Chapter 26

Tradition and Change in East Asia

MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Matteo Ricci was
a. the Italian merchant who spent twenty years with Khubilai Khan and wrote of his
adventures.
b. a Roman Catholic missionary in China.
c. the chief Italian who negotiated trade issues with the Qing emperor Qianlong.
d. the Italian explorer who sailed to Japan in the late fifteenth century.
e. mainly responsible for the introduction of American crops such as manioc to China.
Answer: b
Page: 571
2. Matteo Ricci and other Europeans discovered they were more successful in their negotiations
with the Chinese if they presented them with
a. African slaves.
b. mechanical clocks.
c. cannons and other advanced artillery.
d. signed Bibles.
e. silver bars.
Answer: b
Page: 571
3. After the arrival of the Europeans,
a. the east Asian societies quickly fell under indirect European economic control.
b. the rapid spread of Christianity threatened the very survival of Buddhism.
c. the east Asian societies immediately fell under direct European control.
d. the east Asian societies quickly copied the ways of the more advanced Europeans.
e. east Asian societies largely controlled their own affairs until the nineteenth century.
Answer: e
Page: 572
4. In 1368 the Ming dynasty replaced the ________ dynasty.
a. Song
b. Qing
c. Yuan
d. Tang
e. Qin
Answer: c
Page: 572

5. The Ming dynasty was founded by

a. Qinglong.
b. Shihuangdi.
c. Yongle.
d. Hongwu.
e. Kangxi.
Answer: d
Page: 572
6. In founding his new dynasty, Hongwu chose the name Ming, which meant
a. all-powerful.
b. mandate of heaven.
c. center of the universe.
d. son of heaven.
e. brilliant.
Answer: e
Page: 572
7. In 1421, Yongle moved the capital of China to
a. Beijing.
b. Edo.
c. Nanjing.
d. Guangzhou.
e. Kyoto.
Answer: a
Page: 572
8. In an effort to stabilize China internally, the Ming emperors
a. accepted the Yuan traditions that had been in place for a century.
b. stressed Chinese traditions from the era before the Mongol Yuan dynasty.
c. followed the more successful Indian centralization model.
d. adopted the methods used by the powerful early modern European states.
e. copied the centralizing techniques that had proved so successful in Japan.
Answer: b
Page: 572-573
9. The Manchus called their dynasty Qing, which meant
a. northern conqueror.
b. brilliant.
c. floating world.
d. pure.
e. the chosen.
Answer: d
Page: 574

10. The leader who first organized the Manchu tribes into a centralized state was
a. Qianlong.
b. Nurhaci.
c. Kangxi.
d. Tokugawa Ieyasu.
e. Yongle.
Answer: b
Page: 574
11. Which of the following was NOT an action of the Manchus after conquering China?
a. They encouraged intermarriage between Chinese and Manchus.
b. They forbade Chinese from learning the Manchurian language.
c. They forced Chinese men to grow a queue as a sign of submission.
d. They did not allow the Chinese to travel to Manchuria.
e. They carefully guarded their own cultural identity.
Answer: a
Page: 574-575
12. Taiwan was conquered by
a. Hongwu.
b. Wanli.
c. Qianlong.
d. Kangxi.
e. Nurhaci.
Answer: d
Page: 575
13. Which ruler made Vietnam, Burma, and Nepal vassal states of China?
a. Yongle
b. Qianlong
c. Nurhaci
d. Hongwu
e. Kangxi
Answer: b
Page: 575
14. In regard to ruling philosophy and techniques, the Qing
a. followed the same pattern that the Ming had established.
b. borrowed Persian techniques.
c. relied on the Yuan approach but left out the reliance on terror.
d. ignored the Ming approach and instead relied on more familiar Manchurian techniques.
e. copied the remarkably successful centralizing techniques of Tokugawa Japan.
Answer: a
Page: 576

15. The phrase Son of Heaven refers to the

a. near godlike status that the Jesuit Matteo Ricci reached in China.
b. explanation for the incredible appeal of Christianity in Japan.
c. Chinese emperors role in maintaining order on the earth.
d. belief that the Japanese emperors were direct descendents of the sun goddess Amaterasu.
e. the syncretic Christian-Buddhist religion.
Answer: c
Page: 576
16. Which of the following was NOT one of the accomplishments of the Chinese clans?
a. providing educational opportunities for poor relatives
b. bringing the different social classes in the clan up to equality with the gentry
c. maintaining local order
d. organizing local economies
e. making provision for welfare
Answer: b
Page: 578
17. During the Ming and Qing dynasties,
a. women achieved a level of equality and freedom never seen before in Chinese history.
b. women had many more literary and cultural opportunities than ever before.
c. the role of women was fashioned after the prevailing pattern in Japan.
d. the greater freedom for women was a reflection of European influence.
e. patriarchal authority over females became tighter than ever before.
Answer: e
Page: 578
18. The practice of foot binding
a. was a Yuan form of torture that was copied during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
b. represented the increasing subjugation of women during the Qing dynasty.
c. was imported from India.
d. expressed the growing freedom of women in Qing China to follow urban fashion trends.
e. prevented Chinese prisoners from escaping during huge government-sponsored work
projects.
Answer: b
Page: 578-579
19. By 1750, the population of China had grown to
a. 415 million.
b. 225 million.
c. 100 million.
d. 75 million.
e. 50 million.
Answer: b
Page: 579

20. Foreign trade during the Qing dynasty was

a. carried out exclusively with the Europeans.
b. actively supported by the government and grew much larger than ever before.
c. based on free market principles.
d. limited and under tight governmental control.
e. fueled by the payment of valuable Chinese silver in return for imports.
Answer: d
Page: 580
21. China fell behind technologically during the Ming and Qing dynasties because
a. of the collapse of the civil service examination system.
b. the Europeans refused to share their advanced technology with the Chinese.
c. of a massive Qing-forced exile of intellectuals as part of a governmental crackdown.
d. of the efforts of an ingenious Japanese spy network.
e. the governments favored political and social stability over technological innovation.
Answer: e
Page: 581
22. With the exception of the emperor and his family, the most exalted members of Chinese
society was/were the
a. scholar-bureaucrats.
b. peasants.
c. merchants.
d. army.
e. navy.
Answer: a
Page: 582
23. According to Confucian tradition the most honorable class among the peasants, artisans, and
merchants was the
a. peasants.
b. artisans.
c. soldiers.
d. merchants.
e. They were all considered to be equal because of their essential roles in supporting China.
Answer: a
Page: 582
24. Zhu Xi was the
a. author of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
b. foremost scholar of neo-Confucianism.
c. Ming emperor who refused to see his advisers for years on end.
d. most powerful Qing emperor.
e. leading Chinese Christian missionary.
Answer: b

Page: 583
25. The Dream of the Red Chamber shed light on which of the following?
a. scholar-gentry
b. peasants
c. artisans
d. scholar-bureaucrats
e. soldiers
Answer: a
Page: 584
26. Which of the following popular novels dealt with the intrigue following the collapse of the
Han dynasty?
a. Journey to the West
b. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms
c. The Dream of the Red Chamber
d. The Life of a Man Who Lived for Love
e. The Sea of Fertility
Answer: b
Page: 584
27. Who sought to convert China to Christianity?
a. Zhu Xi
b. Qianlong
c. Ihara Saikaku
d. Basho Matsuo
e. Matteo Ricci
Answer: e
Page: 584
28. The Chinese were hesitant to convert to Christianity because
a. of Matteo Riccis refusal to respect Chinese traditions.
b. by that time Islam had already made important inroads into China.
c. of what had happened to Korea when they converted to Christianity.
d. of Christianitys exclusivity concerning other beliefs such as Daoism and Buddhism.
e. of the monotheistic traditions of Confucianism.
Answer: d
Page: 585
29. The term bakufu means
a. tent government.
b. mandate of heaven.
c. the country at war.
d. warrior state.
e. land of the one.
Answer: a

Page: 585
30. In 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu
a. started a centuries-long civil war that tore Japan apart.
b. finished the process of unifying Japan.
c. fought off an attempted Chinese invasion.
d. founded the Qing dynasty.
e. implemented Dutch learning in an attempt to modernize Japan.
Answer: b
Page: 586
31. Daimyo were
a. Buddhist monks.
b. women writers.
c. warriors.
d. Japanese Christian missionaries.
e. powerful Japanese territorial lords.
Answer: e
Page: 586
32. Beginning in the 1630s and enduring for the next two centuries, Japanese foreign policy
included all of the following EXCEPT
a. forbidding Japanese travel overseas.
b. a prohibition on the construction of ships.
c. a ban on the importation of foreign books.
d. careful control of trade with Asian lands.
e. open, vibrant trade with Europeans.
Answer: e
Page: 587
33. The process known as thinning out the rice shoots refers to
a. an agricultural innovation introduced by the Chinese.
b. the Chinese decision to reduce the number of visiting Korean students.
c. the Japanese decision to follow the Chinese tradition of limiting governmental positions.
d. a Japanese attempt to limit population growth.
e. a Japanese attempt to reduce the number of foreigners living in Japan.
Answer: d
Page: 587
34. One of the results of the peace brought by the Tokugawa period was
a. a tremendous growth in European trade.
b. an even greater political role for the samurai.
c. the tripling of the Japanese population between 1600 and 1850.
d. a reduction in status for the samurai and daimyo.
e. a resurgence in daimyo authority.
Answer: d

Page: 587-588
35. The term native learning relates to
a. the opinion held by Chinese scholars that Japanese culture was crude and uncivilized.
b. a growing Japanese emphasis on indigenous traditions.
c. a Japanese desire to discover the original, or native, ideals of Confucianism.
d. the European view that Japanese concepts such as Shintoism were actually holding the
Japanese back.
e. the opinion held by Japanese scholars that European culture was crude and uncivilized.
Answer: b
Page: 588-589
36. The term floating worlds originally related to
a. the entertainment and pleasure districts of cities such as Osaka.
b. a Japanese attempt to understand the advanced technology as part of the Dutch learning.
c. the Tokugawa emphasis on alternate residences.
d. a Japanese attempt during the native learning period to re-instill enthusiasm in
Buddhism.
e. the Chinese view of heaven.
Answer: a
Page: 589
37. The author of The Life of a Man Who Lived for Love was
a. Tokugawa Ieyasu.
b. Bunraku Ukiyo.
c. Ihara Saikaku.
d. Matteo Ricci.
e. Zheng He.
Answer: c
Page: 589

TRUE/FALSE
38. The Ming dynasty restored native rule to China as Hongwu, founder of the dynasty, drove the
Mongols out of China and built a tightly centralized state.
Answer: True
Page: 572
39. The Great Wall of China is a project of the Yuan dynasty during the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries.
Answer: False
Page: 572
40. Within the Chinese family, Confucian principles subjected women to the authority of men.
Answer: True

Page: 578
41. The Manchus were careful to preserve their own ethnic and cultural identity by outlawing
intermarriage between Manchus and Chinese, and forbidding the Chinese from traveling to
Manchuria and learning the Manchurian language.
Answer: True
Page: 574-575
42. Chinese tradition held that the emperor was the Son of Heaven, the human being
designated by heavenly powers to maintain order on the earth.
Answer: True
Page: 576
43. During the Ming and Qing dynasties the Chinese government encouraged technological
innovation as a foundation of economic strength.
Answer: False
Page: 581-582
44. Confucian tradition ranked three broad classes of commoners below the gentry: peasants,
artisans, and merchants.
Answer: True
Page: 582
45. Merchants were at the bottom of society in China because they were viewed as being
unscrupulous social parasites.
Answer: True
Page: 582
46. The Jesuits sought to capture Chinese interests with European science and technology and
win converts by portraying Christianity as a faith similar to Chinese traditions.
Answer: True
Page: 584-585
47. During the 1630s the shoguns of Japan forbade Japanese from going abroad, expelled
Europeans, and prohibited foreign merchants trading in Japan and the import of foreign
books for fear that Europeans might jeopardize the security of Japan.
Answer: True
Page: 587

ESSAY
48. In a letter to King George III, the Chinese emperor Qianlong gave specific trade instructions
to the English ruler and reminded him to Tremblingly obey and show no negligence! What
does this exchange tell you about Chinas position in the world in the late eighteenth century?
Why were they so powerful? Could there be a danger in the Chinese attitude?

49. Examine the role of women during the Ming and Qing dynasties. How was foot binding
representative of the changing social and gender worlds of China? Compare and contrast the
situation in China to the role of women in other societies studied so far.
50. Compare and contrast the cultural, intellectual, and literary accomplishments of China and
Japan during these years. In what ways was Japan influenced by China?
51. Examine the rise of the floating world in Japan. What factors led to this phenomenon?
What can it say about the changing intellectual and social landscape of Japan? Were any
other societies in the world going through a similar transformation?
52. Examine the foundations of the Ming dynasty. What were the greatest accomplishments of
the Ming? What led to their decline?
53. Examine the rise of the Qing dynasty. How did the Manchus view Chinese society and
culture? In what ways were the Manchus influenced by Chinese traditions?
54. Examine the changing social world of the Ming and Qing period. What were the most
important changes taking place? In what ways did the older traditions survive?
55. Examine the unification of Japan. What role did Tokugawa Ieyasu play in this movement?
How did he influence Japanese history?
56. Examine the decision to close Japan to foreign trade. What events inspired this decision?
How successful was this attempt? What were its results?
57. In what ways might the Great Wall of China be symbolic of both the strengths and
weaknesses of China? Was it successful in its purpose?
58. Examine the concept of the Son of Heaven. What were the foundations of this belief?
Compare this idea to other political systems seen so far in the class.
59. Look at the Map 26.2, The Qing empire, 1644-1911. Discuss Qing expansion. How much
control did the Qing have over east Asia?
60. Think about the picture of Kangxi on page 576. What did Kangxi and Qianlong contribute to
Chinese history? How influential was the Qing dynasty?
61. Read the letter from Qianlong to the English king (see Textbook: Sources from the Past:
Qianlong on Chinese Trade with England). Why might the Chinese be concerned about
restricting English trade? Why were the English interested in expanding their trading rights in
China?
62. What steps did the Ming dynasty take to restore traditional Chinese culture and remove all
foreign influences associated with Mongol rule?

63. What factors led to the collapse of the Ming dynasty? How did Manchurian invaders gain
control of China?
64. What factors led to rapid population growth in China?
65. Why did the Qing dynasty discourage Chinese travel abroad and try to control contacts with
foreigners? What was the impact of this policy?
66. How was Chinese society structured? Which classes enjoyed the greatest status? Which had
the least?
67. What are some of the principles of Confucianism that influenced Chinese notions of
government and society at this time?
68. How did the Tokugawa shogunate come to power in the sixteenth century in Japan? What
steps did the shoguns take to control the daimyo?
69. What factors led to the economic and population growth of Japan under the Tokugawa
shoguns?
70. To what extent was the culture of Japan influenced by China?
71. Why did the shoguns decide to cut off relations with the outside world? How was this
isolation accomplished? What did this decision mean for the future of Japan?