 The desire for a share in the valuable spice trade spurred Portugal & Spain to search for new trade routes to Asia. Aided by better ships & other technological advances, Europeans explored the world, coming upon the Americas in their travels. Europeans established trading posts in Asia. India, too, established a presence in Southeast Asia, where geography contributed to the development of a number of diverse Southeast Asian cultures.

Exploration Unit:

 The terms isolation, Hermit Kingdom, & closing the door pertain to East Asia between the 1500s & 1700s.  What might these terms indicate about East Asian foreign policy during this period?

 After the Ming dynasty, the Qing (ching) dynasty brought some changes to China. However, both dynasties limited contact with the West.  Korea, stung by Japanese & Manchu invasions, isolated itself & became known as the Hermit Kingdom.

 In Japan, the Tokugawa shoguns first welcomed foreign merchants but then barred them from the country.  What does it all mean?  In short, China, Korea, & Japan limited contact with western nations between the 1500s & 1700s.

 Europeans who reached Asia in the 1500s often made poor impressions on locals.  Asians thought that Europeans were…  Ignorant  Wanting in ordered life  Very dirty  Had no manners  Europeans, however, were impressed with who & what they found in East Asia.

 “Since our empire owns the world, there is no country on this or the other sides of the seas which does not submit to us.”-document from the Ming Dynasty  Ming Dynasty ended overseas exploration in mid-1400s

 Portuguese reached China by sea in 1514  To the Chinese, they had little to offer in exchange for silks & porcelains  European textiles & metalwork were inferior to Chinese products  Therefore, the Chinese demanded gold or silver

 Strict Limits on Trade  Eventually the Ming opened a trading post at Macao where Portuguese, Dutch, English & other Europeans could trade w/ Chinese merchants, but under strict limits.  For example…  trade could only be conducted under the supervision of imperial officials  once trading season ended, they had to sail away

 A few European scholars, like Jesuit priest Matteo Ricci, did make a positive impression on Ming China.  1580s, Ricci learned to speak Chinese & adopted Chinese dress.  Ricci & other priests had little success spreading their religious beliefs  But Chinese rulers welcomed the chance to learn the arts & sciences of Renaissance Europe.

 By the early 1600s, the Ming dynasty was decaying.  Revolts erupted & Manchu invaders from the north pushed through the Great Wall.  In 1644, victorious Manchu armies seized Beijing & made it their capital.

 The Manchu set up a new dynasty- Qing  Manchu barred intermarriage between Manchus & Chinese  Manchu women were forbidden to follow the traditional Chinese practice of foot binding

 For each top government position, the Qing chose two people, one Manchu & one Chinese.  Manchu troops stationed across the empire ensured loyalty.  Two rulers  Kangxi (kahng shee) , extended Chinese power into Central Asia & promoted Chinese culture  Qianlong (chyehn lohng) , expanded the Chinese borders

 The Chinese economy expanded under both emperors.  New crops from the Americas, such as potatoes & corn, boosted farm output, which in turn contributed to a population boom.  Population rose from 140 million in 1740 t0 over 300 million by  Further growth in handicraft industries, including silk, porcelain, & cotton.

 The Qing maintained the Ming policy of restricting foreign trade.  Still, Europeans kept pressing to expand trade  1793, Lord Macartney arrived in China as part of a British diplomatic mission.

 Brought samples of British-made goods, which the Chinese thought were gifts offered as tribute to the emperor  Took offense because they were cheap, crude products.  When Macartney met with the emperor, he refused to perform the traditional kowtow, touching his head to the ground to show respect.  Spoke of the superiority of the English  Do you think the Chinese liked him? NO!!!!!!

 Like China, Korea restricted outside contacts in the 1500s & 1600s.  The Choson dynasty embraced Confucian ideas.  Like the Chinese, Koreans felt that Confucian learning was the most advanced in the world.  The low status of merchants in Confucianism led Koreans to look down on foreign traders.

 Ethical & philosophical system developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius. It is a complex system of moral, social, political, philosophical, & quasi-religious thought that has had tremendous influence on the culture & history of East Asia.

 Other events led Korea to turn inward…  A Japanese invasion in the 1590s devastated the land of Korea.  In 1636, before overrunning Ming China, the Manchus conquered Korea.  In response to all of this, Koreans chose isolation, excluding all foreigners except the Chinese & a few Japanese.  When European sailors shipwrecked on Korean shores, they were imprisoned or killed.

 Unlike the Chinese or Koreans, the Japanese at first welcomed western traders.  1543, Portuguese reached Japan; later the Spanish, Dutch, & English.  They arrived at a turbulent time when there was a struggle for power.  The Japanese quickly acquired western firearms & built castles modeled on European designs.

 Japan was much more open to European missionaries than China.  Jesuits, like Spanish priest Francis Xavier, found the Japanese curious & eager to learn about Christianity.  The Tokugawa shoguns, however, were increasingly hostile toward foreigners.

 After learning how Spain had seized the Philippines, they saw Europeans as agents of an invading force.  They also disliked competition from Christian missionaries; therefore, they had them expelled & brutally persecuted Japanese Christians, killing many thousand.  By 1638, they had barred all western merchants & forbidden Japanese travel abroad.

 How might limited contact with the West have both strengthened & weakened the countries of East Asia?