China's Contacts with the Outside World Intro
This Chinese dynasty (618–907) saw the height of Buddhist influence in China.
What is the Tang Dynasty?
This trade route, secured by the Tang dynasty, facilitated trade between China, Central Asia, and beyond.
What is the Silk Road?
This Mongol leader founded the Yuan dynasty in China in 1279.
Who is Kublai Khan?
This dynasty ruled China from 1368 to 1644 and eventually turned toward isolationism.
What is the Ming Dynasty?
This luxury item, introduced through foreign contacts, was used by the Chinese to make perfume.
What is incense?
This Chinese monk traveled to India and brought back thousands of Buddhist scriptures.
Who is Xuan Zang?
This religion from India grew in popularity and became a major part of Chinese life during the Tang dynasty.
What is Buddhism?
This famous Italian merchant traveled to China during the Yuan dynasty and wrote about his experiences.
Who is Marco Polo?
This admiral led seven maritime expeditions to display China's power and collect tribute.
Who is Zheng He?
This seating style, introduced from Central Asia, replaced floor cushions among Chinese nobles.
What are chairs?
This emperor sent the explorer Zheng He to display China’s power and collect tributes.
Who is Emperor Chengzu?
This game, originating from Persia, became popular among the Chinese upper class.
What is polo?
This Persian astronomer introduced better astronomical instruments, helped develop a new calendar, and set up an observatory in China.
Who is Jamal al-Din?
This practice required foreign ambassadors to kneel and touch their heads to the floor three times before the Chinese emperor.
What is kowtow?
This famous European traveler wrote about his experiences in China under Kublai Khan’s rule.
Who is Marco Polo?
Europeans learned about these two major Chinese inventions through Yuan dynasty trade.
What are gunpowder and printing?
The Tang dynasty imported this type of furniture from Central Asia, replacing traditional floor cushions.
What are chairs?
These trade organizations, run by Muslims, managed commerce along the Silk Road during the Yuan dynasty.
What are Muslim merchant associations?
One reason the Ming dynasty ended Zheng He’s expeditions was to save money for defense against this nomadic group.
Who are the Mongols?
This ritual, required of visiting foreign ambassadors, involved kneeling and touching one’s head to the floor three times before the emperor.
What is kowtow?
This foreign religion from India became widely popular in China but later faced resistance.
What is Buddhism?
This foreign group attacked China, leading to anti-foreign sentiments during the later Tang dynasty.
Who are the Uighurs?
The Chinese resented the Yuan rulers because foreigners were given privileges, while native Chinese were placed at this position in the social order.
What is the bottom?
The Ming dynasty’s desire to maintain a unified state led them to establish this large and complex government system staffed by scholar-officials.
What is a bureaucracy?
This Persian astronomer introduced new astronomical instruments and helped develop a more accurate calendar in China.
Who is Jamal al-Din?