Almeda, Nichole Angela S.

Political Science II

HISTORY 23
CONTINENT OF ASIA
came from different sources: internet, raw notes, Ma’am Jesa, & former 2nd year students.

 Geographically speaking, Asia is traditions and customs, offering myriad

compact and unified (a big land mass), experiences. No other county is “Truly
and is very diverse in terms of culture. Asia” as Malaysia.

 Asia is the biggest of the seven
continents.
 Asia is from the Aegean word “asu”
which means sunrise and “ereb” for
Europe which means sunset.
 Asia’s features are: agriculture, minerals,
water, spices, land, and human
resources.
 Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq are
non arab countries.

 Malaysia “truly Asia” or “melting pot of  Asia is the most populated continent
“Asia.” It is named on Malaysia because with 60% of the world’s population.
no other country has Asia's three major
races, Malay, Chinese, Indian, plus o More than half of the world’s
various other ethnic groups in large population are living in Asia
numbers. Nowhere is there such
exciting diversity of cultures, festivals,

 The East, South, and Southeast Asia:

o East Asia Region (also known as far east because it is located farthest east of
Europe)
 Main topographical features in Northern region of East Asia include Da
Hinggan, Xiao Hinggan, and Bureya ranges; the Zeya-Bureya Depression and
the Sikhote-Alin ranges.

 Most features were formed by folding, faulting, or broad zonal subsidence.

 China, Japan, North and South Korea, and Taiwan

 China is described as the “Sleeping Giant” because it is very big in
terms of land area (ranks third after Russia and Canada)
 China ranks first in terms of population with more than 1 billion
population
 The Chinese are not politically minded people, rather, they are
business minded
 Japan
 In terms of land area, is the complete opposite of China, Japan is a
very small country and is an archipelago
 Japan was labelled as the “Energetic Dwarf” due to its progressive
nature despite being a small country. It is also the only country in Asia
who joined World War 1 and World War 2
 Gives importance to their military.

o South Asia Region

 Composed of the following countries: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal,
Maldives, Bhutan, Sri Lanka

 Important geographical features of South Asia; Physical - mountains, rivers,

and deserts.
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 Major mountain ranges are Indus, the Ganges (or Ganga), and Brahmaputra.

 The Thar Desert (great Indian desert).

o Southeast Asia Region

 ASEAN - Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

 Asean, an intergovernmental organization established for economic growth,

political stability, active collaboration, mutual assistance, and educational and
cultural integration.

 The physical geography of Southeast Asia includes beaches, bays, islets, and
gulfs.

 The landscape is characterized by three intermingled physical elements:

mountain ranges, plains, and plateaus, and water in the form of both shallow
seas and extensive drainage system.

 Tropical climate with temp above 25 degrees thru the year.

 Is a vast sub-region of Asia, roughly described as geographically situated

east of the Indian subcontinent, Sout of China, and northwest of Australia.

 The region is bounded by the Bay of Bengal in the west, the Italian ocean in
the south, the South China Sea in the center, and the Philippine Sea and the
Pacific Ocean in the east.

 25,000 islets and islands in Southeast Asia.

 East timor was used to be part of Indonesia and was colonized by Portugal.
Their currency is US dollars.

 Singapore is a very progressive country. Has the world’s best airport which
was “Changi Airport”

 In Thailand there are 3 main red light districts in Bangkok: Soi Cowboy, Nana
Plaza and Patpong.

 Patpong is the oldest red light district in Bangkok located at the heart of
Bangkok's sex industry where Thailand's go-go culture started.

 Indonesia is “world’s largest archipelago.” Has the largest ethnic groups.

“Unity in diversity.”

 Largest islands in Southeast Asia are New Guinea which is shared by

Indonesia and Papua New Guinea; and Borneo, shared by Malaysia,
Indonesia, and Brunei. Sumatra, Sulawesi, Java, Sumbawa, and Flores are
the largest islands of Indonesia.

 The area consists of two separate geographic regions:

 Mainland / Indochina / Indochinese Peninsula
1. Cambodia
2. Laos
3. Brunei
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4. Vietnam
5. Myanmar
6. Thailand
7. Peninsular Malaysia

 Insular / Malay archipelago / Maritime Southeast Asia

1. Philippines
2. Indonesia
3. Insular Malaysia
4. East Timor
5. Singapore

CHINA
I. GEOGRAPHY

 China’s currency: Renminbi or Yuan.

 Third largest country in the world in
terms of land area, and first in terms of
population.
 Chinese Civilization is the oldest
civilization in the region of East Asia but
is younger compared to other
civilizations such as Egypt.
 The Chinese are business oriented
people.
 Chinese Civilization is characterized by
the rise and fall of dynasties
o Dynasties are a line of hereditary
rulers in a country
o Dynasties are very common in
ancient times

 China is watered by the yellow river
which is known also as Huang he. The
longest river in China is the Yangtze.
Both rivers served as a connecting link
to the outside world (communication
was made possible to the outside world)
and was also used as a means of
transportation system which is why
China was able to communicate with the
world.
 “Silk Road” played a very important role
in opening China to the world.
 First dynasty in China was the Xia
Dynasty
o Little information is known about
the Xia Dynasty because most of
the information is taken from
legends and archaeological
findings
o Pre-historic times
 During ancient China, emperors was
regarded as God’s representative on
earth, while the scholars was regarded
as first class people.

DYNASTIES
II. DYNASTIC RULE

Xia Dynasty
 First dynasty in China.
 Yu the Great (c. 2123-2025 BC)
 He is known for developing a flood control technique that stopped the Great Flood that
ravaged farmer’s crops for generations.
 Pre-historic times.
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 Little information is known about the Xia Dynasty as most of it was taken from legends and
archaeological findings.

Shang Dynasty
 Second dynasty in China.
 Shang Dynasty was founded sometime around 1600 BCE by a virtuous man named Cheng
Tang.
 He overthrew the evil king of the legendary Xia.
 The Shang Dynasty was a monarchy governed by a series of kings, 29 or 30 in total, over
the course of almost 600 years.
 Had the earliest form of Chinese writing.
 Development of astrology and math.
 Used highly developed calendar.
 Casting bronze for weapons, utensils, and vessels.
 Chopsticks was invented during this dynasty.

Zhou Dynasty
 Third dynasty in China.
 The most notable leaders were King Wu, King Cheng, and King Huan.
 King Wu, the leader of the Zhou (Chou), a subject people living in the west of the Chinese
kingdom, overthrew the last king of the Shang Dynasty.
 Longest dynasty that ruled China (about 900 years).
 A book of divination that first introduces concepts like the famous yin-yang ( 阴阳 yīnyáng)
symbol.
 Confucianism, Daoism (Taoism), and Legalism–three ancient Chinese philosophies–also
emerged during this dynasty.
 The Zhou rulers were owners of vast tracks of land.
 Zhou rulers were also politically in control of the country’s affairs (they were in control of the
most important positions in the government.
 They were respected and supported by the people.
 This was the time when the Chinese philosophy flourished (Confucianism, Taoism and other
schools of thought).

Qin Dynasty
 The fourth dynasty that ruled China.
 The dynasty where the name China was taken.
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 The dynasty when the great wall was built:

o The great wall was built for defence
o For protection purposes
 Terracotta army
 Was the first imperial dynasty
 Qin dynasty was founded by Shih Huang Ti / Qin Shi Huang
o Shih Huang Ti was regarded as China’s first emperor
o Ruled China with an iron fist (remembered for being ruthless)
o Ordered the burning of hundreds of thousands of books and the live burial of 460
Confucian scholars the famous first emperor Qin Shihuang ( 秦始皇 Qín Shǐhuáng)
conquered all the rival kingdoms, bringing total unity to China.
o He was a great statesman
 Established a well-defined government
 Imposed taxes as a source of revenue
o However, over time, he grew envy of Confucius
 Confucius is regarded as China’s greatest moralist and China’s greatest
philosopher.
 To many Chinese, he was a God, and Confucianism was like a religion
 He ordered the burning of books by Confucius to disregard the principles of
Confucianism. This angered the people to the extent that he was condemned
and cursed by the people and led to his downfall.

Han Dynasty
 Fifth dynasty in China.
 The Han dynasty was founded in 206 BCE by Liu Bang.
 Liu Bang led the revolt against the repressive policies of the preceding Qin dynasty and
became the Gaozu emperor.
 Emperor Wu is considered one of the greatest emperors in Chinese history due to his strong
leadership and effective governance, which made the Han dynasty one of the most powerful
nations in the world.
 Great revival of the Confucian classics.
 Admission to the government was no longer based on lineage, rather, it was based on merit
 Established the civil service to create a strong and organized government. The Han
embraced Confucianism, poetry, and literature.
 Longest imperial dynasty.
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 Was known as a golden age in Chinese history with a prolonged period of stability and
prosperity.
 Paper and porcelain were invented during this time.
 Iron and silk production were also prominent during this time.
 The silk road was opened to connect to the west, bringing in trade, foreign cultures and the
introduction of Buddhism.

Sui Dynasty
 Is most famous for unifying China under one rule after the Period of Disunion.
 The Sui Dynasty only ruled for a short time from 581 to 618 AD. It was replaced by the Tang
Dynasty.
 Since the fall of the great Han Dynasty in 220 AD, China had been divided.
 Different regions fought for control and there was constant war.
 In the early 500s, China was ruled by two major kingdoms known as the Northern and
Southern Dynasties.
 In 581, a man named Yang Jian took control of the Northern Dynasty. He established the Sui
Dynasty and became known as Emperor Wen.
 The Sui Dynasty didn't last long, however. It began to decline under the rule of Emperor
Yang (son of Emperor Wen).
 Emperor Yang ruled China as a tyrant. He forced the peasants to work on massive projects
such as the Grand Canal and rebuilding the Great Wall.
 Millions of peasants died under his rule. In 618, the people rebelled and the Sui Dynasty was
overthrown. It was replaced by the Tang Dynasty.

Tang Dynasty
 Sixth dynasty in China.
 The Sui were led by General Yang Jian of the unified north. The Sui, however, lasted for
only two emperors before falling to Li Yuan, founder of the Tang Dynasty.
 One of the greatest dynasties that ruled China.
 Golden age of ancient china.
 Golden age of Chinese arts and culture.
 Considered as the high point in Chinese civilization.
 A period of economic prosperity at their peak.
 Referred to as the best dynasty that ever ruled China.

Song Dynasty
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 Seventh dynasty in China.

 The Song dynasty was founded by a general named Zhao Kuangyin.
 Legend has it that his troops no longer wanted to serve the current emperor and begged
Zhao to wear the yellow robe. After refusing three times eventually he took the robe and
became Emperor Taizu, establishing the Song dynasty.
 The history of the Song dynasty is usually divided up between the Northern Song and the
Southern Song.
 China became a world leader in science and technology during this time.
 Invention of gun powder.
 Printing was introduced.
 First government to issue banknotes.
 Invention of the civil service exams.
 Mongol Invasion:
o Genghis Khan
o Kublai Khan

Yuan Dynasty
 Eighth dynasty in china.
 The Yuan Dynasty was a period of time when China was under the rule of the Mongol
Empire.
 First Mongol dynasty in China.
 Ruled by Kublai Khan.
 The word “yuan” means “origin of the universe.” Today, the “yuan” is the basic unit of money
in China.
 Assimilation of the cultures.
o Chinese embraced the culture of the Mongols while the Mongols embraced the
culture of the Chinese
 Rebuilt the grand canal.

Ming Dynasty
 Ninth dynasty in China.
 The Ming Dynasty is often called the last of the great Chinese dynasties. It ruled Ancient
China from 1368 to 1644. It was followed by the Qing Dynasty.
 The peasant uprising that removed the Mongols and the Yuan Dynasty from power was led
by a man named Zhu Yuanzhang.
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 He took control of China and named himself Emperor Hongwu. This was the beginning of
the Ming Dynasty.
 The government was run by an organization called the civil service. In order to get a job with
the civil service, applicants had to take difficult exams. The men with the highest scores
would get the best jobs.
 Emperor Chengzu was the third emperor of the Ming dynasty. He did a lot of good things to
strengthen China like re-building the Grand Canal and establishing trade and diplomacy with
other countries.
 He also moved the capital to Beijing and built the Forbidden City. He later was known as the
Yongle Emperor.
 Great cultural revival of China.
 “The Brilliant Dynasty”
 During this time, China was labeled as the “mistress of the world.”

Qing Dynasty
 The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China.
 The Qing ruled China from 1644 to 1912 before being overthrown by the Republic of China.
It is sometimes referred to as the Manchu Dynasty.
 The Manchu people of northern China began to unite against the Ming Dynasty.
 In 1644, the Manchus crossed the Great Wall and invaded China. They soon took control of
the Chinese capital city, Beijing, and declared the beginning of a new dynasty called the
Qing.
 The first Qing Emperor was a five-year-old boy who became the Shunzhi Emperor.

Manchu Dynasty
 A period of great rebellion.
 Ruled until the time of Sun yat sen.

PHILOSOPHY
III. CHINESE PHILOSOPHIES
 Schools of thoughts
o Confucius and Confucianism
o Lao Tzu and Taoism
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Confucius
 Also known as Kong Qiu or Kung Fu-tzu, was a Chinese philosopher, teacher, and political
figure. His teachings, preserved in the Analects, focused on creating ethical models of family
and public interaction and setting educational standards.
 Was the most well-known philosopher in China.
 Was considered as a God to many Chinese.
 Was born in 479BC in the small state of Lu (now the modern shantung province).
 Considered as China’s greatest moralist, his greatest teaching is the golden rule.
 Authored embracing perfect virtue as a solution in order to have perfect state and eternal
happiness.
 Confucius believed that education and reflection led to virtue.
 He advocated a set of moral code on basis of five merits: benevolence, righteousness,
propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness.
 Among them, benevolence was considered as the cornerstone, which stands for faithfulness,
filial piety, tolerance and kindness.
 He also requested people to keep in good harmony with each other and establish a
community ruled by standard manners and behavior.
 “Man should conform to the laws of society; man should know what is right or wrong”

Confucianism
 A philosophy and belief system from ancient China.
 A philosophy founded from the teachings of Confucius.
 Basic tenets of Confucianism:
o Confucianism stresses moral cultivation of a person.
o Confucianism is authoritarian in nature
 The final decision always comes from the emperor
o Confucianism is characterized by elitism
 Emperors and scholars were regarded to be the most privileged people
 Confucianism stresses the importance of correct behaviour, loyalty, and obedience to
hierarchy.
 Focuses on how to emphasize the importance of human morals and ethics.
 Conform to the laws of society.

Lao Tzu
 Founder of Taoism
o Taoism is the philosophy of the simple man
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o The classic way of life

 A practical politician who also succeeded as a teacher
 Live a simple and humble life.

Taoism
 The classic way of life.
 The philosophy of a simple man.
 The basic principle of Taoism is the principle of wu wei which is translated in English as do
nothing and nothing will be not done.
o Does not mean complete inaction, rather, doing what comes naturally.
 Live a simple life
o Forget about your ambition, because of one’s ambition people live in great misery
 Conform to the laws of nature.

The Hundred Schools

 School of the Naturalist / Yin Yang
o Group of men who attempted to explain nature on the basis of certain cosmic
principle.
o The Ying-Yang School originated from The Book of Changes and emphasized yin
and yang, the Five Elements, astrological calendars, and fortune-telling.
o Zou Yan (305 B.C.E.-240 B.C.E.) is considered the founder of this school, whose
theories attempted to explain the universe in terms of basic forces in nature;
o The complementary agents of yin (dark, cold, female, positive) and yang (light, hot,
male, negative) and the Five Elements or Five Phases (water, fire, wood, metal, and
earth)
o Basic dualism of nature:
 Yang and yin forces of nature.
 School of Logicians
o The School of Names, or Logicians, which grew out of Mohism, focused on definition
and logic.
o It is said to have parallels with the logic of the Ancient Greek sophists or dialecticians.
o The most notable Logicians were Gongsun Longzi and Hui Shi, both of whose works
have been lost.
o The Logicians' thought was purely theoretical.

 School of Mo-tzu / Mohism

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o Mohism or Moism was developed by followers of Mozi / Mo Tzu.

o Mohism was seen as a major rival of Confucianism in the period of the Hundred
Schools of Thought.
o Its philosophy rested on the idea of universal love.
o Mozi taught that "everyone is equal before heaven," and that people should seek to
imitate heaven by engaging in the practice of collective love.
o His epistemology can be characterized as primitive materialist empiricism; he
believed that cognition ought to be based on perceptions and direct sensory
experiences, such as sight and hearing, instead of on imagination or internal logic,
which are founded on our capacity for abstraction.
o Although Mohism as a philosophical school had declined by the end of the Qin
Dynasty, its views are said to be strongly echoed in Legalist thought.

 School of Mencius
o Mencius (372-289BC) was a Confucian in the Warring States Period (475-221BC).
o He repeatedly tried to convince rulers that the ruler should cultivate moral perfection
in order to set a good example to the people and the ruler who governed
benevolently would earn the respect of the people.
o He also believed that people were more important than rulers.
o Made major contributions to the spread of humanism in Confucian thought, declaring
that man, by nature, was inherently good.
o Mencius, the synthesizer and developer of applied Confucian thought, provided
traditional Chinese society with a comprehensive framework by which to order
virtually every aspect of life.
o Xunzi opposed to Mencius and preached that humanity is innately selfish and evil; he
asserted that goodness is attainable only through education and conduct befitting
one's status. He also argued that the best form of government is one based on
authoritarian control, and that ethics is irrelevant in the context of effective rule.

 School of Legalism
o The School of Law, or Legalism was a response to Xunzi's unsentimental and
authoritarian philosophy.
o The doctrine was formulated by Han Feizi and Li Si who maintained that human
nature was incorrigibly selfish; accordingly, the only way to preserve the social order
was to impose discipline from above, and to strictly enforce laws.
o The Legalists exalted the state above all, giving its prosperity and martial prowess
priority over the welfare of the common people.
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o Although it had all but disappeared by the first dynasty, Legalism greatly influenced
the form of the imperial government.

INTERNAL STRIFE IN MAINLAND

OPIUM WARS
What were the Opium Wars?
 The Opium Wars were two minor wars fought between China and Great Britain (primarily) over
the opium trade in China.
 They took place during the middle of the 1800s near the end of the Qing Dynasty.
 Some historians consider the Opium Wars to be the start of the modern era in China.

What caused the wars?

 During the end of the Qing Dynasty, China exported many goods to European countries
including tea, silk, and porcelain. At the same time, China didn't import many goods. China
mostly kept to itself and only allowed foreign traders to trade through certain ports.
 In order to create a new market in China, British traders with the British East India Company
started to import opium into China.
 Opium is a very addictive drug and was illegal in China. However, as more and more Chinese
became addicted to opium, British traders began to make a lot of money selling opium to China.
 The Chinese government didn't want opium in China. Too many people were becoming
addicted to the drug.
 In 1839, they decided to put an end to the illegal opium trade. They first sent a letter to the
British government asking them to stop the traders. When the traders continued to sell the drug,
the Chinese seized over 20,000 chests of opium from British traders. Soon, fighting broke out
between the two sides and the First Opium War began.

First Opium War

 The First Opium War lasted over three years from March 18, 1839 to August 29, 1842.
 The British Navy moved in and easily defeated the outdated Chinese Naval forces. They took
control of the trade port Canton and reopened the opium trade. They then moved to occupy
several cities along the coast of China and blockaded the Grand Canal.
 By 1842, the Chinese saw that they were losing the war and were ready to negotiate.

Results
 After winning the war, the British forced the Chinese to sign the Treaty of Nanking.
 The treaty reestablished trade between the countries and opened up five trade ports to Britain.
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 It also forced China to pay $21 million in reparations and gave Britain control of the city of Hong
Kong.

Second Opium War

 The Second Opium War lasted from 1856 to 1860.
 The French joined the British in this war against China. The war began when the British placed
additional demands on the Chinese including legalizing the opium trade and opening all of
China for trade with British companies. When the Chinese government refused, tensions
increased between the two countries.
 Fighting began when the Chinese seized a British pirate ship called Arrow. The British said the
Chinese had no right to seize the ship and used the incident for an excuse to attack Canton.
The French soon joined in the fighting when a French missionary was executed by Chinese
authorities.
 The British once again took control of Canton. Fighting continued on and off for the next four
years. In 1860, British and French forces approached Beijing and defeated the Qing army.

Results
 At the Convention of Peking in 1860, the Chinese agreed to sign a treaty with Britain and
France. The treaty legalized the opium trade, established freedom of religion in China, forced
China to pay France and Britain reparations, and opened a new trade port.

TAIPING REBELLION
 The Taiping Rebellion was a revolt against the Qing dynasty in China, fought with religious
conviction over regional economic conditions, and lasted from 1850 to 1864.
 The Taiping forces were run as a cult-like group called the God Worshipping Society by self-
proclaimed prophet Hong Xiuquan, and resulted in the rebels seizing the city of Nanjing for a
decade.
 The Taiping Rebellion eventually failed, however, and led to the deaths of more than 20 million
people.

BOXER REBELLION
 The Boxer Rebellion of 1900, a Chinese secret organization called the Society of the Righteous
and Harmonious Fists.
 It led an uprising in northern China against the spread of Western and Japanese influence.
 The rebels, referred to by Westerners as “Boxers” because they performed physical exercises
they believed would make them able to withstand bullets, killed foreigners and Chinese
Christians and destroyed foreign property.
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 From June to August, the Boxers besieged the foreign district of China’s capital city Beijing
(then called Peking) until an international force that included American troops subdued the
uprising.
 By the terms of the Boxer Protocol, which officially ended the rebellion in 1901, China agreed to
pay more than $330 million in reparations.

ASIAN COUNTRIES WITH THEIR CAPITAL

Highlighted are to be tackled specifically.

Southest Asia Countries (11)  Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

 Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei  Tashkent, Uzbekistan
 Phnom Penh, Cambodia
 Jakarta, Indonesia  West Asia / Middle East Countries (17)
 Vientiane, Laos  Yerevan, Armenia
 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  Baku, Azerbaijan
 Naypyidaw, Myanmar  Manama, Bahrain
 Manila, Philippines  Tbilisi, Georgia
 Singapore, Singapore  Baghdad, Iraq
 Bangkok, Thailand  Jerusalem, Israel
 Dili, Timor-Leste  Amman, Jordan
 Hanoi, Vietnam  Kuwait City, Kuwait
 Beirut, Lebanon
 East Asia Countries (8)  Oman Muscat, Oman
 Beijing, China  Ramallah, Palestine
 Tokyo, Japan  Doha, Qatar
 Seoul, South Korea  Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
 Pyongyang, North Korea  Damascus, Syria
 Taipei, Taiwan (disputed territory for the  Ankara, Turkey
People's Republic of China)  Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
 Victoria City, Hong Kong (Special  Sanaa, Yemen
Administrative Region of the People's
Republic of China)  South Asia Countries (8)
 Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia  Kabul, Afghanistan
 Macau (Special Administrative Region of  Dhaka, Bangladesh
the People's Republic of China; no  Thimphu, Bhutan
capital city)  New Delhi, India
 Male', Maldives
 Central Asia Countries (5)  Kathmandu, Nepal
 Astana, Kazakhstan  Islamabad, Pakistan
 Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan  Colombo, Sri Lanka
 Dushanbe, Tajikistan