Chapter 8:China!!!

Chinese culture in the middle ages was the golden period. This was the time where writing was made elaborate, and there was an economic revolution. Cities were populated in the hundred thousands and a few even in the million range. Just like many other civilizations,(unfortunately) women were not in positions of power and prosperity. They did not hold office, and could not get educated. When the song dynasty the silk industry was taken from rural women because it left profit. Also, this was the time when foot binding started. Foot binging is  a process where a young women wraps her feet in ribbon to deform or manipulate the growing of the feet. The text explains that this was done so that women would stay at home or close to home. In addition, women who banded their feet were not seen as peasants.

The development of the tribute system was also key to the growth of the empire. The song and Han dynasties had a love hate relationship with the barbarians, they needed them for horses but they built a great wall to keep them from invading. The tribute system was a practice where the Chinese and their neighbors would exchange gifts as means of delegation.

Chinas prosperity was a means of spreading culture and religion. The spread of Buddhism and Daoism was big due to the cultural  influence that China had to its neighbors. The elite Korean families would send their best to study in China, and along with exposure to the culture came religion. The arrival of Buddhism to china had a great impact, Buddhism became a Chinese practice. It all started when the silk road brought the ideas into China, but it also helped promote the religion further east into Korea and Japan.

Chapter 9/10

With the rise of Islam, came prosperity in Western Asia. Presently known as the middle east, the Muslim world developed during and after the life of Muhammad. As his teachings became important, so did his leadership. In the 600's the start of the Caliphate marked the rise of Muslim culture. Mohammad offered religious and political leadership that is still very strong in the areas it first reached at the time. within 500 years of Muhammad, Islam had stretched out as far east as India, as far west as the Iberian peninsula,as far north as eastern Europe, and as far south as southern Africa. Many political movements stem from the spread of Islam, Including the Moor Spanish rule, The sultanate in India, and the rise of the ottoman empire.  Trade facilitated the spread of Islam through all trade routes. The silk road, the sand route, and the sea roads spread the teachings of Muhammad. Today Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. This time was a golden era for the religion and culture. The middle ages in Europe does not means that the whole world took a decline in knowledge and culture.

In chapter 10 as we examine the worlds of Christendom we see that the religion thrived. the byzantine empire outlived it parent roman empire, Christianity moved to Africa around 640,and orthodox Christianity spread to Ukraine and Russia. However there were "invasions" by Muslims and Vikings that shook up stability and growth  in the area. The invasions are seen as bad years in Europe while the crusades are seeing in a positive manner. People forget that the pope had its army that would go take lands back, but regular people decided to go take land back because the pope promised salvation to those who would regain land. I quite think that merging these two chapters into one blog post is great because one can divert away from the Eurocentric perspective.