East Asia: History, Politics, Economy and Society

East Asia is the easternmost part of Asia, characterised both geographically and ethnographically. China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan are modern East Asian states. Due to serious ongoing political tensions in the region, including the split of Korea and the political status of Taiwan, at least one other East Asian state has refused to recognise China, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. Hong Kong and Macau, two small coastal quasi-dependent territories in China’s south, are officially extremely autonomous but de facto Chinese colonies.

Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau have some of the largest and most prosperous economies in the world. East Asia is bordered to the north by Siberia and the Russian Far East, to the south by Southeast Asia, to the southwest by South Asia, and to the west by Central Asia. The Pacific Ocean is to the east, and Micronesia lies to the southeast (a Pacific Ocean Island group, classified as part of Oceania).

The concept of East Asia

The term “East Asia” is a modern notion. China, Japan, Korea, North Korea, and Mongolia are all included in the term “East Asia.” Some researchers refer to this area as “Northeast Asia.” However, in modern idiomatic usage, “Northeast Asia” includes a portion of Russia dispersed across Asia, although this area is not discussed here.

Furthermore, some research literatures use the term “East Asia” to refer to China, Japan, Korea, and 11 Southeast Asian countries, however the regional limit of “East Asia” in this usage is ambiguous. However, in this work, the term “East Asia” simultaneously describes and recounts the specific region. It is closely related because of its deep and long history, even though its current status causes many people to purposely ignore its historical significance.

“East Asia” appears to be a neutral geographic notion that shows some commonality. However, when we look into the unique conditions of different countries in this region, or learn more about the situations of different people in this region, we will discover that the concept’s similarity outweighs the differences. In reality, individuals in China, Japan, Korea, and other East Asian countries rarely use the term “East Asia” in their daily lives, let alone to refer to their own races or other races.

According to some poll statistics, people in East Asian countries have a far lower favourable opinion of them than individuals in European and North American countries. For example, Japanese people despise Chinese people far more than Americans and British people do. As a result, “East Asia” appears to be only a geographical location. Furthermore, Japan’s modernization aims at “departure from Asia for Europe” (Japan belongs to the West rather than the East in today’s world politics map), so when we discuss the future of East Asia in terms of commonality, we must confront the negative aspect and meaning of this concept, and thus become embarrassed.

The civilization of East Asia

The Shang dynasty, which began around 1600 BC, is China’s oldest historical dynasty. It is “historical” in the sense that the dynasty’s written records have been verified by archaeological evidence, indicating that China’s history dates back to at least 1600 BC. According to written records, the Shang were preceded by the Xia dynasty, which ruled between 2000 and 1600 BC. This time period closely corresponds to the Erlitou civilization’s lifespan.

As a result, some argue that the “Erlitou civilization” was just the earliest phase of the Chinese state, ruled by the Xia dynasty. However, physical evidence for this allegation is limited; Erlitou could have existed independently of China. Regardless, Erlitou civilization should be included in a Chinese history overview because it had a significant cultural impact on the Shang dynasty.

The Han dynasty was succeeded by a protracted, politically divided period that lasted the rest of antiquity and into the mediaeval period. The Sui dynasty (which lasted barely a few decades) brought China together, followed by the considerably longer Tang dynasty. 

The Tang dynasty and its successor, the Shang dynasty, are frequently referred to as China’s golden age. During this time, Chinese science, art, and literature all blossomed splendidly. Furthermore, throughout the golden age, Chinese culture spread to Korea and Japan, bringing those countries into the domain of East Asian civilization.

When the Mongol Empire conquered China for the first time, it became entirely under foreign dominion (ca. 1200-1300). When this happened, the Mongol Empire’s capital was shifted to China, and the Mongol emperor also became the Chinese emperor. The Yuan dynasty was born (aka Mongol dynasty). The Mongol Empire was in danger of collapsing by the time China was conquered; when this happened (about 1300), the Yuan dynasty’s influence was reduced to China and Mongolia.

The Ming dynasty, which led China into the modern era, restored native Chinese rule. Early modern China was characterised by extraordinary prosperity, stability, and population and territory expansion under the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Ming relocated China’s capital to Beijing (where it has stayed), and erected the Forbidden City, a palace complex that functioned as the seat of Chinese government during the Ming/Qing dynasties.

Conclusion

“China” refers to the eastern portion of contemporary China in historical talks. The centre of Chinese civilization is this region, which would be pierced by the huge Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. The western region of China was only securely acquired late in Chinese history.

Eastern China is a forested, temperate region. The Tibetan Plateau (the world’s largest and highest plateau) and the mountains around it (which include the Himalayan range, which runs along the plateau’s southern edge) make it far more favourable to civilization than the western section, which is primarily desert. As a result, urbanisation has always been weaker in China’s western half.