In a history textbook in Texas, usa, in the chapter "Diplomatic Relations in the Tang and Song Dynasties." The relationship between China and the world is introduced from two dimensions.
The first dimension is the summary of the tributary system, which mainly discusses the relationship between Chinese civilization as the ultimate representative of agricultural civilization and grassland civilization.
Most of the time, Chinese civilization pursues a diplomatic order of "infinite superiority", even when the military ability is relatively weak, and it has to accept the military extortion of the steppe peoples and pay a large amount of materials, the Chinese civilization also calls the property "gift" and gives it to the steppe people in the name of "giving". Maintain a superficial sense of superiority, such as the early Han Dynasty, Song Dynasty and other periods. Interested friends can click on the author's avatar to read previous articles. (This is the point of view of their textbook, not the author's point of view, do not spray.) ）
Another dimension is to discuss the relationship between Chinese civilization and other farming civilizations, or to shape other agricultural civilizations. The main research objects of this dimension are Korea, Japan and Vietnam, and these three agricultural civilizations have undergone different degrees of "Sinicization".
In the tributary system, except for the barbarian peoples of the steppe. There are also some agrarian civilizations that have also been incorporated into the tributary system of Chinese civilizations: Korea, Japan and Vietnam.
Unlike the nomadic peoples, they are also an agrarian civilization with fixed dwellings. In the first millennium after the Common Era, the globalization of human civilization began to cover these regions.
Affected by globalization, these areas began to gradually form towns.
Under the close influence of their huge neighbor China, their civilization has basically been shaped by Chinese civilization, absorbing a large number of elements from Chinese culture.
But unlike the completely assimilated peoples of southern China, these peoples accept Chinese culture. With the help of Chinese wealth and force, it has retained its independence, national characteristics and identity, which has continued into modern society.
This situation is somewhat similar to the attitude of the Asian and African continents to the culture centered on Europe and the United States in the 20th century, although it absorbs a lot of the "modern" culture of Europe and the United States, but basically retains its own independence.
Although they are all heavily influenced by China, the relations between North Korea, Vietnam, and Japan and China are different.
On the North Korean side, China has repeatedly used force against it. But none of them succeeded. Instead, Korea was turned into a vassal state of China and incorporated into the tributary system, allowing it to remain largely independent.
North Korea used to be a three-way street, but then Silla came with the help of China. For the first time in history, the Korean Peninsula was reunified and a political power was established. So, in the centuries since. The ruling class has always determined its legitimacy through Chinese appointments.
North Korean society was severely fragmented, with the upper nobility admiring Chinese Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and management mechanisms. The degree of Sinicization is extremely high, and it pursues the Confucian moral concept of male superiority and female inferiority, monogamy (you can have multiple concubines, but you can only have one right wife).
Even Jincheng, the capital of Silla, was modeled after a "miniature version of Chang'an" built from Chang'an, and the bureaucracy was basically copied from China.
However, North Korea has not implemented a large-scale scientific expedition system, and there is basically no social mobility. Therefore, compared with the highly Han-like elite, the lower classes are extremely poorly educated, and most of them are illiterate. For a long time, it was a matriarchal society, with a flourishing marriage system, and about one-third of the population was slaves.
It was not until around 1400 AD that the Joseon Dynasty invented the phonetic script on the basis of Chinese characters, which greatly improved the education level of the people.
Vietnam, as the southernmost ethnic group in the Chinese cultural circle, has undergone a development process very similar to that of North Korea. I also deeply studied Confucian theory. It also copied the governance system and literary art forms of Chinese civilization. Similar to North Korea, Vietnam has largely maintained its independence in the tributary system.
But the situation in Vietnam is still different from that in North Korea, along the Red River Valley, the cultural center of Vietnam. For nearly 1,000 years, it was part of China.
During this time, Vietnam was under the direct jurisdiction of officials appointed by Chinese civilization and was part of China. By the end of the Tang Dynasty, Chinese civilization was weakening. Vietnam succeeded in establishing itself, but has been very careful to maintain a tribute gesture with Chinese civilization ever since.
The northern region of Vietnam is more sinicized than the Korean Peninsula, and in addition to a complete copy of language, writing, culture and art, bureaucratic structures and ceremonial processes, it also draws on the scientific expedition system in its entirety. This is the biggest difference from North Korea.
Therefore, the people at the bottom also have better upward mobility. The content of the scientific expedition is the same as that of China, which is Confucian theory, so the Confucian concept can go deep into the grass-roots level of society along the scientific expedition system.
The upper-class elite in the northern region highly identified with Chinese civilization and did not consider themselves foreign at all. They consider themselves to be Chinese, believing that they are only an extension of Chinese civilization in the south.
All aspects of the Sinicized areas in the north were highly developed, so they went south and gradually unified the whole territory of Vietnam.
The blue part of the picture below is the Vietnamese part that originally belonged to chinese civilization, while the orange part is the original Champa Kingdom.
Champa was one of the ancient kingdoms of Southeast Asia, like Funan (present-day Cambodia). It was the earliest state with a history, and its territory was probably in the south-central part of present-day Vietnam, that is, most of the Ninan County established by the Han Dynasty. Its inhabitants are mainly Cham people of Indian origin (who have not yet been fully assimilated by the Vietnamese, and are an ethnic minority in Vietnam and Cambodia), so they are deeply influenced by Indian culture and once believed in Brahma.
However, the southern folk customs of Vietnam are very different from those of the north, and the local customs are closer to the customs of Southeast Asia, such as valuing women over sons, preferring cockfighting and so on.
Vietnam also slowly developed the phonetic script "chu nom" (字喃) on the basis of Chinese characters. This zhuyin also spread among women who never had the opportunity to be educated, and gradually developed into today's Vietnamese language.
Unlike Vietnam and North Korea, Japan and China are separated by more than 100 miles of sea. Chinese civilization has never occupied Japan or launched threatening actions, and Japan's reference and learning from China is completely voluntary.
The study of China reached its peak in the 7th-9th centuries AD, when Japan was initially unified through the annexation of dozens of noble lords.
They found that the bureaucracy of the Tang Dynasty was very effective in ruling over vast territories, so they sent people to China on a large scale to study, systematically copying the Tang Dynasty's governing philosophy and bureaucracy.
The first leader to lead the "Tang Dynasty Envoys" movement was Prince Shengde (572-622 AD), who sent monks, scholars, artists, and students to China on a large scale to study, and when he returned to China, he put what he learned into practice.
In 604, Shengde promulgated the 17 Laws, declaring that the rulers of Japan would promote Buddhism and Confucianism more than the Emperor of China.
This law is a good embodiment of Confucius's ideas, emphasizing that the moral cultivation level of rulers is a key factor in determining social harmony.
In the following decades, Japan adopted Chinese court etiquette, bureaucratic order, and names, and even adopted the Chinese calendar.
Naturally, the taxation, law, management and provincial systems of Chinese civilization were copied, at least on paper.
Modeled after Chang'an, the capital of China, Japan built two capitals: Nara and Heian Kyo (now Kyoto).
China's cultural traditions, like the political system, have taken root in Japan. Japan has a large number of Buddhist schools, in addition to Buddhism. Chinese art, architecture, education, and medicine have all been widely disseminated, and the suffering, patience, and Dharma concepts of the afterlife have also been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
The upper echelons of society especially appreciated Chinese calligraphy and poetry.
Without coercion, Japan was free to choose what to learn. It was not until the 10th century that Japan's systematic and large-scale absorption of Chinese culture came to an end.
However, the civil trade and exchanges between the monks continued, and they braved the difficulties and obstacles, and continued to travel to the mainland.
For hundreds of years, Japan has selectively combined Chinese culture with local culture to form a unique Japanese civilization that is not the same as Chinese civilization.
For example, in politics. Japan has never developed a strong centralized system like China. Although the emperors still enjoyed an important position in the etiquette and culture of the court, they actually had no real power, and the power was divided among several noblemen. (Somewhat similar to Zhou Tianzi in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty)
For example, compared with China's imperial examination system, Japan admits the children of nobles.
The power of the emperor was further dispersed, and the noblemen in various places began to cultivate their own armed forces, which was the famous Japanese samurai class.
The samurai class wears unique machetes wherever they go, and they share very distinctive values – bravery, loyalty, patience, honor, martial arts and rather death.
Japan's worship of military power is in stark contrast to the Chinese civilization's "shangwen is not still martial" ethos.
A senior Chinese official of the 11th century even wrote: "It is a shame for an educated person to carry a weapon."
The Japanese, on the other hand, do not agree with this at all.
In terms of religion, Japan is also different from China.
Despite the acceptance of Buddhism, Japan's original beliefs did not disappear, and later merged with Buddhist rituals to form Buddhist rituals with Japanese characteristics.
In literature and art, Japan borrowed a large number of Kanji. However, he also developed his own poetic expression: short song (tanka).
Especially during the Heian period (794-1192 AD), this poetic culture was quite popular among the royal family and nobles. Noble women gathered together to chant poems and arrange flowers. Most of china's poets are men in the social elite, while Japanese poetry is mostly made by women.
The famous Japanese book "The Tale of Genji" in 1000 AD was written by the female writer Zi Shibu.
In terms of social relations, unlike in North Korea, Women in Japan have not been subjected to much Confucian influence. For example, widows are not allowed to remarry, women are required to bind their feet, and so on.
Probably because when Japan imported culture, it was the Tang Dynasty in its heyday, and the Tang Dynasty was the most open dynasty for women in Chinese history.
After marriage in Japan, the wife still lives in her own home. The children born are raised by the grandfather, and the husband only needs to live at his wife's house at night and leave after dawn. Therefore, Japanese women have not developed the concept of Chinese women, and it is easier to get married and divorced. If the wife does not open the door for her husband, she basically declares her divorce. These were contrary to Confucian moral concepts and did not slowly disappear until the 14th century.
Although the status of Japanese women began to decline after the 12th century, this was not influenced by Confucianism, but due to the rise of samurai culture.
As the samurai's allegiance to the lord replaced the means of alliance in the marriage relationship, the social status of women began to decline. This is a phenomenon native to Japan and has nothing to do with China.
Japan draws heavily on Chinese culture while maintaining its own civilizational characteristics. It provides a good template for them to encounter Western civilization in the nineteenth century. This time, Japan borrowed from foreign civilizations, and once again borrowed a lot of money, but did not abandon its own cultural characteristics.