Chap. 11 – Lesson 2
Objectives

Examine the influence on the
development of the early cultures in
Vietnam and Korea.
Compare and contrast early societies of
Vietnam and Korea.
Identify how the Chinese changed the
Vietnamese and Korean cultures.
Key Content

 Vietnam’s first Kingdom, Van Lang, began in about
1000 B.C. It’s people used bronze and irrigation.
 In 111 B.C. China began more than 1,000 years of
rule over what is now northern Vietnam.
 The Vietnamese adopted many Chinese ways that
improved their lives, such as using iron tools, but
rebelled when the Chinese tried to force them to give
up their language.
 The Ly dynasty used Chinese ideas to set up a strong
central government in independent Vietnam in 1009.
Key Content

 The early Koreans lived in clans, which in time evolved
into states, the most powerful of which was known as Old
Choson.
 After the Koreans drove the Chinese from the region, the
three kingdoms of Koguryo, Paekche, and Silla formed,
yet Chinese influences, such as Buddhism and the use of
Chinese characters for writing, remained strong.
 The Koryo Kingdom was formed by 936 A.D. but its poor
treatment of military leaders led to a military uprising.
Over time, the kingdom was replaced by the Choson
Kingdom.
The Main Idea

 Vietnam and Korea are located on separate
peninsulas connected to mainland China.
 Although these two peninsulas are near China, the
early people who lived there were able to build their
own unique cultures.
 Yet, through the years, China had an influence on
both Vietnamese and Korean Culture.
Korea
Vietnam
From Myths and Legends

 The earliest people of
Vietnam were later joined
by people who migrated
from China.
 Together they settled on
the Red River delta in
what is now northern
Vietnam.
 Historians believe that an
early civilization existed
on the Red River delta by
1400 B.C.
Red River
delta
From Myths and Legends

 Other cultures in
southeastern Asia
influenced the culture
of these early
Vietnamese.
 The people of Vietnam
learned ideas about:
 Festivals
 Marriage ceremonies
 And animism.
 According to myths and
legends the first
Vietnamese kingdom
called Van Lang was
formed on the delta.
 The people of Van Lang
discovered how to
irrigate their rice fields.
 As for many Asians, rice
was and still is a staple of
the Vietnamese.
From Myths and Legends

 The people of Van Lang
also raised chickens
and pigs.
 They also made tools,
weapons, and drums
from bronze.
 The Van Lang kingdom
was eventually
conquered by a
neighboring kingdom.
 The ruler of the
conquering kingdom
added Van Lang to his
kingdom and called the
new kingdom Au Lac.
From Myths and Legends

 Beginning in 207 B.C.
the Chinese made
historical writings
about Vietnam.
 According to these
writings, the northern
half of what is now
Vietnam, including Au
Lac, became a
kingdom within the
Chinese empire.
 Eventually the governor
of this kingdom wanted
independence from the
Chinese empire.
 After this governor killed
every government official
within the kingdom that
was loyal to the Chinese
emperor, he took control
of the kingdom from the
Chinese and named it
Nam Viet.
From Myths and Legends

 During the 111 B.C.,
under China’s Han
dynasty, the Chinese
took back control of
Nam Viet.
 This event was the
start of more than 1000
years of Chinese rule
over what is now
northern Vietnam.
Chinese Rule in Vietnam

 Under Chinese rule the early
people of Vietnam learned
many things :
 new ideas about the:
 Arts
 Technology
 And governing
 Used Chinese innovations
in irrigation to grow more
rice in the Red River delta.
 They also began to use
Chinese farming tools,
such as iron plows, and to
harness animals to pull
them.
Chinese Rule in Vietnam

 In addition to
introducing new ideas
the Chinese built
waterways and roads
across the Vietnamese
lands that they ruled.
 This helped the Chinese
to keep control over the
Vietnamese people as
well as improved
transportation and
communication.
 The Chinese allowed local
rulers to take part in
governing the Vietnamese
lands, but this didn’t last
long as The Han dynasty
wanted full control of the
waterways and Ports
along the coast.
 The Ports along the coast
were valuable for trade
with other countries so
Chine began to
strengthen is rule over
the Vietnamese people.
Chinese Rule in Vietnam

 To strengthen China’s
power over the
Vietnamese people, they
forced them to follow
Chinese customs.
 The Vietnamese had to:
 study the teachings of
the Chinese philosopher
Confucius,
 wear Chinese clothing,
 and speak the Chinese
language.
 The Vietnamese refused
to give up their language
and the more the Chinese
insisted the more the
Vietnamese resisted.
 In A.D. 40 the vietnames
defeated the Chinese
army and formed a new
Vietnamese kingdom.
 This did not last long; 3
years later the Chinese
army took back control of
the northern Vietnamese
lands.
Vietnamese Independence

 For 900 years after the
Chinese army took back
control of Vietnam,
China continued to rule
the Vietnamese people.
 China’s rule was not
always strong and its
control over Vietnam
finally ended under
China’s Tang dynasty
 The Vietnamese people
became independent
again when the Tang
dynasty fell.
 Through more than 1000
years of Chinese rule, the
Vietnamese had kept
much of their early
culture.
 Didn’t give up on their
language
 Didn’t lose their cultures
influence from
southeastern Asia.
Vietnamese Independence

 Although the
Vietnamese were now
independent from
China, they did not
have stability.
 Warlords fought one
another for control, rose
to power, and quickly
fell.
 In 1009 A.D. the Ly
dynasty unified the
people and the new
Vietnamese kingdom was
called Dai Viet.
 The Ly rulers of Dai Viet
set up strong central
governments based on
Chinese ideas.
 Special schools were built
to teach government
official how to govern.
 Buddhism grew during
this time.
Early Korea

 Several thousand years
ago, nomadic travelers
from northeastern Asia
made their way to the
Korean peninsula.
 Korea’s mountains,
wild animals, and
water resources led the
nomads to stay there.
 The early people of
Korea lived in clans.
 Some clans lived along
Korea’s coast, where they
fished for food.
 Other clans lived in the
valleys of Korea’s
mountains.
 There they hunted deer
and other animals and
gathered wild plants
 Later, these clans
developed the peninsula’s
earliest farming in the
rich soil of the valleys.
Early Korea

 The early Koreans were
later joined by people
from China, who sailed
east to Korea.
 The Chinese people
mixed with the people
already there.
 Over time, clans
became parts of tribes,
which in turn joined
together to form states.
 By 300’s B.C. the most
powerful state was Old
Choson.
 The people of Old Choson
began to use iron tools
and weapons.
 They also used horsedrawn chariots and
irrigated their fields.
 They may have gotten
these ideas from the
Chinses.
Early Korea

 With these new
technologies, Old
Chooson grew to be a
large federation.
 In 108 B.C. China’s Han
army defeated Old
Choson.
 Chine set up four districts
there and as a result,
many Chinese influences,
including art and
architecture, spread
across the peninsula.
 Chinese rule angered
the Koreans, After
some time, the Koreans
regained control of
three districts.
New Kingdoms

 After the Koreans
drove the Chinese from
much of the Korean
peninsula, new
federations of states
formed.
 Beginning in the First
century B.C. three of
these federations grew
into what became
known as the Three
Kingdoms.
 The Three Kingdoms
were known as:
 Koguryo
 Paekche
 Silla
 Koguryo occupied a large
area in the northern part
of the Korean Peninsula.
 Paekche and Silla, both
much smaler than
Koguryo, were located in
the southern part.
New Kingdoms

 By A.D. 313 the Koguryo
people had completely
forced the Chinese out of
the Korean Peninsula.
(Chinese influence
remained strong in
Korea)
 Buddhism from India
arrived through China
and went on to become
the State religion of all 3
kingdoms.
 Alsong with Buddhism,
the early Koreans
adopted Chinese
characters for writing
with Korean language.
 They used there for
more than 1,000 years
before they developed
their own alphabet to
write their language.
New Kingdoms

 For centuries the 3
Kingdoms fought among
themselves for control of
the peninsula.
 In A.D. 660s Silla and the
Chinese Tang dynasty
joined their armies to
conquer Paekche and
then Koguryo.
 As a result, Silla
controlled much of the
peninsula.
 Even After Silla forced the
Chinese out of the
kingdom’s lands, Chinese
influences continued.
 A long period of peace and
unity followed.
 During this time the people
of Silla became very
interested in science and the
arts.
 More Buddhist temples
were built, and
Confucianism became
another important religion
in Korean society.
Koryo and Choson Kingdoms.

 During the late A.D.
800’s Silla began to face
troubles.
 Unity within the
government declined
and powerful warlords
rose up within the
kingdom.
 The warlords wanted to
take control of large
areas of the kingdoms
langs.
 In the end, warlords won
control of the lands of the
former kingdoms of
Koguryo and Paekche.
 Briefly the Korean
peninsula was dived into
the original kingdoms
that made up the Three
Kingdoms.
 Today these kingdoms
are known as the Later
Three Kingdoms.
Koryo and Choson Kingdoms.

 The Later Three
Kingdoms did not last
long; by A.D. 936 a
rebel Koguryo general
had gained control of
all three kingdoms.
 He reunited the Korean
Peninsula and called it
the Koryo kingdoms.
 Modern day Korea
comes from the name
Koryo.
 Koryo leaders did not
want Korea to be just like
China.
 They allowed Chinese
ideas, particularly those
that improved their ways
of living and working.
 However, they
encouraged the people of
Korea to keep their own
customs and traditions.
Koryo and Choson Kingdoms.

 Under the Koryo
kingdom, the families of
nobles had power and
wealth.
 They held most of the
important government
positions.
 The central government
also gave land to some of
these officials.
 This land created even
more wealth for the
nobles.
 The Nobles followed
both Buddhism and
Confucianism, and the
government gave
support to these
religions in the Koryo
kingdom.
 The nobles lived well,
but the kingdoms
military leaders were
treated badly.
Koryo and Choson Kingdoms.

 The military leaders
received none of the
privileges that the nobles
received from the
government.
 This caused the military
uprising in 1170 A.D.
 The military leaders won
control of Koryo for more
than 200 years.
 During this time they
faced many difficulties,
including peasants
rebellions and invasions
from outsiders.
 The kingdom was able
to survive these
struggles, however,
over time it grew
weaker.
 In 1392 A.D. a general
named Ti set up a new
kingdom on the Korean
Peninsula
 Gerneal Yi’s kingdom
was named Choson.
Koryo and Choson Kingdoms.

 To create a money
economy, the Choson
government introduced
paper money and coins
into the Kingdom.
 Even so, most people
continued to use cloth for
trade for many years.
 Buddhism declined under
Choson rule as rich
landowners began to
favor Confucianism.
 As a result, Choson
society developed the
strict social classed
founded in the
teachings of Confucius.
 The Choson kingdom
lasted for more than
500 years.