capter 8

China will be the next superpower.

B. China was a major player among the third- wave civilizations.

1. a China-centered “world order” encompassed most of eastern Asia
2. China’s borders reached far into Central Asia
3. its wealthy and cosmopolitan culture attracted visitors from afar
4. all of China’s neighbors felt its gravitational pull
5. China’s economy and technological innovation had effects throughout Eurasia

C. China was also changed by its interactions with non-Chinese peoples.

1. nomadic military threat

2. international trade as catalyst of change

Together Again: The Reemergence of a Unified China

A. The Han dynasty collapsed around 220 C.E.

1. led to 300 years of political fragmentation
2. nomadic incursion from the north
3. conditions discredited Confucianism in many eyes
4. Chinese migration southward to Yangzi River valley began

B. A “Golden Age” of Chinese Achievement

1. the Sui dynasty (589–618) reunified China
• Sui rulers vastly extended the canal system
• but their ruthlessness and failure to
• conquer Korea alienated people, exhausted state’s resources
• dynasty was overthrown, but state didn’t disintegrate
2. Tang (618–907) and Song (960–1279) dynasties built on Sui foundations

a. established patterns of Chinese life that lasted into twentieth century

b. regarded as a golden age of arts and literature

The Tribute System in Theory

1. the Chinese understood themselves as the center of the world (“middle kingdom”), far superior to the “barbarian” outsiders
2. establishment of “tribute system” to
3. manage relations with non-Chinese peoples
• non-Chinese authorities must acknowledge Chinese superiority
• present tribute to the emperor
• would receive trading privileges and “bestowals” in return (often worth more than the tribute)
4. the system apparently worked for centuries

C. The Tribute System in Practice

1. but the system disguised contradictory realities
2. some nomadic empires could deal with China on at least equal terms
• Xiongnu confederacy (established around 200 B.C.E.)
• Turkic empires of Mongolia were similar
3. steppe nomads usually did not want to conquer and rule China
• preferred extortion
• but nomads moved in when the Chinese state broke down
• several steppe states took over parts of northern China
  
  
  It was interesting reading about China because to many it wasn’t a surprise that China could be the next superpower. China was a major civilization. It has been since the ancient era. It has had continuous existence. It has a huge part in trade. They didn’t produce things for themselves but for trade which created growth economics and technology