History
Map
East Asia
Your Guides
Ni hao! I’m Ping and this is my best friend Xiongmao. Let’s tour East Asia, our home.
East Asia is one of the oldest recorded civilizations in the world. Our history dates back thousands and thousands of years! It would take a whole lifetime to really understand East Asian history because you’d have to go back so far.
Let’s take a quick look at our ancient history, then flash forward to the last hundred years.
Ancient Times: Imperial History
Thousands of years ago, East Asia didn’t have presidents or prime ministers…it had EMPERORS! For more than 7,000 years, Chinese emperors led dynasties that controlled most of East Asia. The Shang, Ming and Qing dynasties are three examples of these powerful rulers through history.
Early 1900s: Independence Begins
Japan is one of the first countries to assert its independence from China’s rule. Over the next hundred years, China fights in many wars to try to keep its power over East Asia.
1912: Dynasties End
The dynasty system ends and China elects a leader for the first time. Sun Yat-sen becomes the first president and China is renamed the Republic of China.
1921: Communism Is Born
The Communist Party of China is founded in Shanghai. Communism is a new political idea where people and resources are closely controlled by the government. Over the next several decades, the communists fight with nationalists, who are in power, for control of the country in one long civil war.
1949: Communists Take Over
The Communist Party, led by Mao Zedong, now controls most of China.
Mid 1900s: Chinese Empire Collapses
China slowly loses control of many of the countries it controls, and they get their own independent governments. The Communist Party starts a movement called the Cultural Revolution, which kills thousands of Chinese who are thought to be against communism.
Late 1970s: Representative Democracies
East Asian countries still controlled by China, including Taipei and Taiwan, become what are called “representative democracies.” That means they have their own governments and are mostly independent, but are still under China’s rule.
1989: Tiananmen Massacre
Hundreds of students protesting Chinese communism are killed by the government in an event known as the Tiananmen massacre. Countries around the world criticize China for ignoring human rights.
Present: Economies Are Growing
The economies in China and other East Asian countries are growing very quickly and are becoming bigger participants in the world economy. Because cities are growing so quickly, environmental issues like air pollution are becoming big problems. So are human rights issues, caused by a population that’s growing quickly and doesn’t always have access to basic needs.