East Meets West

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East Meets West
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The Silk Road

• In the second century BC, caravans began
  traveling a 4,000 mile route linking Southeast
  Asia with the West.
• Silk carried along this route made its way to
  Rome
• In both directions, various political, social,
  religious, and artistic ideas flowed.
• Ghengis Khan and his descendants gained control
  of the region by the 13th century

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The Silk Road
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To Medieval Europe the East was silks and
perfumes, spices and gold exotic ivory and jade.
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In 1271 three Venetian merchants left in search
of the wealth of the East. 17 year-old Marco Polo
and his father and his uncle were gone for 24
years
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They found great civilizations in the East -- far
more advanced than those in Europe with
different ways of life based on different value
systems and different philosophies.
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Marco Polo described these cultures in his Book
of Marvels The Polos first destination was
China -- the fabled land Europe called
Cathay.Marco Polo remained there for 17 years,
from 1275 to 1292China was a country that had
been conquered by the hordes of Mongol nomads,
swept out of the northern steppes, led by Genghis
Khan
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The Yuan Dynasty1279-1369

• Established by Kublai Khan
• Series of 11 emperors
• Never fully integrated into Chinese society
• Ruled from capital city of Dadu (Beijing) --
  built Forbidden City

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The Mongols did not trust the Chinese, and they
welcomed and honored foreigners who could help to
administer their vast territory. Kublai Khan,
grandson of Genghis, employed Marco Polo for 17
years on business throughout China
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Religion Under the Yuan

• Although the Mongols originally rejected
  Confucianism, they later saw its usefulness in
  governing and adopted a kind of
  Neo-Confucianism
• Kublai Khan invited religious debates at his
  court among a variety of religions Tibetan
  Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Islam and
  Hinduism
• Mongols tended to favor Tibetan Buddhists, but
  tolerated other religions

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The Chinese considered both their Mongol Rulers
and foreigners barbarians The Chinese could
boast of a civilization that had been developed
and refined for over 2,700 years A civilization
whose arts and technology far surpassed those of
Europe in the 13th century Chinese called their
country CHUNG KOU, the Middle Kingdomthe
center of the world
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Convinced of their own superiority, the Chinese
were content to ignore anything foreign
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Although the Mongol rulers controlled the top
levels of government, they were too few to
influence Chinese culture The Chinese,
believing in the process of change, knew the
Mongols would eventually be replaced. Such
attitudes stemmed from a profound sense of order,
both social and cosmic -- which contrasted
sharply with the restless individualism of
Western Europe
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In society, the ancient principles of Confucius
formed the basis of this order, giving the
Chinese a value system of stable harmony THE
MANDATE OF HEAVENThe Emperor, as father to his
people, commanded obedience as long as he ruled
with wisdom and justice
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Just as the Chinese sought harmony in society,
they sought harmony in nature through the
philosophy of Taoism following the way of nature
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The yin - soft, female elements- complement the
yang - hard, male elements - without
contradiction Lao Tzu There is nothing weaker
than water but none is superior to it in
overcoming the hardWeakness overcomes strength
and gentleness overcomes rigidity
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By Polos time, the basic principles of Chinese
society were were set, and not until modern times
would China see any need to change.
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Literary Effects of Yuan Rule

• Barred from government, the Chinese nobility and
  scholars turned to literature -- writing under
  pseudonyms
• In the cities, the bourgeoisie adopted popular
  forms of literature
• Poetry, while being vastly popular, was not
  greatly improved upon.
• The greatest advances in literature were in the
  forms of theatre and opera.
• Traditions of verse romances and storytelling
  flourished.

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End of the Yuan

• Preoccupied with governing, Mongols grew lax in
  military training
• They never gained popular support
• Both nobility and peasantry were impoverished
• Series of popular uprisings led to overthrow of
  Yuan Dynasty

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Ming Dynasty 1368-1644

• Founded by Chu Yuan-chang, a peasant who had
  been a Buddhist monk, a bandit leader and a rebel
  general Emperor Hong Wu
• Last native imperial dynasty in Chinese history
• Re-adopted civil-service examination system
• One of Chinas most prosperous periods
  agricultural revolution, reforestation,
  manufacturing and urbanization

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Age of Exploration

• The Ming Dynasty, under the naval leadership of
  Zheng He, was noted for its sea explorations and
  extensive trade from Africa to Southeast Asia
  greatest naval power in world in 15th c.
• Zheng He sailed from China to many places
  throughout South Pacific, Indian Ocean, Taiwan,
  Persian Gulf and distant Africa in seven epic
  voyages from 1405 to 1433, some 80 years before
  Columbus's voyages.
• However, scholars convinced the Emperor in 1435
  that taste for exotic wares would cause decline
  of dynasty, so trade and maritime expansion was
  greatly contracted

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Zheng-He and Columbus
Zheng Hes Treasure Ship
Compared to ColumbussSanta Maria
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Ming Literature

• Development of the novel
• Arose from traditions of Chinese storytelling
• Written in commoners language
• Divided into chapters at points where
  storytellers would have stopped to collect money
• Classics of Chinese literature
• Water Margin, 16th c. band of outlaws
• Romance of Three Kingdoms, 16thc. historical
  novel
• Monkey Journey to the West, 16th-17th c.
• Encyclopedias
• Dictionaries

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Decline of Ming Empire

• Incompetence of later Ming Emperors absolute
  authority abolition of office of Prime Minister
• Rebellions in 17th c. caused by increasingly
  burdensome taxes
• Threat from the Manchus in the North

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The Qing Dynasty 1644-1911

• The Manchu (Jurchen) dynasty was the second
  minority to rule the whole of China.
• The last feudal dynasty in Chinese history.
• Imperial China reached its zenith of power and
  influence.
• Policy of rewarding land cultivation coupled
  with a reduction or exemption from taxation.
• Several large works such as the Encyclopedia of
  Chinese Writings (Confucian classics, history,
  philosophy and belles-lettres), Kangxi
  Dictionary, and A Collection of Books Ancient and
  Modern, were compiled

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Most of Eastern Asia acknowledged the superiority
of Chinese culture from which it borrowed for
centuries The Japanese, Koreans, and
Southeastern Asians had adopted elements of
Chinese culture as models for their own societies
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The Japanese borrowed the Chinese system of
government, Chinese characters for writing, and
Chinese conventions for art, architecture and
literature
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But the Japanese quickly assimilated Chinese
borrowings and built their own unique island
culture The Japanese created special forms of
entertainment such as Noh and Kabuki drama And
simple but stylized rituals such as the tea
ceremony In their social relations, they
developed rules of conduct with an intricate web
of obligations for all.
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Marco Polo never visited Japan because the
Mongols under Kublai Khan failed in their attempt
to invade Xipangu -- Japan The Portuguese, in
their early voyages of discovery, were the first
Europeans to encounter Japanese culture 200 years
later
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After travelling through India, Marco Polo
returned to Venice in 1295 Although his stories
of magnificent Eastern civilizations were met
with skepticism, the account of his travels would
be read all over Europe, inspiring the curious
and adventurous
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The pattern of East-West relations-- from the
first discovery of a sea route from Europe to
Asia-- was largely one of Western action and
Eastern reaction
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The West went to the East, but the East saw no
need to come to the West Vasco da Gamas
discovery of a sea route to India in 1498 opened
important commercial traffic, led to the
expansion and consolidation of the Portuguese
Empire, and the spread of European culture and
Christianity in the Orient.The Portuguese were
quickly followed by the Spanish and Dutch, and
later the French and British sent their ships
into Eastern oceans
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The British, with their superior naval strength,
finally became the dominant colonial power in
southern Asia In India, the British found a
country governed by the Mogul emperors As the
emperors grew decadent, the British penetrated
their governments, first as advisors -- later as
direct rulers with military and political control
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Throughout history, Indias attitude to
conquerors had remained the same -- she ignored
them as long as they did not threaten the basic
Hindu identity
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The English were content to live apart, safe in
their compounds and strongholds As closely as
possible, they duplicated life in England -- with
certain luxurious additions Their need to
impress created a chasm between the races and cut
off any real exchange
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According to Lord Kitchener It is the
consciousness of the inherent superiority of the
European which has won for us India
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In their isolation, the colonialists ignored the
rich culture of India and the beauty of the
Indian arts But in the establishment of English
schools, they introduced the revolutionary ideas
of equality, social reform and self-government
which India would adapt to its own cultural
pattern
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Independence came to India in 1947 after decades
of campaigning and non-violent protest led by
Mahatma Gandhi
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China, convinced of its superiority, had
restricted trade and other contacts with the West
Desperate to open up the rich ports of China,
the Europeans finally found a product they could
sell in China
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opiumOpium is an imperious master and treats
its subjects like slaves. It first comes with a
gentle touch...
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...and then in a few weeks when it has got its
grip upon the man, it shows itself to be the
cruelest taskmaster that ever drove man to a
lingering death.
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When the Chinese government tried to curb the
opium traffic, the British gunboats triumphed in
the Opium Wars (1839-42,1856-60) China was
forced to open her ports and the interior to a
flood of foreign merchants, soldiers and
missionaries and to legalize the opium trade.
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The Open Door Policy imposed by the Western
Powers created havoc in China depredation by
foreigners and internal rebellion
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A secret society in northern China began a
campaign of terror against Christian missionaries
and Chinese converts. Foreigners called them
Boxers because they practiced martial arts.
The Boxer Rebellion1900
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1912 Overthrow of last Imperial Dynasty and
establishment of a republic under the leadership
of Sun Yat Sen Sun borrowed Western political
institutions, but allowed only one political
party and stressed the need for individuals to be
subordinated to the states welfare His
successor, Chiang Kai Shek was caught in a war
on two fronts -- against the Japanese and the
Communists he eventually retreated to Taiwan and
set up a government there.
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When Mao Tse Tung entered Beijing and established
a Communist government in 1949, it ended more
than a century of rebellions and civil wars.
While the Chinese looked to the Russian
Revolution for inspiration, they adapted Marxism
to its their own agricultural society with the
vast number of peasants, who had been oppressed
throughout history China, after a period of
isolation, has rejoined the world stage with a
willingness to come to terms with the West on a
basis of mutual respect
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Japan, reacted to the Western challenge in a
rather different fashionThroughout the
14th-19th centuries, Japan had isolated itself
from foreign trade and contacts under the rule of
the Shoguns
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In 1542 the first Portuguese traders and Jesuit
missionaries arrived in Japan. They brought
firearms and Christianity with them. The Jesuit
Francis Xavier undertook a mission to Kyoto in
1549-50. Despite Buddhist oppostion, many
warlords welcomed Christianity because they
wanted to trade with Western nations for
armaments Imposing order after a series of
civil wars, Hideyoshi, in 1587, issued an edict
expelling Christian missionaries. In 1597
Hideyoshi intensified the persecution of
Christian missionaries, forbade further
conversions, and executed 26 Franciscans as a
warning.
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Ieyasu continued to promote foreign trade. He
established relations with the English and the
Dutch. On the other hand, he enforced the
suppression of Christianity from 1614 on.
In 1633, Iemitsu forbade travelling abroad and
almost completely isolated Japan in 1639 by
reducing the contacts to the outside world to
very limited trade relations with China and the
Netherlands.
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By the 19th c., the rigid class distinctions were
crumbling in the wake of a failing economic
system Disaffected samurai warriors roamed the
country as bandits Merchants and tradesmen, had
gained power and wealth in the growing cities
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Such was the situation when, in 1853, US
Commodore Matthew Perry steamed into Yokohama
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Demonstrating the firepower of what the Japanese
called his black ships, Perry demanded that
Japan open trade with the West Realizing they
could not match the military power of America,
Japan agreed to establish diplomatic and trade
relations The military humiliation of the
Shogunate, combined with the social and economic
problems brought about the restoration of the
Emperor in 1868
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Imperial administrators quickly embraced reform
and completely remodeled the government and
economy to resemble those of 19th c. Europe and
the US The abrupt break with the past left many
Japanese with feelings of cultural loss and a
sense of dislocation and regret
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But it also led to a rise of nationalism and the
emergence of Japan as a major world power at the
turn of the century
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Sino-Japanese War, 1894 Russo-Japanese War,
1904-05 World War Two Pearl Harbor,December
7, 1941HiroshimaAugust 6, 1945
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The countries of the East and West have reacted
to each other in different ways,
but each has adopted something of the other
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India, as seen through its great religious
literature, was admired by Western Romantics, and
Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote a poem, To Brahma
In the 18th c. a craze for anything Chinese swept
Europe -- Chinese furniture, wallpaper, porcelain
and oriental gardens
Similarly in the 19th c., Japonisme infiltrated
Western visual and performance arts
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The greatest challenge of the 21st Century is the
challenge for diverse cultures to understand each
other and learn to live peacefully with each
other.
The Eastern philosophies of spiritual
enlightenment influenced the development of
American Transcendentalism and European
Existentialism
The great conflicts of the 20th c. drew in both
Eastern and Western powers as allies and enemies