The Similarities And Differences Of China Culture And Japanese Culture

China and Japan were two major empires that ruled in Asia, there are many similarities between these countries and there are many differences. Looking at the time period of about 1400 to 1800, each country government/economics, and way of living can be compared to each other. During this time frame, china was ruled by the Ming dynasty and by the Qing dynasty (Sivers, Desnoyers, Stow 477). However, Japan was made up of different groups which become unified after civil war among Japan’s capital (Sivers, Desnoyers, Stow 489).

During this time, china government consist of two dynasties, the Ming and Qing dynasty. During the Ming dynasty economics were accommodated for China's prosperity during this period. Embankments and waterways were fixed, while broad land recovery program was organized, since certain districts of China were completely eliminated from Mongol plunders and disregard. The government offered tax exemptions enduring quite a long while to any workers who moved into the demolished regions, an arrangement which viably resuscitated a lot of China.

Another strategy was to support broad reforestation, likely for shipbuilding purposes, despite the fact that palm, mulberry, and finish trees were additionally planted for other monetary purposes. Because of the Ming Dynasty's strategies, China was again a solid and prosperous domain, making it the predominant political and social power in East Asia. China's social liveliness can be found in a few parts of the Ming time. For a certain something, architecture thrived, as the Chinese built arched bridges and tall pagodas with smooth bended rooftops. As expressed over, the setting of these structures in expansive level planes gave a more adjusted impact than the lofty spires of cathedrals one found in Europe around then. The Qing Dynasty established by the Manzhou, in spite of the fact that of nomadic beginning, had assimilated quite a bit of Chinese culture and did all that it could to depict itself as an honestly Chinese Dynasty.

Accordingly, the emperprs resuscitated the civil service exams and other legislative foundations, reestablished the mandarins to the degrees of eminence they had delighted in before Mongol standard, and kept up enthusiasm for traditional grant. (In any case, the Manzhou likewise banned the devastating routine with regards to restricting Chinese ladies' feet and constrained the Chinese laborers to shave their heads aside from wearing Manchurian-style braids.) Militarily, the Manzhou stretched out China's borders to their most prominent degree regularly, incorporating Manchuria, Mongolia, Siankiang, Tibet, Korea, Burma, Taiwan, and Vietnam (Butler).

This time, contact with the West proceeded. Be that as it may, over the long haul, it caused issues for China in two altogether different ways. For a certain something, a few new yields, for example, corn, sweet potatoes, and better strains of rice, were imported, along these lines making China's farming substantially more profitable. In the short run this was great. Yet, over the long haul, these new harvests and improved transport of nourishment along China's channels and waterways, the two of which permitted specific money yields fit to neighborhood soils, set off a population boost that drove China's populace to about 400,000,000 by 1800. Simultaneously, China's agriculture was venturing into Manchuria, which held the upland and drainage regions of a portion of China's streams. Broad cultivating here caused soil disintegration and deforestation that caused dangerous flooding downstream. These floods in addition to overpopulation put extreme strains on China's capacity to encourage such huge numbers of individuals and truly debilitated it (Butler).

The fifteenth and sixteenth centuries are the fiercest period in Japanese history, as military warlords conflict viciously and oftentimes in endeavors to build their very own capacity and region. The time when individuals from the Ashikaga family involve the situation of shōgun is known as the Muromachi time frame, named after the district in Kyoto where their central command are found. The Ashikaga government, or bakufu, never prevails with regards to expanding wide political control, as had their forerunners of the Kamakura time. Confliction between battling daimyo, or provincial warlords, causes expanding instability, which adds up in the Ōnin War (1467–77). With the subsequent destruction of Kyoto and the breakdown of the shōgunate's capacity, the nation is going into an era of fighting and social disarray known as the Sengoku, the Age of the Country at War (“Japan, 1400-1600 A.D.”).

During the sixteenth century, unity is slowly reestablished through the efforts of three warlords. The first, Oda Nobunaga (1534–1582), through military may and political sharpness, assumes responsibility for Kyoto and removes the last Ashikaga shōgun. He is trailed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536–1598), who proceeds with the battle to rejoin Japan. The name of this period, Momoyama, gets from the place close to Kyoto where Hideyoshi constructs one of his castles. These impressive stone structures are liberally improved with striking and brilliant compositions and gems that typify the might of their proprietors and the magnificence of Momoyama culture (“Japan, 1400-1600 A.D.”).

Looking at the life in china, there were many people among this country. Despite the fact that fifteenth century China was substantially more dominant than Europe, the normal European shared much for all intents and purpose with their Asian partner. Europe, South Asia, and China represented around 70 percent of the total population. Individuals in these three districts lived likewise country lives and had about a similar material presence. All had futures of somewhere in the range of thirty and forty years old (30).

In Europe, South Asia, and China, laborers surrendered quite a bit of their harvest to their landlords and their particular governments. Every one of the three regions partook in a worldwide exchange that spread a huge number of miles crosswise over Europe, the Middle East, East Africa, South Asia, and East Asia. Likewise, the aggregate of Eurasia was all the while recuperating from infections that had moved through the landmass throughout the only remaining century and terminated urban areas and locales. And every one of the three areas approached new military innovation, for example, black powder and guns (Cleary).

While the life in japan consist of shipper and craftsman classes, which receive the best rewards from the Edo time frame's flourishing and urban extension. Not exclusively well-established urban areas, for example, Osaka and Kyoto flourish, however new palace towns that fill in as the regulatory place for administration of daimyo and their samurai retainers are constructed and develop during this time. Utilizing their riches, city occupants (chōnin), who incorporate the above-named classes just as numerous samurai, incidentally escape official limitations by enthusiastically disparaging the pleasure quarters built up in every huge city, and the performers, teahouses, theaters, and cafés found there.

New types of profoundly engaging show, writing, painting, and printmaking take into account well known patterns of the day, making the Edo time frame a functioning and inventive time for human expressions (“Japan, 1600-1800 A.D.”). The social heritage of the Ashikaga shōgunate is the inescapable impact of Zen Buddhism in Japanese culture. Without Zen, such auxiliary arts as the tea ceremony (chanoyu), flower orchestrating (ikebana), the Nō dance-drama, and the code of shows and formal decorum that portrays present day life in Japan either would not have appeared or would have taken altogether different structures from those that prevail today (“Japan 1400-1600 A.D.”).

There are a couple difference between China and Japan. Looking at the government, you can see some difference, china was unified while japan struggle for unification and was not unified until the assassination of Kyoto in 1582, but still had conflict among two coalitions which results in a civil war. After the civil war, japan had a long era of peace (Pg. 490). Another difference is when you look at the two economy. China went from a planned society to a market society, and mainly focus of trade, market within their cities, and military resources. While japan went towards manufacturing and agriculture, going from separation of power in japan to a more unified economy. The way of living between china and japan had some difference as well. China had more people living in rural areas than urban because of a spread of infection among the people. While japan people lived in more urban society, allowing cities to form, and new building were formed.

However, there were similarities between China and Japan as well. A major similarity between China and japan government were the military movement, both countries were focusing on military powers. China and japan had to deal with other countries or raiders surrounding their country, with china conflict with the moguls, and japan conflict with themselves and Korea. When looking at economy, some similarities consist of the fact both had relations with Europe and both started focusing on industry, manufacturing, agriculture, and engineering. China and Japan trade many resource to other regions of the world, and both countries had self-improvements with in their cities such as markets, farms, and production of resources. Another similarity can be seen when looking at their ways of life, both had a population growth during this time, and many craftsmen, especially ship makers, were formed.