 3. Place these events on your timeline. Specific dates are in the readings in this chapter. Confucius is born. The Qin dynasty uses Legalistic ideas in ruling China. Daoism emerges as one of the “Hundred Schools” of thought. Buddhism enters China. The examination system becomes established for choosing government officials. Confucianism spreads to Korea; to Japan. Merchants travel the Silk Roads. China begins using paper money; Sweden begins using paper money. Marco Polo sets out for China with his father and uncle. Zheng He leads sea voyages during the Ming dynasty. Matteo Ricci, a Jesuit missionary, arrives in China. Activity: Travel to Imperial China It is hard for us today, when foreign travel is undertaken so casually, to understand the extraordinary courage required to travel in the thirteenth century. Even rich and prominent people rarely traveled, for traveling was slow, difficult, and dangerous. In that world, cultures and languages developed in isolation. The story of Marco Polo is fascinating for many reasons, not the least of which is that in a world of profound isolation, his story shows the clash of three cultures: Venetian, Mongolian, and Chinese. Marco Polo himself was from Venice, and he was an official of the Mongol court in China. To get perspective on his story, we must consider the place of the Chinese, the Mongolians, and the Venetians in the thirteenthcentury world. In many ways the story of the Mongolians is the most astonishing. Here was a group of about one million people who in twenty years changed from isolated tribes of illiterate nomads to a great unified power that eventually controlled the most What would it be like to travel back in time to the pre-modern period of Chinese history? Help the uninformed by creating a travel guide to imperial China. Include information from all of Chapter 1, including this last section, but remember to use your own words. Use atlases and other sources to help you. Draw pictures and...