China Project

Dear Genghis Khan,

I am an ambassador from the country of England. King Edward II has read Marco Polo’s writings. He is impressed and feels that Europe is behind the times and needs to advance in terms of technology, society, philosophy, and religion. It is his opinion that by emulating the last few hundred years of Chinese history, starting with the rebirth of Confucian ideas, we would be able to improve the societies of Europe and stabilize the governments throughout the continent. As an ambassador, the King would like me to come to China and learn how your empire has expanded and advanced so greatly.

The government of England is interested in learning more about how your great country got to where it is today. We are impressed by your civil service system. We are looking forward to learning more about how Confucian ideas led to equality of opportunity, hope, respect, and participation. We appreciate, and would like to learn more about, your civil service system: how it leads to a fairer government, how it increased the number of applicants for better jobs, and how it led to educated people replacing the founding elite. We are fascinated about how the reinvented civil service system resulted in less rebellion and, in turn, a more stable government.

I understand that prior to the Tang Dynasty, Buddhism was the dominant philosophy and influenced the government for many years. At first, only merchants and intellectuals were interested in the new ideas. Over time, it became more attractive to many people. It gained support among the ruling classes. Buddhists became advisers at the imperial court. However, in the end, Buddhism lost favor in court and was increasingly vulnerable to attack.

During the Tang Dynasty, people of China began to reject Buddhist rule and the Buddhist way of life. Buddhism was criticized for being a foreign religion. Buddhist monasteries had acquired thousands of acres of land and serfs. With land came corruption. The government reacted strongly and no longer supported it. Instead they gave their support to a revived version of the Confucian philosophy.

`Also during the Tang dynasty, a re-birthed form of Confucianism became more prominent. This new form was known as Neo-Confucianism. This form of the philosophy was a response to Buddhism. Neo-Confucianism says that the world is real, not an illusion. It also says that fulfillment comes from participation in life, not withdrawal. The goal of individuals is to move beyond the material world to reach union with the Supreme Ultimate. This is accomplished by a careful examination of the moral principles that rule the universe. Because of this rebirth of Confucian ideas, there was an infusion of hope throughout China.

This infusion of hope occurred because Neo-Confucianism was focused on the here and now. It was also focused on the pursuit of happiness. In response, the people of China wanted a better life. They worked harder, which led to an economic explosion. Some believe there was a one thousand percent increase in agricultural production. Because of the agricultural and economic explosion, people turned to the system of specialization and the country became more advanced.

The excess food generated by the agricultural explosion permitted the Chinese to build an agricultural trade, and in turn to trade other products. Four very important goods led to the rebirth of the Silk Road: the compass, paper, the printing press, and gunpowder. Gunpowder led to a more powerful empire and a more protected one as well. Paper led to more precise documentation. Together with the printing press, paper spread new ideas and religions all over the Eastern World. The advent of widespread printing helped to circulate Confucian teachings and educate more and more eligible candidates for the civil service exam. The compass made navigation much more efficient, and led to the expansion of the empire because it could conquer faraway places.

As I mentioned before, the English government much admires your civil service system. When the civil service exam was recreated based on Confucian ideas, there was an incredible increase of applicants for good government jobs. The number of exam takers for the low-level prefectural exams rose from 30,000 annual candidates in the early eleventh century to 400,000 candidates by the late thirteenth century. Education replaced birthright. This led to a better government, because educated people were in office -- as opposed to people who had powerful families.

By the late eleventh century, the founding elite class had been replaced by the scholar-gentry class. This signaled the beginning of a new imperial bureaucracy that brought a stabilizing influence on the politics of China. The government was fair and not corrupt, so there was less rebellion and protesting. All of this led to a more powerful, stable, and prosperous country. Education replacing birthright was also the chief avenue to social mobility and life of pleasure in Hangchow, which we have all heard and read about form Marco Polo.

The Civil Service Exam was the chief vehicle for the descendants of former serfs to participate in the good life that resulted in increased output, prosperity, and happiness. The Confucian ideas it was based on caused the people who were given government jobs to be able to work together and be more tolerant of one another. The respect and participation that the ideas taught made people more accepting of diversity and gave way to new ideas and methods, which benefited the government. Your civil service exam was the perfect way for the descendants of former serfs to be able to live the life of a middle or upper class citizens of China. With increased social mobility, cities such as Hangchow flourished, as Marco Polo has written.

Overall, I believe you can tell from my writing that we in England are highly impressed by your successful country. We would very much like to try to use your methods to make our country more efficient and prosperous. We hope that using the Civil Service System and infusing Confucian thought throughout our country will help us to be a more powerful, prosperous, and stable country. Your country is a great example for the world. We hope that one day England will also be a great example.

As I have stated, my King requests that you permit me to travel to China to learn more about your systems. In addition, he asks that you permit me, on my return home, to bring several civil servants back to England. We would like them to share their “rags to riches” stories to infuse hope and desire of a better life throughout our country and overall make it a better one. We hope that the stories will inspire our people to work harder and make England a better country. If you are willing to let us travel to your country and return home with people to inspire our own success, I can assure you that we will be your ally if any trouble comes your way. We will help you defend your country, as you are helping us become a more advanced country.

Sincerely, Ambassador Strauss

Jihad v. Mcworld

Africa in the Middle Ages was similar to what it is now: a mix of traditional and modern. Early in the middle ages, Africa was mostly traditional rural life that gave way to learning and trade centers, such as Timbuktu. This caused Africa to be more prominent in the modern world.

In the early middle ages, the separation between king and subject was far less than in most Asian societies. Most people lived in rural villages that were based on families. They lived in small, round dwellings made of mud and straw. Lineage was based on the mother rather than the father. The mother taught the children until they were six and then, based on gender, they were taught separately. Mothers taught history and language through songs.

Trading centers like Timbuktu created a more progressive world in Africa. They educated people and spread new goods and ideas. They also spread new religions. As people were educated, towns became more efficient and grew. As this happened, kingdoms expanded. Trading was now happening everywhere. The rulers were strong and wealthy. Kingdoms had armies of thousands of men to protect citizens. Gold and salt were the main exports. Kings made pilgrimages with thousands of people and camels and spread the glory of Africa everywhere.

I think trade and cultural exchange destroys family and tribal based cultures. I think that as trade and cultural exchange become more prominent, culture weakens and is no longer as important. I think this is because people are more interested in their modern world than their traditional one. Also, I think cultural exchange would bring in new religions and replace old ones. In addition, I think it destroys societies and families when family members are traveling and learning and not part of the village. I also think that cultural exchange may cause societies to modify their cultures, and not always for the better. Lastly, I think that when societies become more modern, they tend to reject their traditions in favor of new ones. I think they might try to commercialize farmland or village land and put people on “reservations,” like what happened to the Native Americans. This often causes disputes between tribes that are put too near each other. They fight over land and break up families and societies.

Overall, Africa is a mix of traditional and modern. There were villages and cities, huts and palaces. There were king and peasants. The empires rose and fell and gave way to stronger leaders and more prosperous towns. But this all made Africa what it is today: a continent rich in culture, diverse peoples, and history.

Mansa Musa Extra Credit Essay

Three prominent civilizations of West Africa were the kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai. They wee all near the Niger River, which was related to their success. They took advantage of it by using it for trade, traveling, and as a water source.

The Niger River was very important to the development and prosperity of West Africa. The riverbeds were fertile for crops and it provided an efficient was of traveling. It connected West Africa to the rest of the world. It was also used for irrigation, which increased food supply. It helped West Africa to trade as well, because it was easy to transport goods by river.

The civilizations of West Africa grew as a result of strong leaders conquering other lands and expanding their empires. They also became more powerful because of the trade of gold, salt, slaves, and food. They became connected to Europe because of the slave trade. They began to trade with many other countries. The Niger River helped them grow food and trade goods.

The pilgrimage of Mansa Musa in all his glory announced to the world the brilliance of West Africa. He took one thousand men and three hundred camels carrying gold with him. He gave out gold everywhere he went. It spread the message that West Africa was so rich that it had enough gold to spare for everyone. It also said that West Africa was very powerful and could let its leader travel without worry.

Over all, the kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai were very rich and powerful kingdoms. They dominated trade and conquered many other states. During the glory of West Africa, they are seen as three of the greatest empires of the time.