Unit 1 Topic 1 AP World: Developments in East Asia

• China possessed the biggest popsicle of power in the time period of 1200 to 1450
• Song Dynasty

  The dynasty in China during the time period of 1200 to 1450
• How Song rulers maintained and justified their power

  1. Revival of Confucianism

  2. Increasing use of an imperial bureaucracy
• Confucianism


  The official Chinese state philosophy, emphasising a hierarchical society with unequal relationships
• Neo-Confucianism


  The revival of Confucianism during the Song Dynasty, influenced by Buddhist and Taoist ideas
• Women were relegated to the subordinate position in the hierarchy.
• The practice of foot binding was prevalent among the elite in Song China
• Imperial bureaucracy


  The governmental entity that carried out the will of the emperor
• Civil service examination


  The exam that eligible men had to pass to get a job in the bureaucracy, based on Confucian classics
• Song China's cultural influence on Korea

  Korea maintained a tributary relationship, adopting aspects of Chinese culture like the civil service examination
• Song China's cultural influence on Japan

  Japan voluntarily adopted certain aspects of Chinese culture, like the imperial bureaucracy and Chinese Buddhism
• Song China's cultural influence on Vietnam

  Vietnam also participated in the tributary system with China, adopting Confucianism, Buddhism, and the civil service examination
• Vietnam did not adopt the practice of foot binding, unlike China
• Buddhism


  A belief system originating in South Asia, with concepts like the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path
• Theravada Buddhism


  The original form of Buddhism, emphasising escaping the cycle of birth and death, mainly restricted to monks
• Mahayana Buddhism


  A branch of Buddhism that emphasised the teachings being available to all, and the Buddha as an object of devotion
• Tibetan Buddhism


  A branch of Buddhism that emphasised more mystical practices like lying prostrate and elaborate imaginings of deities
• Chan Buddhism


  The distinct version of Buddhism that developed in China during the Song Dynasty
• Factors contributing to the economic prosperity of the Song Dynasty

  1. Widespread commercialisation of the economy

  2. Expansion of iron and steel production

  3. Agricultural innovations like the introduction of Champa rice

  4. Transportation innovations like the expansion of the Grand Canal
• The Song Dynasty was the most populous state in the world at the time