Unit 1 1200-1450 is The “Global Tapestry”
It begins with East Asia in the middle of transition while China is about to experience a boom economically & culturally - It's Golden Age. China is divided in 3 (Xia, Jin, & Song) and the building projects, especially the Grand Canal unites much of the northern and southern portions.
East Asia is fully dominated by Chinese influence & culture: Three Beliefs (CONFUCIANISM, BUDDHISM, TAOISM) (add Shinto if you’re in Japan). A mixture of these beliefs will continue to dominate East Asia.
Japan is just begining to resemble an actual nation & is uniting under the Kamakura Shogunate. However it will continue to be ruled by different Shogunates until the 1800s.
Korea is arguably the most stable in this period being ruled by the Goryeo.
Trade is of the utmost important to the region as it is the source of the Silk Road and Zhenghe’s voyages (which are over by 1450 as China turns to isolation).
Everyone in East Asia (like the rest of Afro-Eurasia) is dealing with the Mongol invasions (1200s) and rule of the Mongol Khanates.
In this video we'll look at the process of state building in Song China, which corresponds to Unit 1, Topic 1 of the AP World History curriculum.
For all sorts of reasons, I tend to think of China as the Texas of the ancient world, and no less in 1200-1450. It was big, it had a very distinct culture, and its people thought China was the center of the world. Don't mess with China.
Chinese state building during the Song Dynasty included the expansion of trade across the Silk Roads in Afro-Eurasia, innovations in the process of trade including the introduction of paper money, and a religious (Buddhism) and philosophical (Confucianism) cultural glue that bound the whole society together.
Visual Source of Importance:
What's the best way to memorize China's major dynasties? Singing. It's guaranteed!
We can't Vogue, but we can make a catchy song parody about early dynasties in China.
In which John introduces you to quite a lot of Chinese history by discussing the complicated relationship between the Confucian scholars who wrote Chinese history and the emperors (and empress) who made it. Included is a brief introduction to all the dynasties in Chinese history and an introduction to Confucius and the Confucian emphasis on filial piety, the role the mandate of heaven played in organizing China, and how China became the first modern state.
In which John Green teaches you about what westerners call the middle ages and the lives of the aristocracy...in Japan. The Heian period in Japan lasted from 794CE to 1185CE, and it was an interesting time in Japan. Rather than being known for a thriving economy, or particularly interesting politics, the most important things to come out of the Heian period were largely cultural. There was a flourishing of art and literature in the period, and a lot of that culture was created by women. The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu was the classic piece of literature of the day, and it gave a detailed look into the way the Aristocrats of the Heian period lived. While this doesn't give a lot of insight into the lives of daily people, it can be very valuable, and the idea of approaching history from a cultural perspective is a refreshing change from the usual military or political history that survives from so many eras.
