I have always thought that the monarchies of the Far East have not been given the study and attention they justly deserve, no matter if one chooses to look on them favorably or not. Their sheer longevity alone should be more than enough to warrant more careful study of their philosophies and political systems. Looking at it from a Western perspective, there has been a Chinese Emperor on the throne continously from the time of ancient Greece until just prior to the First World War; and the roots of nations like China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Tibet and Vietnam go back much farther than that.
Undoubtedly, East Asia is vastly different from the European West, which is part of what makes the region so mysterious and fascinating, but it is also very interesting to see just how much the east and west have in common. The Chinese Empire was, in many ways, much like the western Roman Empire, setting the standard for political processes, military innovation and learning for a thousand years. Likewise in Japan there was a romanticized period of feudalism. Europe had knights and chivalry; Japan had samurai and bushido. It is no wonder that all of Europe was so spell-bound by the tales spread by Marco Polo after returning from the luxurious court of Kublai Kahn, Mongol ruler of the Yuan dynasty of China, center of the largest land empire in world history.
Like other regions of the world, Asia has had periods of decline and greatness. In China, not long after uniting, the country fell back for some time into division and civil war. Yet, it was also the Chinese who invented paper, gunpowder and numerous other items we take for granted today. Although often viewed as a region of isolations (with some good reasons to be sure) there has also been periods of great tolerance and diversity. The mother of the famous Kublai Kahn for example, was a Nestorian Christian and the Admiral Zheng He who explored the east coast of Africa and perhaps even the west coast of the Americas was a Muslim eunuch.
Asia has given world culture some great things. Did you know that the largest pyramid in the world is actually in China, the tomb of a famous empress? Did you know that the Great Wall of China is the only man-made object which can be seen from orbit? Foreign visitors were awe-struck by the wealth and magnificence of the Imperial court of Qing Emperor Qianlong, amazed by the intricate manners and protocol of Japan, impressed by the great learning and literature of Korea and the mineral riches of Southeast Asia. Yet, Asia has also seen some of the worst horrors to ever afflict humanity. The Mongol hordes of Genghis Kahn left a horrific path of destruction in their wake from China to Poland. The persecution of Christians in Nagasaki, Japan shocked the senses of the west, there was the Taiping Rebellion which may be the bloodiest civil war in world history. World War II started in Asia rather than Europe and the bloodiest battles of the Cold War, in China, Korea and Vietnam were fought there as well. It is certainly a part of the world that deserves to be better understood than it is. |
