China
Wife of Wu Di and first female general of China.
Who was Fu Hao?
Leader trained in the service of Oda Nobunaga; unified Japan and invaded the Korean peninsula twice in the late 16th century.
Who was Toyotomi Hideyoshi?
He founded the DPRK in 1948, invaded South Korea in 1950, and continued to rule North Korea after the Korean War reached a stalemate. He is also known as the Great Leader.
Who was Kim Il-sung?
American commodore who travelled to Japan to end its period of isolation in the early 1850s. He helped negotiate the signing of the Kanagawa Treaty, which secured the presence of the United States in Japan.
Who was Matthew C. Perry?
He was a Korean admiral who is credited with developing the turtle ship (kobukson) and contributing to the defeat of Japanese forces in the 1590s.
Who was Yi Sun-shin?
(r. 626 - 649) 2nd emperor of the Tang dynasty. Known for government reforms, religious tolerance, and prosperity.
Who was Emperor Taizong of Tang?
Leader of Japan's final shogunate, the Tokugawa (Edo) shogunate; became ruler of Japan after the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
Who was Tokugawa Ieyasu?
Wife of King Kojong; advocated for progressive reforms and independence, which led to her assassination.
Who was Empress Myeongseong (Queen Min)?
Italian explorer who traveled along the Silk Road to see Kublai Khan's empire. After returning to Italy, he published a book about his journey that helped change public opinion about East Asia by revealing it to be more sophisticated than it had been previously believed to be.
Who was Marco Polo?
He was an admiral and diplomat of the Yongle Emperor of the Ming dynasty whose expeditions resulted in increased Chinese emigration that in turn elevated the wealth and prestige of the Chinese empire before China isolated itself from the world.
Who was Zheng He?
Contributor to the rise of the Qin dynasty; later an emperor of that dynasty who centralized government power, standardized weights and measurements, and undertook infrastructural improvements.
Who was Qin Shi Huang?
(r. 1867 - 1912) Instituted wide-ranging reforms that modernized Japan.
Who was Emperor Meiji?
The first female president of South Korea. Following a financial scandal, she became the first president of South Korea to be impeached.
Who is Park Geun-hye?
Son and successor of Chinggis Khan. Under his leadership, the Mongols conquered Northern China. He was the first of the khans to take the title "khagan," or "great khan."
Who was Ogedai?
Helped suppress the Yellow Turban Rebellion; later created the kingdom of Wei.
Who was Cao Cao?
(r. 690 - 705) Tang dynasty ruler under whom China was unified and dynastic power was thoroughly consolidated.
Who was Empress Wu Zetian?
Statesman who contributed to the development of modern Japan. He studied in England; upon returning to Japan, he helped draw up international treaties as prime minister. He helped draft the Meiji constitution and form a bicameral national Diet. In 1905, he contributed to the Japanese usurpation of Korea; in 1909, he was assassinated by Korean nationalists. Shortly after his death, Japan completely annexed Korea.
Who was Ito Hirobumi?
First female ruler of Korea. She was queen of Silla between 632 and 647, during which time she prepared the kingdom to dominate the rest of the peninsula, popularized Buddhism, and constructed the oldest existing observatory.
Who was Queen Sondok?
Franciscan friar and author of the 1st notable Western book about Central Asia.
Who was Giovanni da Pian del Carpine?
20th imperial ruler of Japan; believed to have ruled during the mid-5th century CE.
Who was Emperor Anko?
General Secretary of the Communist Party (2002 - 2012), President of the PRC (2002 - 2013), and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (2004 - 2012). Also served in the Communist Youth League and as the Vice President of the PRC.
Who is Hu Jintao?
A samurai who contributed to the overthrow of the Tokugawa shogunate and the subsequent modernization of Japan during the Meiji restoration. He later led the Satsuma Rebellion against the imperial government but died before the revolt ended.
Who was Saigo Takamori?
Korean ruler during the Choson dynasty who improved peninsular relations with Japan and sought to reduce the influence of Buddhism while endorsing Neo-Confucianism. He is most renowned for creating the writing system of hangul, which is still used in Korea today.
Who was Sejong the Great?
Predecessor of Kublai Khan. He is said to be the last khan capable of controlling all of the land in the Mongol empire. Under his leadership, the Mongols conquered the Middle East.
Who was Mongke?
Tried to restore the empire of Chinggis Khan in the 20th century.
Who was Bogd Khan?