Effects of Chinese Culture on Southeast Asia and Japan

307 Words2 Pages
During the period of 600-1450, China rose as the most influential state in East Asia. This is because, and because of this, many other states borrowed heavily from Chinese culture. Japan and Southeast Asia were two of those that borrowed a lot from China. They both borrowed rituals and the religions, Buddhism and Confucianism from China. They also borrowed the system of a bureaucracy from China. Chinese-style court rituals and a system of court rankings for officals were also borrowed by SouthEast Asia and Japan. In SouthEast Asia, they found the Chinese aporoach to government useful and made use of Chinese court rituals. Both SouthEast Asia and Japan borrowed Buddhism and Confucianism from the Chinese. Tolerance was showed in bothe for each religion. In Southeast Asia, elites were educated in Confucian-basef school however, the rituals of Confucianism were not abided by for women were equal to men in SouthEast Asia. In Japan, they encouraged both Buddhism and Confucianism. When it came to Confucianism in Japan, womem escaped the oppressive features of Chinese Confucianism culture. Japanese women had freedom and different opportunities in their lives. They had status in society. In SouthEast Asia, elites were brought into the local bureaucracy. A merit-based scholar-gentry class to staff the bureaucracy. Japan however, never succeeded in creating an effective centralized and bureaucratic state to match that of China but they did try to borrow that idea from China and produced it to the best of their ability. China was a major state during the period of 600-1450, therefore many of their ideas, recourses and culture were borrowed by many other states. Because of the fact that many borrowed from China, the state also became greater. Southeast Asia and Japan were two that borrowed heavily from Chinese culture. They borrowed their rituals, religions and
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