PATH TO MODERNISATION
1. Introduction
China’s Geography: A vast continental country with diverse climatic zones & 3 major rivers: Yellow, Yangtze (3rd
longest), & Pearl.
China’s Terrain: A large part of the country is mountainous.
Ethnic Groups: The Han’re dominant, alongside nationalities like Uighur, Hui, Manchu, & Tibetan.
Languages: Putonghua is major, with dialects like Cantonese (Yue) & Shanghainese (Wu), plus various minority
languages.
Southern Cuisine: Famous for Cantonese food & "dim sum" (assorted pastries/dumplings meaning "touch your heart").
Regional Staples: Wheat is the staple in the North, while both rice & wheat are eaten in Eastern China.
Szechuan Cuisine: A fiery cuisine shaped by Silk Route spices (via monks) & 15th-century Portuguese chillies.
Japan’s Geography: A string of islands (four largest) located at the same latitude as the Bahamas.
Physical Conditions: Over 50% mountainous & located in an active earthquake zone, which influences architecture.
Demographics: Largely Japanese, with a small Ainu minority & Koreans formerly brought as forced labour.
Dietary Tradition: Lacks animal rearing; rice is the staple crop & fish- the primary protein source.
Global Health Trend: Raw fish (sushi) is globally popular today as it is considered very healthy.
2. The Political System
Emperors ruled from Kyoto but lost power to Tokugawa Shoguns who ruled from Edo between 1603 & 1867.
The country was divided into 250 domains under Daimyo lords who were strictly controlled by the Shogun.
To prevent threats the Shogun forced Daimyo to live in Edo & controlled all major cities & mines.
Samurai were the ruling elite warriors who served the Shogunate & the various domainal lords.
Peace was ensured by disarming the peasantry & allowing only the Samurai class to carry swords.
Daimyo lived in domain capitals with autonomy while l& surveys established a stable tax revenue base.
Urbanization peaked with Edo becoming the world's most populated city alongside large centres like Osaka & Kyoto.
A commercial economy grew as merit became more valued than social status among the rising merchant class.
A vibrant culture flourished where theatre & arts thrived & professional writers earned a living through popularity.
High literacy & scale of printing made book rentals as cheap & common as a bowl of noodles.
To save gold & silver the Tokugawa restricted imports & developed the world-class Nishijin silk industry.
Intellectuals studied ancient classics like Tale of Genji to promote Japanese identity & the Emperor's divine ancestry.
3. Tale of Genji
Murasaki Shikibu wrote the Tale of Genji as a fictional Heian court diary & it became the central masterpiece of Japanese
literature.
Female writers used Japanese script to depict Prince Genji's romantic life & aristocratic women's independence while men
used Chinese script for government.
4. The Meiji Restoration
internal discontent & 1853 trade demands led Commodore Perry to force an 1854 US-Japan treaty.
The USA sought Japan as a Pacific whaling refuelling station & a route to Chinese markets.
Before Perry only Holl& maintained Western trade with Japan while others remained excluded from contact.
Perry’s arrival forced the Emperor to re-emerge as a powerful figure after centuries of minimal influence.
In 1868 the Shogun was ousted & the Emperor moved to Edo renamed Tokyo or eastern capital.
Fearing colonization like India & China leaders chose to adopt European technology & modern ideas.
The government slogan Fukoku kyohei (rich country strong army) drove the goal to build national strength.
Officials studied European monarchies to build an emperor system that transformed subjects into patriotic citizens.
The divine Emperor led Westernization by wearing military uniforms & issuing edicts for modern institutions.
The 1890 Imperial Rescript on Education urged citizens to pursue learning & advance the public good.
Compulsory schooling for boys & girls began in the 1870s becoming nearly universal by 1910.
The Ministry of Education strictly controlled textbooks & teacher training to emphasize loyalty & moral culture.
Schools taught children to revere parents & be loyal citizens while studying Japanese history & modernization.
New administrative structures replaced old domains to fund local schools health facilities & military recruitment.
Conscription laws required all men over twenty to serve in a newly developed modern military force.
A legal system regulated political groups & meetings while imposing strict censorship despite facing public opposition.
The military & bureaucracy stayed under direct Imperial comm& remaining outside the civil government’s control.
Tension between democracy & military aggression led to victories over China & Russia but suppressed domestic
freedom.
5. Passage
Japan adapted Chinese script in the sixth century but developed phonetic hiragana & katakana because the languages
were very different.
, Hiragana was used by Heian women writers & combines characters with phonetics to spread knowledge beyond elites
despite 1880s proposals for European or purely phonetic scripts.
6. Modernising the Economy
Economic modernization was funded by levying a new agricultural tax on the population.
Japan built its first railway line between Tokyo & Yokohama port in 1870-72.
The gov imported European textile machinery & employed foreign technicians to train workers & students.
Japanese students were sent abroad while foreign experts taught in domestic universities & schools
Modern banking institutions launched in 1872 to provide a foundation for the new economy.
Subsidies helped companies like Mitsubishi & Sumitomo become main shipbuilders to carry Japanese trade.
Large family-controlled business organizations called Zaibatsu dominated the economy until after the WWII.
To manage a population growing from 35 to 55 million the government encouraged migration to Hokkaido Hawaii &
Brazil.
7. Industrial workers
Manufacturing workers increased from 700,000 in 1870 to 4 million by 1913.
Most early labourers worked in small units of under five people without machinery or electricity.
Women comprised over half of modern factory workers & organized the first strike in 1886.
Male workers increased after 1900 but only outnumbered women by the 1930s.
Factories with over one hundred workers grew from 1,000 in 1909 to 4,000 by the 1930s.
Even in 1940 over 550,000 small workshops sustained a family-centred ideology.
Nationalism was supported by a patriarchal system with the Emperor as the family patriarch.
Unregulated industrial growth & timber demand caused significant environmental destruction.
Tanaka Shozo launched the first anti-pollution agitation in 1897 within the House of Representatives.
Mass protests by 800 villagers eventually forced the gov to take action against industrial pollution.
8. Aggressive nationalism
The Meiji constitution established a restricted franchise & a limited Diet based on German legal models.
Restoration leaders held power via parties until elected cabinets became national unity cabinets after 1931.
The Emperor commanded the forces & after 1890 the military gained independent political control.
An 1899 rule required serving generals or admirals as ministers to ensure military dominance.
Fear of Western power sparked military growth & colonial expansion to avoid foreign mercy.
This fear silenced political opposition & justified higher taxes to fund the armed forces..
9. Westernisation' & 'Tradition'
Successive generations of Japanese intellectuals held varying views on the nation's foreign relations.
Fukuzawa Yukichi urged Japan to expel Asia & shed Asian traits for Western civilization.
Later thinkers questioned total Westernization & promoted building national pride through indigenous values.
Miyake Setsurei believed nations must develop special talents to serve the world's interest.
Setsurei argued that devoting oneself to one's country is effectively devotion to the world.
Many intellectuals rejected military rule & preferred a Japan based on Western democratic liberalism.
Ueki Emori led the Popular Rights Movement demanding constitutional government & popular sovereignty.
Emori admired French doctrines of natural rights & supported liberal education for individual growth.
He claimed freedom is more precious than order while others sought women's voting rights.
Widespread intellectual & public pressure finally forced the government to announce a national constitution.
10. Fukuzawa Yukichi (1835-1901)
Fukuzawa Yukichi rose from a poor samurai background to study Western sciences & served as a translator for the
1860 US embassy before founding Keio University & the Meirokusha society.
His popular spoken-style books & The Encouragement to Learning criticized old knowledge & promoted the Western
spirit of civilization to build a new society where all men are created equal.
11. Daily Life
Modernization changed daily life by shifting from patriarchal households to the nuclear family system.
The new home or homu defined the husband as breadwinner & wife as homemaker.
This shift increased demand for new domestic goods family entertainments & modern housing.
In the 1920s companies offered cheap housing for a 200 yen down payment.
Monthly instalments were 12 yen for ten years to pay off these new homes.
These costs were high as an educated bank employee earned only 40 yen monthly.
12. CAR-CLUB: The 20t century Moga or modern girl symbolized gender equality & cosmopolitan culture as middle-class families
enjoyed electric trams public parks department stores Ginbura walks in Ginza 1925 radio stations actress Matsui Sumako & a
massive film industry started in 1899 that questioned traditional social norms
13. 'Overcoming Modernity'.
State-centred nationalism peaked as Japan's wars in China & Asia merged into WWII after attacking Pearl Harbor.
1. Introduction
China’s Geography: A vast continental country with diverse climatic zones & 3 major rivers: Yellow, Yangtze (3rd
longest), & Pearl.
China’s Terrain: A large part of the country is mountainous.
Ethnic Groups: The Han’re dominant, alongside nationalities like Uighur, Hui, Manchu, & Tibetan.
Languages: Putonghua is major, with dialects like Cantonese (Yue) & Shanghainese (Wu), plus various minority
languages.
Southern Cuisine: Famous for Cantonese food & "dim sum" (assorted pastries/dumplings meaning "touch your heart").
Regional Staples: Wheat is the staple in the North, while both rice & wheat are eaten in Eastern China.
Szechuan Cuisine: A fiery cuisine shaped by Silk Route spices (via monks) & 15th-century Portuguese chillies.
Japan’s Geography: A string of islands (four largest) located at the same latitude as the Bahamas.
Physical Conditions: Over 50% mountainous & located in an active earthquake zone, which influences architecture.
Demographics: Largely Japanese, with a small Ainu minority & Koreans formerly brought as forced labour.
Dietary Tradition: Lacks animal rearing; rice is the staple crop & fish- the primary protein source.
Global Health Trend: Raw fish (sushi) is globally popular today as it is considered very healthy.
2. The Political System
Emperors ruled from Kyoto but lost power to Tokugawa Shoguns who ruled from Edo between 1603 & 1867.
The country was divided into 250 domains under Daimyo lords who were strictly controlled by the Shogun.
To prevent threats the Shogun forced Daimyo to live in Edo & controlled all major cities & mines.
Samurai were the ruling elite warriors who served the Shogunate & the various domainal lords.
Peace was ensured by disarming the peasantry & allowing only the Samurai class to carry swords.
Daimyo lived in domain capitals with autonomy while l& surveys established a stable tax revenue base.
Urbanization peaked with Edo becoming the world's most populated city alongside large centres like Osaka & Kyoto.
A commercial economy grew as merit became more valued than social status among the rising merchant class.
A vibrant culture flourished where theatre & arts thrived & professional writers earned a living through popularity.
High literacy & scale of printing made book rentals as cheap & common as a bowl of noodles.
To save gold & silver the Tokugawa restricted imports & developed the world-class Nishijin silk industry.
Intellectuals studied ancient classics like Tale of Genji to promote Japanese identity & the Emperor's divine ancestry.
3. Tale of Genji
Murasaki Shikibu wrote the Tale of Genji as a fictional Heian court diary & it became the central masterpiece of Japanese
literature.
Female writers used Japanese script to depict Prince Genji's romantic life & aristocratic women's independence while men
used Chinese script for government.
4. The Meiji Restoration
internal discontent & 1853 trade demands led Commodore Perry to force an 1854 US-Japan treaty.
The USA sought Japan as a Pacific whaling refuelling station & a route to Chinese markets.
Before Perry only Holl& maintained Western trade with Japan while others remained excluded from contact.
Perry’s arrival forced the Emperor to re-emerge as a powerful figure after centuries of minimal influence.
In 1868 the Shogun was ousted & the Emperor moved to Edo renamed Tokyo or eastern capital.
Fearing colonization like India & China leaders chose to adopt European technology & modern ideas.
The government slogan Fukoku kyohei (rich country strong army) drove the goal to build national strength.
Officials studied European monarchies to build an emperor system that transformed subjects into patriotic citizens.
The divine Emperor led Westernization by wearing military uniforms & issuing edicts for modern institutions.
The 1890 Imperial Rescript on Education urged citizens to pursue learning & advance the public good.
Compulsory schooling for boys & girls began in the 1870s becoming nearly universal by 1910.
The Ministry of Education strictly controlled textbooks & teacher training to emphasize loyalty & moral culture.
Schools taught children to revere parents & be loyal citizens while studying Japanese history & modernization.
New administrative structures replaced old domains to fund local schools health facilities & military recruitment.
Conscription laws required all men over twenty to serve in a newly developed modern military force.
A legal system regulated political groups & meetings while imposing strict censorship despite facing public opposition.
The military & bureaucracy stayed under direct Imperial comm& remaining outside the civil government’s control.
Tension between democracy & military aggression led to victories over China & Russia but suppressed domestic
freedom.
5. Passage
Japan adapted Chinese script in the sixth century but developed phonetic hiragana & katakana because the languages
were very different.
, Hiragana was used by Heian women writers & combines characters with phonetics to spread knowledge beyond elites
despite 1880s proposals for European or purely phonetic scripts.
6. Modernising the Economy
Economic modernization was funded by levying a new agricultural tax on the population.
Japan built its first railway line between Tokyo & Yokohama port in 1870-72.
The gov imported European textile machinery & employed foreign technicians to train workers & students.
Japanese students were sent abroad while foreign experts taught in domestic universities & schools
Modern banking institutions launched in 1872 to provide a foundation for the new economy.
Subsidies helped companies like Mitsubishi & Sumitomo become main shipbuilders to carry Japanese trade.
Large family-controlled business organizations called Zaibatsu dominated the economy until after the WWII.
To manage a population growing from 35 to 55 million the government encouraged migration to Hokkaido Hawaii &
Brazil.
7. Industrial workers
Manufacturing workers increased from 700,000 in 1870 to 4 million by 1913.
Most early labourers worked in small units of under five people without machinery or electricity.
Women comprised over half of modern factory workers & organized the first strike in 1886.
Male workers increased after 1900 but only outnumbered women by the 1930s.
Factories with over one hundred workers grew from 1,000 in 1909 to 4,000 by the 1930s.
Even in 1940 over 550,000 small workshops sustained a family-centred ideology.
Nationalism was supported by a patriarchal system with the Emperor as the family patriarch.
Unregulated industrial growth & timber demand caused significant environmental destruction.
Tanaka Shozo launched the first anti-pollution agitation in 1897 within the House of Representatives.
Mass protests by 800 villagers eventually forced the gov to take action against industrial pollution.
8. Aggressive nationalism
The Meiji constitution established a restricted franchise & a limited Diet based on German legal models.
Restoration leaders held power via parties until elected cabinets became national unity cabinets after 1931.
The Emperor commanded the forces & after 1890 the military gained independent political control.
An 1899 rule required serving generals or admirals as ministers to ensure military dominance.
Fear of Western power sparked military growth & colonial expansion to avoid foreign mercy.
This fear silenced political opposition & justified higher taxes to fund the armed forces..
9. Westernisation' & 'Tradition'
Successive generations of Japanese intellectuals held varying views on the nation's foreign relations.
Fukuzawa Yukichi urged Japan to expel Asia & shed Asian traits for Western civilization.
Later thinkers questioned total Westernization & promoted building national pride through indigenous values.
Miyake Setsurei believed nations must develop special talents to serve the world's interest.
Setsurei argued that devoting oneself to one's country is effectively devotion to the world.
Many intellectuals rejected military rule & preferred a Japan based on Western democratic liberalism.
Ueki Emori led the Popular Rights Movement demanding constitutional government & popular sovereignty.
Emori admired French doctrines of natural rights & supported liberal education for individual growth.
He claimed freedom is more precious than order while others sought women's voting rights.
Widespread intellectual & public pressure finally forced the government to announce a national constitution.
10. Fukuzawa Yukichi (1835-1901)
Fukuzawa Yukichi rose from a poor samurai background to study Western sciences & served as a translator for the
1860 US embassy before founding Keio University & the Meirokusha society.
His popular spoken-style books & The Encouragement to Learning criticized old knowledge & promoted the Western
spirit of civilization to build a new society where all men are created equal.
11. Daily Life
Modernization changed daily life by shifting from patriarchal households to the nuclear family system.
The new home or homu defined the husband as breadwinner & wife as homemaker.
This shift increased demand for new domestic goods family entertainments & modern housing.
In the 1920s companies offered cheap housing for a 200 yen down payment.
Monthly instalments were 12 yen for ten years to pay off these new homes.
These costs were high as an educated bank employee earned only 40 yen monthly.
12. CAR-CLUB: The 20t century Moga or modern girl symbolized gender equality & cosmopolitan culture as middle-class families
enjoyed electric trams public parks department stores Ginbura walks in Ginza 1925 radio stations actress Matsui Sumako & a
massive film industry started in 1899 that questioned traditional social norms
13. 'Overcoming Modernity'.
State-centred nationalism peaked as Japan's wars in China & Asia merged into WWII after attacking Pearl Harbor.
