1
The Voyages of Zhenghe These sites analyze the nature and impact of the voyages of Zhenghe (Cheng Ho) whose ships traveled to the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf in the years immediately prior to those of the Portuguese and Spanish explorers of the European "Age of Discovery." One of these sites at askasia.org, offers an excellent background file on the voyage as well as exercises to improve student comprehension of the significance of the Ming voyages.
http://library.thinkquest.org/20176/chengho.htm , http://web3.asia1.com.sg/tnp/journey/travel/echina/ecread3.html and http://www.askasia.org/frclasrm/lessplan/l000069.htm
Questions for further exploration:
Why was Zhenghe chosen to lead the Ming voyages? What was the purpose of the voyages? How did this purpose differ from that of the Europeans voyages of discovery not long afterwards. Why was the decision made to end the voyages? What impact did this decision have in China and perhaps for the world?
2
China, Japan and the West The first site listed here provides an overview of the interplay between Chinese and Japanese and European commerce and politics. The second offers much of this same information in outline form.
http://www.columbia.edu/itc/eacp/topics/western_expansion/notes_western_expansion.htm http://campus.northpark.edu/history//Classes/WHI/Voyages.N.html
Questions for Exploration:
What elements of trade policy and even the spread of Western religion in Asia rendered China and Japan's interaction with the West complex?
3
Matteo Ricci Thise site explores the activities of Matteo Ricci, a Jesuit missionary and scientist in China.
http://www.faculty.fairfield.edu/faculty/jmac/sj/scientists/ricci.htm
Questions for further exploration:
Matteo adopted the garb and manners of a Chinese scholar at the Ming court. Discuss why he took this approach to teaching in China. What contributions was he able to make to science? What eventually put a stop to his style of cultural adaptation?
4
Jesuits in China This site supports a Library of Congress Vatican Exhibit entitled "How Rome went to China." This exhibit shows how Matteo Ricci was not the only Catholic missionary and scientist to live and work in China.
http://metalab.unc.edu/expo/vatican.exhibit/exhibit/i-rome_to_china/Rome_to_china.html
Questions for further exploration:
How did many Jesuits in China, such as Athanasius Kircher, regard the Chinese and their religion? What areas of European knowledge did the Chinese admire? How did Jesuit map-making increase knowledge of the world? Why did even independent Chinese scholars object to Western map-making techniques? Why is mention made here of the decision of Church leaders in the West to curtail the activities of missionaries seeking to build a partnership with Chinese intellectuals?
5
Emperor Kangxi and the Rites Controversy Following the liberal course adopted by Matteo Ricci, Jesuits in China attempted to convince Catholic authorities in Rome that Confucian customs such as ancestor worship were acts of social, not spiritual devotion and thus, were compatible with Christianity. Such a view, if adopted, might, they felt, clear the way for conversions in China. The Chinese Emperor thought well of the Jesuit mission until the Catholic Church ordered the Jesuits to abandon any steps toward religious synthesis in China.
http://www.unc.edu/courses/hist033/kangxi_emperor.htm
Questions for further exploration:
Why did Jesuits in China seek to resolve conflicts between Christianity and Confucian philosophy? On what grounds did the Catholic Church reject this effort? What was the Chinese Emperor's response to this development? What impact did it have on Chinese relations with Europeans?
6
The Ming Commercial Revolution This site explores the Mind revolutions.
http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MING/COMM.HTM
Questions for further exploration:
What were the causes of the Ming agricultural and commercial revolutions? What were its results in terms of world trade?
7
Journey to the West (Monkey) Journey to West, is one of the renowned classics of Chinese literature. It features a "trickster" god or character, Handsome Monkey, who becomes part of a holy quest.
http://www.chinattic.com/Culture/Art/Literature/China_traditional_literature_M/china_traditional_literature_m.html and http://www.bl.uk/exhibitions/mythical/journey.html
Questions for further exploration:
How does the Journey to the West illustrate the blending of Taoism and Buddhism and perhaps Confucianism that often occurred in the arts in China? How is this story similar to other "quest" stories in world literature?
8
Ieyasu Tokugawa This site offers some insight into the character and strategy of Ieyasu Tokugawa.
http://www.namos.co.jp/aichi-hatsu/english/ittop.htm
Questions for further exploration:
Why does an understanding of Ieyasu's view of money help explain how he survived the perils of his age? How did he plan his battles?
9
The Portuguese in Malacca, 1511-1641 These sites provide illustrated histories of the Portuguese Empire in Asia.
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Styx/6497/malacca.html and http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Styx/6497/Pempire.html (map only)
Questions for further exploration:
Was the conquest of Malacca accomplished by the Portuguese alone? To what contemporary event is the conquest of Malacca compared to here? What were the other "key" trading sites in Asia trade at this time?
10
The Dutch in Taiwan This site examines the efforts of the Dutch to control the island known today as Taiwan. Dutch trade policy in Taiwan, and the eagerness of Dutch traders to seize territory was similar in many respects to how Europeans went about their business throughout Asia, though it is also similar in that they failed to get much of a permanent territorial foothold in Asia prior to the 1750s,
http://www.mcauley.acu.edu.au/staff/andrewp/Taiwan_Pages/Taiwan_History_2.htm
Questions for further exploration:
How did the Dutch go about getting trade concessions in Taiwan? When they were established in Taiwan, did they seek merely to trade? What were the most profitable items the Dutch exported form Taiwan? The Dutch were not the only Europeans interested in Taiwan; what kind of competition did they face? How did local resistance prove to be the undoing of early Dutch imperialism in Taiwan?
