ch.13 stearns research paper: Chinas influence on japan, korea, and vietnam

In the postclassical era, China had become very successful in their development as a civilization making other cultures, such as Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, want to imitate their routine so they could compare to China’s power. After The Taika Reforms, an attempt to empower the Japanese emperor, in 646 CE, Japan, upon seeing China’s success, decided to follow in their footsteps causing a total makeover to their own culture. Starting with some political revamps, Japan adopted Confucian education, Chinese written language, and China’s political etiquette. Japan also transformed their monarchy, making the emperor divine or the “son of heaven”, this also shifted the government to an official Bureaucracy. Moving on to religion, Japan’s Shinto customs fused with China’s Buddhism beliefs for lower classes while Japan’s elites went all in, taking Buddhism completely. All of this can’t last forever and soon, after the Taika reforms collapse, Japan starts reverting back to some of their old customs. Some lasting effects on Japan from China include; new social values and statuses, achievements in literary works, and an impact on women’s rights. In the end Japan abandons the Chinese influence altogether and their political structure collapses causing the Daimyos to take control. Korea also had the same idea as Japan, cultural borrowing from China. They copied Buddhism, China’s art & architecture, and Confucian learning. Korea tried bureaucracy as well but they failed, having no support form nobles. Korea was soon almost re-conquered by Tang to take advantage of internal divisions, establish a tribute system instead with new
Silla kingdom, 668 CE, this made the boundaries of Korea effectively unchanged from this point forward. Korea started taking after China’s culture again, having an almost total adoption, excluding bureaucracy. After all of this the Yi dynasty was created, lasting from 1392-1910 CE. Korea maintained Chain’s relationship and influence. Vietnam was