1- China

I) Early History
A) Early Civilization and the Dynasties
a) the earliest civilizations of stone age groups were centered around the Huang He
River
(i) these developed metal working with bronze
b) the early Chinese civilizations organized themselves under ruling families
(i) a series of rulers from the same family is a dynasty
c) the first dynasty was the Shang
(i) little is known about them, but they would rule from about 1700-1100 BCE
d) the Shang were overthrown by the Zhou
(i) the Zhou ruled with feudalism, which required local powerful families to swear
allegiance to the Zhou and recognize their authority, but otherwise let the
powerful families rule their lands
e) in 221 BCE the Qin (pronounced chihn, hence China) took over
(i) the Qin united smaller warring states under a strong central government in an
empire
1 the Chinese Empire under various dynasties would rule for 2000 years
f) other important dynasties include the Han, who pushed into central Asia, and the
Ming, who explored the seas and developed advanced technologies like gunpowder
g) in 1644, the Manchu people from Manchuria invaded and took over, establishing the
Qing Dynasty
(i) this family remained in power until 1911, when revolutionaries overthrew them
and ended the empire
II) China Opens Up to the World
A) Early Encounters
a) most of China remained isolated, but trade, especially in silk, was established as early
as 200 BCE with the Persians via the Silk Road
b) the most successful early European trader, Marco Polo, established steady contact in
the 1200s
(i) China was significantly more advanced than the Europeans at this point, so
contact was limited only to trade, not colonies or conquering
c) by the 1900s, China was significantly weakened and had an ineffective government
(i) Europeans (especially the British) took advantage of this and forced China to sign
a series of treaties that granted special privileges to Europeans
1 as a result, China was carved up into spheres of influence by Britain, France,
Germany, Russia, and Japan
 this would result in the Boxer Rebellion, in which Chinese militants
attacked and killed Europeans and Chinese Christians until they were
finally defeated
B) Revolution and Change
a) after the Boxer Rebellion, the Qing Dynasty attempted to reform the government, but
it was too late
(i) an uprising led to a short lived republic that was undermined by a civil war
 1 this would continue through the 1920s and 30s while the Chinese Communist
Party became more powerful
(ii) the civil war would be interrupted by WWI and WWII (mostly II)
1 Japan took over a large part of China during WWII, but had to give it up when
they surrendered
b) after WWII, the Nationalists (for the republic) and the Communists fought for control
(i) in 1949 the Communists won under the leadership of Mao Zedong
1 the country was now called the People’s Republic of China
2 the Nationalists fled to Taiwan and declared independence
III) Rural and Industrial Economies
A) Rural Economy
a) about 60% of China’s people work on farms
(i) farms are only possible on about 13% of China’s lands
B) Industrial Economy
a) the northeast contains the majority of China’s industry
b) Shanghai leads China as the center of manufacturing and is one of the greatest
industrial centers in the world
(i) industry focuses on steel, machinery, and textiles
1 many of the textiles are exported to the US
IV) A Rich and Complex Culture
A) Pottery to Painting
a) the earliest works of Chinese art were contained in burial sites
B) Chinese Inventions
a) include paper, printing, gunpowder, fireworks, the compass, porcelain, and silk cloth
C) Religious and Ethical Traditions
a) Confucianism
(i) the ethical code for order, education, and hierarchy in a well ordered society
(ii) philosophy created by Confucius in the 400s BCE
(iii)basic tenets include respect for parents, government, and the emperor, and
stressing education to improve society
b) Taoism
(i) created in the 500s BCE
(ii) believes in the importance of preserving and restoring harmony in the individual
and the universe
1 includes the Yin and Yang, the belief that good coexists with evil and that
both are necessary in life
c) Buddhism
(i) came from India around the 300s CE
(ii) in China it was influenced by Taoism and Confucianism, but focused on the cycle
of rebirth and seeking to end the cycle
V) The Most Populous Country
A) Population Patterns
a) in 2010 the population was around 1.34 billion
(i) about 40-50 Chinese cities have more than 1 million people
b) about 70% of people live in the eastern provinces
(i) about 6% live in the west on more than 50% of the total land
pg. 639 (1, 3)

2- Mongolia and Taiwan

I) History of Nomads and Traders

A) Mongolian Empire
a) for thousands of years, the Mongols were nomadic herders
b) Genghis Khan then led tribes to conquer all of Central Asia and began to invade
China when he died in 1227 CE
c) his son and later descendents continued to expand to conquer most of China, all of
Korea, Persia, part of Arabia, and a large part of current day Russia to connect with
Europe
(i) in the 1300s the Mongols broke into (massive) territorial districts
1 these would be divided and conquered by various groups, but the two most
successful were Russia and China
d) China conquered Mongolia and ruled it until 1911 when the Chinese Empire would
fall, allowing Mongolia to retake their land and declare independence
e) Mongolia then fell under Communist Russia’s influence in 1924, until Soviet Russia
fell in 1989 and the Communist Party in Mongolia lost power
B) Taiwan’s Link to China
a) the island of Taiwan has had settlers from Malaysia, Polynesia, and China over
hundreds of years
b) in 1683 the Manchu Dynasty conquered Taiwan
c) the Japanese seized Taiwan after defeating the Chinese in 1895, and kept control until
losing WWII
d) after the Chinese Nationalists lost the civil war to the Communists, they went to
Taiwan and established the Republic of China
(i) the People’s Republic of China has never recognized them as a separate country
and think of them as a province
II) Cultures of Mongolia and Taiwan
A) Mongolia
a) has both ruled and been ruled by China
(i) Kublai Khan was the Mongol emperor of China when Marco Polo visited
(ii) the Manchus who later ruled China conquered Mongolia
1 these interactions have meant there is a lot of Chinese style culture in
Mongolia
b) the most important Mongolian festival is the Three Games of Men
(i) these date back as far as 2300 years ago
(ii) the games include wrestling, archery, and horse racing
1 these games were once to show the strength and skill of warriors
B) Taiwan
a) the population is almost exclusively Chinese, and therefore the culture is Chinese
(i) the capital city of Taipei has Buddhist temples and Chinese art museums
b) the island is well educated and most speak Mandarin Chinese
c) more than 90% practice a blend of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism
 (i) most of the other 10% are Christian
III) Two Very Different Economies
A) Economic Prospects for Mongolia
a) much of the population herds and manages livestock
(i) many goats are raised here to support the cashmere industry
b) under Soviet Russia, many factories were created that were state run
(i) since the fall of the Soviet Union, Mongolia has tried to switch from state run to
free market, which is difficult
B) Taiwan’s Economic Success
a) one of the world’s most successful economies because of the highly trained
workforce
b) focuses mostly on manufacturing and trade
(i) large producer of radios, tvs, calculators, and computers
c) they had rapid economic growth due to cheap labor, high technology, and aggressive
exports
IV) Daily Life in Mongolia and Taiwan
A) Herding in Mongolia
a) due to extreme climate, with long cold winters and short, hot summers, the severe
weather can impact livestock
(i) it can kill animals from intense cold or starvation
b) some people are still nomadic, and they live in traditional tents called yurts (recall the
“stans” section)
B) Western Influences in Taiwan
a) while Mongolia remains relatively isolated from the West, Taiwan welcomes Western
culture
(i) baseball has become popular, even Little League teams
1 Taiwan was so successful that the United States banned teams from foreign
countries from the Little League World Series for part of the 1970s

pg. 646 (1, 2, 3a)

3- North and South Korea

I) Divided Peninsula
A) Ancient Korea and Foreign Influences
a) the earliest people were likely from North China and Manchuria thousands of years
ago
b) about 2000 BCE, the first government, Choson, was established
c) around 100 BCE, China conquered the north
(i) this would begin a series of invasions from the Japanese, who would then be
invaded by the Chinese, and so on
d) by the 300s CE, the Three Kingdoms had formed
(i) 300 years later, one kingdom (Silla) conquered the other two
1 they would rule under various dynasties until 1910, when Japan took control
 the Japanese would lose the peninsula after losing WWII
B) Two Koreas: North and South
 a) after Japan lost WWII, the Soviet Union took control of the northern half and the
United States supported the south
b) in 1950, North Korean troops invaded South Korea, starting the Korean War
(i) after initial success, American troops were deployed against the North Koreans
(ii) the Americans pushed them back to North Korea, but were stopped from going
further by the involvement of the newly Communist China
1 the war ended in a stalemate in 1953 when North Korea signed an armistice
with South Korea and the US
 to this day they remain hostile to each other
II) Influences on Korean Culture
A) Chinese
a) Korea absorbed both Confucianism and Buddhism from China
(i) Japan (after conquering Korea) absorbed Buddhism from Korea
b) the religious and philosophical ideas greatly affected Korean development
B) Other
a) after WWII, there were two major influences
(i) Communism from the Soviets molded the culture of North Korea
1 there the government only allows art that glorifies Communism, their leader,
or folk tradition
2 the government controls the press, society, and the economy, while shutting
their people off from any outside influences
(ii) Western culture influenced the South
1 artists have freedom of expression, many of the laws reflect American values,
and many themes of education, art, and history reflect Western culture
III) Moving Toward Unity
A) An Armed Society
a) after WWII both Koreas built up huge armies
(i) North Korea has tested nuclear weapons and makes repeated threats against
enemies
b) both have existed under the threat of war for decades
(i) the border of the countries has nearly 2 million troops guarding it
B) A Single Flag
a) one of the great hopes of the world is the reunification of the Koreas
(i) there have been moments of hope, but so far no change
(ii) in 2000, the leaders of both countries agreed to have a summit meeting, but
despite declaring the intention to reunite, nothing changed
(iii)recently, North Korea has offered again to discuss peace (we’ll see)
IV) Economic Resources
A) Economic Patterns
a) South Korea has massive, wealthy industries and a powerful economy
b) North Korea has many natural resources and raw materials, but due to sanctions
against their country due to its military nature, these resources cannot be used

pg. 650 (1, 3bc)

4- Japan
I) Samurai and Shogun
A) Ancient Japan
a) the original people likely came through Siberia and Korea
b) until the 300s CE, Japan was ruled by hundreds of clans who controlled separate
territories
c) by the 400s, the Yamato clan took control of the rest and began calling themselves the
emperors of Japan
d) in 794, the rulers moved the capital to Heian (current Kyoto) and were strong
e) by the 1200s, great landowners began acting as independent rulers
(i) trained soldiers called samurai served as guards and warriors of the landowners
B) The Shoguns
a) in the 1200s, after a fight between two powerful clans, the emperor created the
position of shogun
(i) one man was named general of the emperor’s army with the powers of a military
dictator
1 all judges, officials, armies, etc were under his authority
b) shoguns would appoint governors to maintain order in provinces
c) shoguns remained in power for 700 years, fighting off conquering Mongols in the
1300s and dealing with Portuguese traders in the 1500s
(i) the traders introduced Christianity and guns
d) in 1853, Commodore Perry of the United States arrived in Japan and officially ended
Japan’s isolation from most of the world
(i) in 1868 the last shogun resigned and the emperor became head of the government
C) Emerging World Power
a) in the late 1800s early 1900s, Japan pushed hard to modernize
(i) by WWI (1914) Japan was a major enough power to challenge German colonies
in the Pacific
b) after WWI, Japan began to focus society around the military
(i) they pushed into the Pacific and took over huge areas, including present day
Taiwan, the Philippines, present day Indonesia, Korea, Manchuria, Southeast
Asia, and parts of China
c) this aggression led to trade sanctions from the US, and, after Japan joined the Axis
Powers with Germany and Italy, they attacked Pearl Harbor, bringing the US into
WWII
d) the US focused more on Germany, but fought Japan island by island in WWII
(i) eventually they were poised to take on the Japanese home islands, but knew it
would lead to high casualties
1 instead, the US dropped two hydrogen bombs and Japan surrendered, not
knowing how many more were created
e) after the war, the US took control and introduced political and economic reforms
(i) Japan then became a constitutional monarchy with the emperor and an elected
parliament
II) An Economic Powerhouse
A) People and Products
a) population is about 127 million, and about 80% are on a single island
 b) a large stretch of that island is the primary region of industry and manufacturing
(i) this and trade with others is the backbone of Japan’s economy
c) Japan imports almost all raw materials they need, then use the materials to make
things to sell to others
(i) the most important products are cars and electronics
B) Economic Slowdown
a) after a loan from the US, Japan had about 4 decades of rapid growth
b) this would be hurt in the 1990s when competing economies appeared in South Korea,
Taiwan, and Hong Kong
(i) Japan responded by investing in these areas, only to lose more money due to
unforeseen economic hardships in the regions
c) since then, Japan’s economy has evened out and holds fairly steady
III) Japanese Culture
A) Traditional People
a) despite their differences, much of Japan’s earlier culture was adopted from China
(i) these ideas would then be adapted to fit Japan
1 Buddhist temples stand beside Shinto shrines
 these take particular shapes designed to make them blend with
surrounding nature
b) theater came from China, but morphed into distinctive Japanese style
c) paintings too are similar, though they take on elements of Japanese thinking
B) Western Influences
a) since the 1850s, Japan has been open to Western influences
(i) sports like baseball, golf, soccer, and tennis are popular
(ii) many enjoy Western music including rock, symphony, and jazz
C) Life in Today’s Japan
a) the people are highly educated and disciplined
(i) students go to school 6 days a week
(ii) summer vacations are only 6 weeks (Americans get 10)
(iii)students go to elementary for 6 years, junior high for 3, high school for 3
1 often they will also go to private classes during high school to help get into
the best colleges
(iv) competition to get into the best colleges is fierce
b) today, issues with overcrowding and pollution have some calling for reform
c) workers are also asking for shorter work days and more vacation time- stress in Japan
is typically very high