King Sejong the Great King Sejong, the fourth King of the Choson Dynasty from 1418 to 1450, is regarded by most Koreans as one of the greatest figures in their country's history. Along with his strong love and enthusiasm for the nation, he enforced many significant reforms, laying the foundation for the Confucian state dynasty that was to rule for more than 500 years. One of the King's ruling feature which I admire the most is his passion for education. He believed that everyone had a right to learn, which is the ultimate way for improving the nation to the greater extent. He founded a state research institute, the Hall of Worthies (Chiphyonjon), at the beginning of his reign, staffing it with talented officials who were encouraged to conduct a variety of research activities required for monarchical rule. The direction of government was thus set and the quality of governance enhanced. King Sejong was able to provide an environment for the nations development and prosperity. The invention of 'han-gul', the Korean alphabet, planned and directed by the king, is an achievement that no Korean can overlook. Koreans should show appreciation to him that they can express their language with an effective writing system. The invention of han-gul alone is enough to place Sejong as a historical figure for the nation. Sejong moreover believed that a king was morally obligated to ensure the common people's basic lives. He also thought that he should refine their lifestyle through Confucian enlightenment. After his tenth year in power, he came up with methods to promote agriculture as a means of providing adequate food and clothing for his people. Agricultural policies were at the heart of King Sejong's rule. He focused on two areas: the development of agricultural technology and the implementation of an equitable taxation system for agricultural products. In terms of technology, Sejong wanted to transfer the advanced agricultural techniques used in the southern provinces to other parts of Korea and to develop and distribute medical services as a means of bolstering labor efficiency in agriculture. In addition to the agricultural achievements, several comprehensive medical texts were published including the compiled in 1431. Moreover, he published a manual for the general public entitled as part of the efforts to promote population growth. Later in the 12th year of his reign, King Sejong began looking into reform of the land tax problem. After painstaking consideration, the Tribute Tax Law '(kongpop)' was promulgated in 1444; it was in the 26th year of his reign.
By any measure, The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyong, known as Hanjungnok (Records written in silence), is a remarkable piece of Korean literature and an invaluable historical document, in which a Korean woman narrated an event that can be described as the ultimate male power rivalry surrounding a father-son conflict that culminates in her husband’s death. However, the Memoirs were much more than a political and historical murder mystery; writing this memoir was her way of seeking forgiveness. As Haboush pointed out in her informative Introduction, Lady Hyegyong experienced a conflict herself between the demands imposed by the roles that came with her marriage, each of which included both public and private aspects. We see that Lady Hyegyong justified her decision to live as choosing the most public of her duties, and she decided that for her and other members of her family must to be judged fairly, which required an accurate understanding of the her husband’s death. It was also important to understand that Lady Hyegyong had to endure the
Wang Mang was one of the most powerful figures of his day. As leader of China from nine to twenty three C.E, he preached the values of Confucianism to his people. However, Wang Mang was not a perfect Confucian himself. In some aspects of his life, specifically in his rise to power and in his demise, Wang Mang went against the core values of Confucianism, as well as the values and teaching of Li, Yi, and Chunzi, but his radical reforms, including banning slavery and redistributing land, indicate that he followed and cared about the values of Ren.
Hwang Sun-won went through many hard times during his life (Albert). When he was young Korea was ruled by Japan. During this time Hwang saw the Japanese imprison his father for being part of the Korean rebellion of 1919. (Albert 1402) Another reason is when he would write one of his many pieces of ...
Of the many dynasties that make up China’s history, one of the most notable is the Han Dynasty, which lasted from 206 BCE to 220 CE, under the rule of numerous emperors. It made many contributions to China’s history and made lasting changes, some of which remained for millennia following the dynasty’s collapse. The Han Dynasty was founded in 202 B.C.E by Liu Bang, who became known as Emperor Gaozu, the first emperor of the Han Dynasty and ended in 220 C.E. when Emperor Xian, whose birth name was Liu Xie, was forced into abdication by Cao Pi, a man who led one of the Three Kingdoms which succeeded the Han Dynasty. They made changes to China’s economy, technology, social order, religion, philosophy, and education that revolutionized the way China operated. Also, as the Han Dynasty expanded greatly during its rule, many of the territory that the dynasty conquered became part of what would later be modern day China. These changes helped to shape the country that China became.
leader of China, and he believed that Marxism was the best way to solve China’s social
From the high, windswept Gobi came one of history's most famous warriors. He was a Mongolian nomad known as Genghis Khan. With his fierce, hard-riding nomad horde, he conquered a huge empire that stretched through Asia from the Yellow Sea to the Black Sea.
The Shang dynasty was from 1600-1050 BCE. The first ruler was a good ruler and the country was very stable throughout the Shang Dynasty. There were also many cultural advances during that time. The men of the created a good government that was used for about 600 years until it fell apart. Later in the Battle of Muye, the Shang Dynasty was overthrown by the Zhou Dynasty that was a subject people living in the western part of the kingdom. They overthrew the Shang when they tried to expand.
Master Keung was given the name ‘Confucius’ by missionaries who visited the Dynasty. He lived during a time when the Zhou dynasty in China was immersed in serious political conflicts. So Confucius set out to fix this generation’s problem of disputing and confrontation. While India and China both were fighting over political issues. Confucius was only focused on and about every day concerns. Although the basis of Confucianism was already in the Dynasties daily life of treating others well, Confucius and his philosophy sparked the attention and importance of Confucianism. All of Confucius’ teachings and his refined version of Confucianism didn’t really take root until the Han Dynasty which He was indifferent to the big mysteries of existence such as the origin or the universe, god or the afterlife. Confucius in his philosophy refrained from mentioning any kind of deity, god, or afterlife. He was always trying to find the truth in things and search for answers. Confucius’ Philosophy hold the foundation of always loving others no matter what, Confucianism isn’t a religion like Christianity, it’s a philosophy. Confucianism is entirely based on Kindness, Mutual Respect, and an Appreciation of peoples Virtues. This is founded on the belief that society can only flourish when people learn to interact positively with each other. Confucius tried to bring up his concerns and his
The Tang Dynasty’s rise is similar to the rise of the Han Dynasty, which began over 800 years earlier. The first emperor of the tang, Kao-tsu (618-626 C.E.), implemented many of the practices and ideas established during the Sui Dynasty. Emperor Kao-tsu carried on the tradition of local government rule, and also awarded each adult male in China equal amounts of land, in exchange for taxes. Emperor Taizong, who began rule in 626 C.E., was the son of Kao-tsu, also played an important role in the economic expansion of China and ruled during the beginning decades of the Tang. Emperor Taizong’s reign beg...
...y say that I was able to get a good overview of Korean history with a strong sense of knowledge gained. What I specifically gained was a better sense of Korea as a unique cultural entity with its own sense of excellence and its individuality. I have also learned that regardless of the hardships Koreans have suffered in this century, they have successfully endured every worst situation a nation can ever experience. From Japan's colonial rule to the heavy influence Korea felt from Russia's communist state and America's democracy, Korea was able to withstand all these instabilities and overcome to what may be a healthy and modernized nation. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who would like a broad yet thorough overview of Korean history because; this book is precisely written and sectioned accordingly to not make learning history difficult or confusing.
The most commonly name used to refer to a king is fon. Ruling across the lands by fons are not given by showing they are tough, powerful, or able to rule, but it is passed along through blood lineages from generations to generations. Since kingship is passed down through a family, these families often have many royal ancestors. Fon’s are the ones who take care of the whole kingdom. He not only takes care of them, but he watches out for every person’s safety. The fon always has a Kan Mfomungwi, otherwise known as the queen. He is allowed to have as many wives as he pleases. Most importantly though, the female who has his first child is called the First Wife. This is an idolized position because you prove the fon is fertile. Having several children is considered successful to the fon upon his death. This ensures that the family will still hold the royal crown when the fon
Throughout China’s history, dynasties have deeply ruled China over a course of 4,000 years. Confucius walked the earth in 551 BC, and inspired new ways of thinking and teaching education. He valued deep thought and became a living example for those around him. Confucius took great delight in studying and was eager to learn from anyone. Confucius taught the value of kindness, integrity, truth, modestly and courteousness that spread like wildfire and inspired those around him. In addition, Confucius is credited to have written some of China’s most influential Chinese classics, which helped outline the principles of a society, confucian philosophy, aspects of life, and early education (Surowski). Confucius was set on the following basic principles when it came to learning. Confucius often said “Studying without thinking leads to confusion; thinking without studying leads to laziness” (“Confucianism”). The early
Unyong-jon differs greatly from the modern text of Mujong, as both popular trend, as well as the harsh environment of the time, resulted in a much more realistic conclusion for the couple. Perhaps the happier closure in Unyong-jon, is a result of the external environment of that time. The story that Unyong tells, takes place during the reign of King Sejong the Great, which was known as a time of cultural and literature prosperity. The conclusion of other pre-modern texts from the same time, though offering more precise happy endings than Unyong-jon, could also suggest the readers desire for similar happiness within their own lives during that time. These contrasting environmental factors can be connected to the opposing conclusions in each story.
North Korea has a tendency to give harsh punishments to even minor offences. A man of the name Kim Joo II lived in North Korea his entire life and at a young age he had already experienced things that will scar one for life such as witnessing a public execution by the age of 10. This is a short story written by Kim about a class experience. “In my class, two boys were rivals. One was annoyed that the other was doing well, so he borrowed his textbook, which had a portrait of Kim Il-sung on it. He drew a small, funny mark on the portrait, and then gave it back. They found the mark when they checked the book, and the family of the first boy disappeared overnight.” Kim II-sung was the prior leader to Kim Jong un and both of them share similar
His role as an intelligent administrator/emperor was most important in shaping the modern world through his religious tolerance, globalization, and democracy. He demonstrated religious tolerance which has survived to this day