China and the World: East Asian Connections

     Many historians choose to focus on the Europeans and their Renaissance period and noting how significant this period of time was for the entire world, then and now. However, they have chosen to ignore an equally significant Renaissance-of-sorts that occurred in the East. China was one of the major civilizations of the classical world, but it does not get enough attention and recognition. Further examination of the area sees that there were very significant ideas and technologies that originated from China, which eventually spread to other parts of the world. Therefore, China's influence was not only contained in one specific area; its reach spread across much of Eurasia.
     During the political conflicts of the "era of warring states," Confucianism and Daoism took hold and became integral to Chinese society. Due to the growing popularity of Confucianism, however, men actively subordinated women, reducing the rights that women could enjoy. After marriage, women were required to leave her family and become part of her husband's family, where all of her property became his. In addition, wives had to constantly compete with concubines and prostitutes for their husbands' attention, and did so by practicing foot-binding in order to make their feet look smaller since that was considered beautiful. Unfortunately, this was a painful process that resulted in women's feet to be deformed.
     China's influence reached that of Korea, Vietnam, and Japan. Since they were part of the mainland, Korea and Vietnam experienced a lot of Chinese influence that was mostly forced upon them, such as Confucianism. Before the invasion of the Chinese, women enjoyed more freedom in Korea and Vietnam. However, due to Confucianism being enforced in these countries, women were stripped of most of their freedom and rights, such as being able to marry a man of their choosing and living in her family's home. Japan, on the other hand, welcomed Chinese influence, especially their political system, since it seemed to be prosperous. However, the Chinese could not enforce their influence on the Japanese since they were not part of the mainland, thereby allowing the Japanese to pick and choose what parts of the Chinese culture that they wanted to adopt.
     China's influence was not restricted to the lands around them. Their reach spread all the way to the west in the European countries. Their inventions of gunpowder, silk, the magnetic compass, paper, and printing traveled through the silk roads and spread to various parts of the continent. However, China was not the only one spreading their influence; they were also at the receiving end of it. Inventions such as the cannon made their way into China, thus revolutionizing their military strategies. The most important and influential idea that made its way into China, however, was the religion of Buddhism. Buddhism became a central part of Chinese culture, and the Chinese version of the religion even found its way to Korea, Vietnam, and Japan. Overall, the Chinese Renaissance, although not as highly publicized, was just as significant as that of the European Renaissance.