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ASIA DURING THE MIDDLE AGES

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Medieval Asia had amazing stories, first collected by such people as Marco Polo who

was a travelling Westerner. Marco’s amazing stories were published in the 13 th and 14th

centuries, with their reading being wide throughout Europe. Marco Polo introduced European

civilization to Great Khan who in turn introduced Marco to Chinese civilization.

In the middle ages, Asia seemed to have been much ahead of the west in several

development fronts. Such include science, warfare, and communication. In Asia, gunpowder was

already in use by the 11th century. Additionally, they were utilizing moveable type printing. The

dominant philosophies during this age in Asia were Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism.

Asia in the medieval times was a kingdom of the Kahn’s. The Khans controlled a massive

land, none of which has ever been owned by any other kingdom. Khan built a unified power,

including the tribes of the Mongols. Khan then expanded the kingdom to the west and south. The

family, Khan and his grandson in particular, controlled the lands of Burma, China, Central Asia,

Iran, Eastern Europe, Russia and the Middle East. The Mongol armies are estimated to have

reduced the Chinese population to about two thirds in this medieval period. Khan tolerated

almost all religious except Islam. This led to suffering of the Muslims during his reign. The

Mongolians were innovative in the fields of culture, technology, and medicine. This contributed

a lot to the building of the Asian civilization, whose effects were felt in Europe.

The middle ages saw China having its own distinct painting and ceramics. No one

surpassed China in such endeavors. Some surviving constructs from this era include the Tien-

ning temple in China, the Great South Gate in Japan, and Angkor Wat in Cambodia. These are

just a few examples of the architectural masterpieces of the middle ages in Asia.
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Among the disasters Asia experienced in the middle ages were the Black Death. This

wiped out many populations in China, though the country alter flourished in the Ming Dynasty

within the same medieval era. In Japan, there was popularity of Zen Buddhism and Shinto faith.

The Chinese dynasties of T’ang, Song and Ming existed in the middle ages. These were

important dynasties that ruled China, contributing a lot to the politics, economics and culture of

China. Indeed, such traditions as tea, delicious food, Chinese costumes and other beautiful

artifacts shaping China up to now have their origins in these dynasties. The results of the T’ang

dynasty include urbanization; foreign contacts reception; renaissance of invention and arts;

institutionalization of civil service and education, knowledge in painting, mathematics and

astronomy, and law. The Tang revived Confucianism, insisting on responsibility and attention of

advisors. The dynasty persecuted Buddhists. The Song dynasty was marked by Neo

Confucianism, technological innovations, art and production of literature. Additionally, there

was advancement in agriculture in this era. The Ming dynasty hated Mongols and was marked by

shi scholar-gentry, educational institutions, Confucianism, exam system and handicraft

industries. It was the Sung Dynasty that saw commercial revolution of China, with

standardization of money, advancements in agriculture and urbanization among other landmark

developments.

The middle ages in Japan was characterized by many changes in governance, religion and

structure of classes. This was due to changes in rules and beliefs of the Japanese. It is Prince

Shotoku, in around the 6th century, who brought about great developments in politics, marked by

the first constituon that was considered legal. This guided the Japanese on adopting the

Confucian governance ideals of the Chinese. The document also taught the Japanese on

Buddhism, hence in ardency in Buddhism. There was regulation of taxes, hence improvement of
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central authority. Japan also saw development I military power in the Middle Ages. The Japanese

art flourished in this period, particularly the Heian period (around 9 th to 10th centuries). The

period was characterized by styles of literature and art. There was development in writing, with

the development of kana (the Japanese alphabet) which characters representing syllables. There

was also a new literary style, the Monogatari, which worked in features of lengthy fictional

narratives. Japan saw the domination of Zen Buddhism in this period, mainly in its two branches

of Shinto and Jodo. The Japanese military was mainly characterized by the samurai, a class of

noble highly trained warriors. The samurai had a class and culture, hence an integral part of the

nobility.

The Vietnam and Korea also had some influences in the middle ages. The Koryo and Ly

dynasties of Korea and Vietnam respectively had many relations with China around 10 th to 13th

centuries, which they benefitted a lot, at least politically. The societal structures of the dynasties

were largely characterized by Chinese influence. In Korea, the Koryo dynasty had eliminated all

rivals and united the Korean kingdoms. Their bureaucracy style was Chinese, enabling the

dynasty to rule over the entire peninsula successfully. This was also aided by the good diplomacy

with China.

India has an interesting medieval history too, around the periods of 1000s to 13000s. It

was mainly marked by the rule of South Asian empires, the amassment of wealth from trade, and

war. The outstanding dynasties in this period are Chola and Delhi. India also witnessed some

immense religious and political events in this period of the middle ages. India witnessed great

religious developments, including the conflicts between Islam and Hindu.

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The middle ages in Asia could not be complete without the mentioning of the conflict

between the Muslims and Hindus. This mainly originated around the 7 th and 8th centuries. This is

the period when Islam was introduced to Indian kingdoms. This was as a result of trade, given

that Arabic Muslims were the prominent traders of this period. Many Hindus saw the growing of

the Islam religion (due to the many trade centers established by Muslim merchants) as a threat to

their way of life. The Indian kingdoms also feared military invasion by Islamic kingdoms. As a

result, the two groups could turn against each other, even though they still coexisted peacefully

for a long time.

Indeed, the middle ages saw great advancements in Asia. It was China’s ‘golden age’

mainly under the Song, the Mongols, and the Ming expeditions. China saw commercial

development, urbanization, population growth, military advancement, political authority and

trade through exploration. Japan also experienced governance by the samurai or warriors,

warfare, and advancements in military among others. Korea, under Koryo, also saw several

advancements in religion and governance. Vietnam, under Ly dynasty, witnessed advancements

in literature, religion and governance. As witnessed, India experienced a wide array of

developments and activity. The mediaeval period in Asia was characterized by growth in

religion, military, commerce, literature and politics. This was despite the constant challenge,

conflicts and war.

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