Asia in the Time of Exploration
By Amy Gilstrap
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Last updated over 3 years ago
20 Questions
Europeans Explore the East
From McDougall-Little Reading Study Guide for World History
Who established trading empires in the Indian Ocean?
Portugal moved quickly to make the new Indian Ocean route (around Africa) pay off. Through military might, Portugal gained power over islands that were rich in desirable spices. They were called the Spice Islands. Spices now cost Europeans one-fifth of what they had cost before, while still making Portugal very wealthy.
Other European nations joined in this trade. In the 1600s, the English and Dutch entered the East Indies. They quickly broke Portuguese power in the area. Then both nations set up an East India Company to control Asian trade. These companies were more than businesses. They were like governments. They had the power to make money, sign treaties, and raise their own armies. The Dutch East India Company was richer and more powerful than England’s company.
By 1700, the Dutch ruled much of Indonesia. They had trading posts in many other Asian countries and commanded the southern tip of Africa. At the same time, both England and France finally gained footholds in India. Nevertheless, even though Europeans controlled the trade between Asia and Europe, they had little impact on most people living in these areas.
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Which European countries established trading empires along the Indian Ocean?
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Which European countries created East India Companies in order to control trade on the Indian Ocean?
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How did European control of trade on the Indian Ocean affect the lives of people in those areas?
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China Limits European Contacts
From McDougall-Little Reading Study Guide for World History
China Under the Powerful Ming Dynasty
What occurred during the Ming Dynasty?
Mongol rule in China ended in 1368 when Hongwu led a rebel army that took control of the country. He declared himself the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, which was to last for almost 300 years. Hongwu began his rule by increasing the amount of food produced and improving the government. Later he grew suspicious and untrusting. He caused the deaths of many people whom he suspected of plotting against him.
His son Yonglo continued his better policies. He also launched a major effort at making contact with other Asian peoples. Beginning in 1405, an admiral named Zheng He led several voyages to Southeast Asia, India, Arabia, and Africa. Wherever he went, he gave away gifts to show Chinese superiority.
Eventually the Chinese changed their position on foreign trade. They began to isolate themselves. China allowed Europeans to trade officially at only three ports, but illegal trade took place all along the coast. Europeans wanted Chinese silk and ceramics, and they paid silver for them. Manufacturing never grew very large in China, however. The Confucian ideas that shaped Chinese thinking said that farming was a better way of life, so manufacturing was heavily taxed. Missionaries entered China at this time, bringing both Christianity and technology.
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Who was the founder of the Ming Dynasty?
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Which one of these men was a Chinese explorer?
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How did the Chinese begin to isolate themselves from foregin trade?
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How did the Chinese begin to isolate themselves from foregin trade?
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Why do you think people engaged in illegal trade after the Chinese government tried to limit trade with Europeans?
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Which of these are reasons for China not develop manufacturing in the 1700s or 1800s?
Manchus Found the Qing Dynasty
How did China change during the Qing Dynasty?
The Ming Dynasty lost power because the government could not solve several problems. Manchus, people who came from a land north of China called Manchuria, took control of the country in 1644. They started the Qing Dynasty. Two important emperors were Kangxi and his grandson Qian-long. They brought China to its largest size, increased its wealth, and sponsored an increase in artistic production.
The Chinese insisted that Europeans had to follow certain rules in order to continue trading with them. These rules include trading only at special ports and paying fees. The Dutch were willing to do so, and they carried on the largest share of trade with China. The British, though, did not agree to following these rules. At the same time, a feeling of national pride was rising in Korea, which had long been dominated by China.
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Which dynasty overthrew the Ming in 1644?
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What rules did the Qing set for Europeans who wanted to trade in China?
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Which country did not agree to the new rules set up by the Qing dynasty rulers?
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Life in Ming and Qing China
What was life like in China under the Ming and Qing?
In China, the production of rice and the long period of peace gave the people better lives. In the 1600s and 1700s, the number of people in China almost doubled. The huge majority of these people were farmers. Because of the use of fertilizer and better irrigation, they could grow more food. The level of nutrition improved. This caused the population to grow.
In Chinese families, sons were valued over daughters. It was believed that only sons could carry out family religious duties and tend to the family farm. For that reason, many infant girls were killed, and adult women had few rights.
The invasions by the foreigners from Manchuria and the pressure from European traders bothered the Chinese. They tried to preserve their traditions and their isolation. Artists created books and paintings that showed traditional Chinese values and ideas. Plays about Chinese history and heroes were popular. They helped to unify the Chinese people.
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In the 1600s and 1700s life improved for people in China. Which of these things were examples of these positive changes?
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What are some ways that Chinese culture promoted unity as a response to threats from foreign influences?
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Japan Returns to Isolation
From McDougall-Little Reading Study Guide for World History
A New Feudalism Under Strong Leaders
Why were warriors fighting in Japan?
From 1467 to 1568, Japan entered a long, dark period of civil war. Powerful warriors took control of large areas of land. They were called daimyo. They became the most important powers in the country. The daimyo fought each other constantly to gain more land for themselves.
In 1568, one of the daimyo, Oda Nobunaga, took control of Kyoto. It was the site of the emperor’s capital. Another general, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, continued the work of bringing all of Japan under one rule. Using military conquest and clever diplomacy, he won that goal in 1590. He failed in his effort to capture Korea, however.
The work of unifying Japan was completed by Tokugawa Ieyasu. He became the shogun, or sole ruler. He moved the capital of Japan to a small fishing village named Edo. Later, it grew to become the city of Tokyo. While all of Japan was ruled by Tokugawa, the daimyo still held much power in their lands. Tokugawa solved that problem by forcing them to follow his orders. Tokugawa died in 1616. All of the shoguns to follow him were from his family. They maintained a strong central government in Japan. This system of rule, called the Tokugawa Shogunate, lasted until 1867.
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What was the name of the ruling dynasty (SHOGUNATE) in Japan from 1603 to 1868?
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The new capital of Japan under the Tokugawa was originally called Edo. What is the city called now?
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Life in Tokugawa Japan
How was Tokugawa society organized?
The new government brought about a long period of peace and prosperity for most people. Peasant farmers suffered greatly during this time, however. They worked long and hard on the farms and paid heavy taxes. Many left the countryside to move to the cities. By the mid-1700s, Edo had more than a million people. It was perhaps the largest city in the world. Women found more opportunities for work in this and other cities than they had in the country.
A traditional culture thrived. It preferred ceremonial dramas, stories of ancient warriors, and paintings of classical scenes. However, in cities, new styles emerged. Townspeople attended kabuki, dramas of urban life. They hung woodblock prints of city scenes in their homes. They also read haiku, poetry th
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Why did peasant farmers move to the cities in the 1700s?
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Japanese culture flourised in this time period. New art and dramas were created and consumed by people in the city. What term do we use to describe a period where art and culture are produced at a higher rate?
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Contact Between Europe and Japan; The Closed Country Policy
Who came to Japan?
In 1543, Europeans began to arrive in Japan. The Portuguese were first. In the beginning, Japanese merchants and the daimyo welcomed them. They even welcomed the Christian missionaries who came after 1549. Some missionaries scorned traditional Japanese beliefs. They also got involved in local politics. Tokugawa became worried. In 1612, he banned Christianity from the country. Christians were persecuted. Over the next 20 years or so, Japan managed to rid the country of all Christians. This was part of a larger plan to protect the country from European influence.
In 1639, leaders sealed Japan’s borders except for one port city. It was open to only the Chinese and the Dutch. The Tokugawa shoguns controlled that port city, so they had tight control over all foreign contact. For the next 200 years, Japan remained closed to just about all European contact.
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Why did the Japanese leaders want to rid their country of European influence?
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How many port cities were open to trade with the Ducth and Chinese?
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