Kingdoms of Southeast Asia and Korea

Slide 1:

• In the shadow of China many prosperous kingdoms rose and fell in southeast Asia and Korea.
•  Southeast Asia lies between the Indian Ocean and Pacific oceans and stretches from Asia to almost Australia.
• Consists of two main parts

1. Indo China: mainland peninsula that borders China to the north and India to the west

 2. Island, the largest of which include Sumatra, Borneo and Java.

• All of southeast Asia lies within the warm, humid tropics.
• Monsoon winds bring region heavy seasonal rains.

Slide 2:

1. Seas and straits separate the island of southeast Asia.
2. On the mainland five great rivers flow from the north and cut valleys to the sea.
3. Between the valleys rise hills and mountains making travel and communication difficult.

Slide 3:

1. Throughout Southeast Asia’s history, the key to political power often has been control of trade routes and harbors.
2. This is due to southeast asia lying on the most direct sea route between the Indian Ocean and South China Sea.
3. two important waterways connect the two seas: The strait of Malacca between the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra and the Sunda Strait between Sumatra and Java.

Slide 4:

• Indian merchants took advantage of the monsoon winds and began arriving in southeast Asia by the first century A.D.
• Hindu and Buddhist missionaries spread their faith to the region.
• Indian influence on Southeast Asia is evident today in the region’s religions, languages, and art forms.

Slide 5:

•  Chinese ideas and culture spread southward in the region through migration and trade
• at different times the chinese also exerted political influence over parts of the mainland through direct rule or by demanding tribute from local rulers

Slide 6:

1. Khmer (Kmair) empire (Cambodia) was the main power on southeast Asia mainland.
2. by 800 the the Khmer had conquered neighboring kingdoms and created an empire, its peak was at 1200.
3. improved rice cultivation helped Khmer becomes prosperous.
4.  Khmer built irrigation systems and waterways.
5. these advances made it possible to grow three or four crops of rice a year in an area that used to only produce one

Slide 7:

1. Capital Angkor was an extensive city and temple complex.
2. one called Angkor wat is one of the worlds greatest architectural achievements
3. complex covers a square mile
4. was built as a symbolic mountain dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu
5. it was also used as an observatory.

Slide 8:

1.  Powerful kingdoms also formed.
2. Sailendra Dynasty ruled an agricultural kingdom on the island of Java.
3. Sailendra kings left behind an architectural monument, the buddhist temple at Borobudur.
4. built around 800, this temple reflects strong indian influence.
5. complex has nine terraced levels like a stepped pyramid.

Slide 9:

1. Sailendra dynasty fell under the domination of the powerful island empire of Srivijaya.
2. they ruled the strait of Malacca and other waters around the island of Sumatra, Borneo, and Java.
3. grew wealthy by taxing the trade that passed through the waters.
4. their capital was Palembang in Sumatra.
5. Palembang became a center for buddhist learning where chinese monks could study instead of traveling to India.

Slide 10:

1. Vietnamese were the least influenced by India. Vietnam was under the influence of China until the fall of the Han Dynasty
2. then they broke away and became an independent kingdom known as Dai Viet.
3. Vietnamese absorbed many chinese cultural influences including buddhism and ideas about government.

Slide 11: 

1. Vietnamese preserved a strong spirit of independence and kept their own cultural identity.
2. vietnamese women traditionally had more freedom and influence than their chinese counterparts
3. Rulers of the Ly Dynasty located their capital at Hanoi, on the red river delta.
4. established a strong central government that encouraged agriculture and trade, greatly
5. improved the road and river transportation networks.
6. Changes made by the Ly continue to influence the vietnamese way of life way after they lose power.

Slide 12:

1. According to Korean legend: the founder was a hero named Tan’Gun, whose father was a god and mother a bear.
2. Another legend says the a royal descendant of the chinese Shang Dynasty did
3. reflects two sides of korean culture
4. Koreans were a distinct people who developed their own native traditions
5. but at the same time their culture was shaped by chinese influences from early dynastic times.

Slide 13:

1.  Korea is located on a peninsula that sticks out from the asian mainland toward Japan.
2. it is about the same size as the state of Utah. climate is hot in summer and very cold in the winter
3. lots of mountainous land and only a limited portion of the peninsula can be farmed.
4. Korea is somewhat isolated from its neighbors because of the mountainous barriers that lie between korea and its northern neighbor

Slide 14: 

1. In early Korea, different clans or tribes controlled different parts of the country. in 108 B.C. the Han empire conquered much of Korea and established a military government there.
2. Koreans learned ideas about centralized government, confucianism, Buddhism and writing.
3. During the han rule various korean tribes began to gather into federations.

Slide 15:

1. Eventually these federations developed into three rival kingdoms.
2. One of these kingdoms, the silla, defeated the other kingdoms and drove the chinese out. Gaining control of the whole Peninsula
3. during their rule koreans built buddhist monasteries and produced elegant stone and bronze sculptures.
4. also developed a writing system suitable for writing korean phonetically using chinese characters

Slide 16:

1. After the Silla’s rule had weakened they were overthrown by a rebel officer known as Wang Kon who gained control of the territory and became king.
2. Named the new dynasty Koryu and it lasted four and a half centuries (450 years)
3. Modeled its central government after China’s
4. it also established a civil service system. although it did not work as well as the chinese system

Slide 17:

1. Koryu was sharply divided between a landed aristocracy and the rest of the population including military, commoners, and slaves.
2. despite the examination process the sons of nobles received the best positions. these positions became hereditary.

Slide 18:

1. Koryu dynasty faced a major threat in 1231 in the Mongols.
2. Mongols demanded tribute of 20,000 horses, clothing for 1 million soldiers, and many children and artisans who were to be taken as slaves
3. harsh occupation lasted until the 1360 when the mongol empire collapsed.

Slide 19:

1.  In 1392 a group of scholar-officials and military leaders overthrew the koryu Dynasty and instituted land reforms
2. established a new dynasty known as the Choson or Yi Dynasty, which ruled for 518 years.