Compare And Contrast Tang Dynasty And Middle China

Many civilizations of the world develop their own ways of life, and eventually it gets shared with other civilizations. These civilizations develop technologies, ways of making life easier, and when other leaders see that, they want that for their region as well. This can lead to many bad things, such as war, but it can also lead to the development of new ideas and technologies. Along with technologies, religious beliefs can also be traded. For example, Buddhism started in India, but spread to China, Japan, Korea, and other regions as well. Middle China started around 618 A.D. at the establishment of the Tang dynasty. The Tang dynasty brought the golden age to China, and facilitated the inventions and innovations of many things. Buddhism was
accepted by some members of the imperial family during this time. This allowed for the religion to gain a lot of status and power among the leaders. Buddhism became the official religion of the Tang dynasty during its golden age. Japan received these golden age inventions, and adapted them for their own purposes. Middle China and Japan are interconnected through government institutions and policies, religion, and ideas and technologies.
Middle China and Japan are interconnected through government policies and institutions.
The Chinese invented the idea of a civil service exam, which the Japanese eventually heard of. They tested it out, but it didn’t work in their imperial court system. They adapted this idea into the idea of other people beside the ruling family having more power. This, in Japan, lead to a strong aristocratic society with a strong military class during the Heian period. They tried to produce an exam system, and it worked for a while, but eventually fell apart. When Korean travelers came to Japan, they brought lots of Chinese culture with them, including the idea of having a powerful ruling class that wasn’t the emperor. In addition, this also lead to the development of the samurai to protect these powerful families. Government policies and institutions travel from China to Japan and are instituted there, but changed slightly, making the civilizations more
interconnected.
Middle China and Japan are interconnected through religion.
Buddhism was first brought to Japan by Korean travelers. The Japanese already had a religion however, and used Buddhism to adapt their already existing religion, Shintoism. Buddhism eventually made its way into the imperial family in Japan. Prince Shotoku was a Buddhist and adopted Buddhism into Japanese life and culture. His influence was the main reason that Buddhism was adopted so quickly in Japan. In China, Buddhism came from India, where it originated. When powerful families in both China and Japan converted to Buddhism, it made Buddhism a very powerful religion that connected many regions of the world. Buddhism and Shinoism became the dominant religions during the Heian period. This religious merging was a main connector between China and
Japan.
Middle China and Japan are interconnected through ideas and technology. During the Tang dynasty in China, which was China’s golden age, there were many inventions and innovations that China facilitated in it’s vast cities. One reason China was such an innovation hub is that during that time period, China had the civil service exam in place, which made the society have an emphasis on education above all else. One of the more notable inventions of that time period is gunpowder. Due to its close proximity to China, Japan received many of China’s inventions, such as gunpowder. Around 1270, gunpowder started to appear in Japan through the silk road trade. Japan used gunpowder and other weaponry from China during their many battles in the Pacific ocean. They adapted gunpowder to be used in their already existing battle tactics. This theme of taking the original invention or idea and adapting it to Japanese ways continues with other inventions. These inventions from China changed the course of Japan’s history. China also gave Japan the idea of a written language. Before Japan and China started having a communication, Japan didn’t have a written language. Japan adopted the Chinese script so that the two civilizations could communicate. This invention allowed for even more inventions to pass between Japan and China. These inventions and ideas connected Japan and China even further.
Multiple aspects of China and Japan are interconnected through government policies, religion, and ideas and inventions. Government policies were developed in China and passed onto Japan through the silk road trade and Korean travellers. These government policies instituted the Japanese imperial family. Buddhism originated in India and was brought to China, which was then brought to Japan. When leaders converted, it made Buddhism a very powerful and influential religion in both Japan and China. Ideas and inventions that originated in China and spread to Japan shaped the course of history. These inventions were spread along the silk road and the Japanese adapted them to fit into their existing culture. If China and Japan had not been as interconnected as it was, both civilizations might not be the same today. Middle China and Japan influenced each other and created a strong bond between the two cultures.

Bibliography
"The Influence Of Chinese Culture On Japanese Culture." Articles about Chinese Culture. Char4U, 28 Aug. 2013. Web. 16 Feb. 2017. .
"Buddhism in Japan." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Feb. 2017. Web. 16 Feb. 2017. .