Ancient era China was the first region settled in East Asia and was undoubtedly the core of East Asian civilization from where other parts of East Asia were formed. The various other regions in East Asia were selective in the Chinese influences they adopted into their local customs. Historian
Ping-ti Ho referred to China as the cradle of Eastern civilization, in parallel with the
cradle of Middle Eastern civilization along the
Fertile Crescent encompassing
Mesopotamia and
Ancient Egypt as well as the
cradle of Western civilization encompassing
Ancient Greece. Chinese civilization emerged early, and prefigured other East Asian civilisations. Throughout history, imperial China would exert cultural, economic, technological, and political influence on its neighbours. The
tributary system of China shaped much of East Asia's history for over two millennia due to Imperial China's economic and cultural influence over the region, and thus played a huge role in the history of East Asia in particular. Under
Emperor Wu of Han, the
Han dynasty made China the regional powerhouse in East Asia, projecting much of its imperial influence onto its neighbours. Cultural and religious interaction between the Chinese and other regional East Asian dynasties and kingdoms occurred. China's impact and influence on Korea began with the Han dynasty's
northeastern expansion in 108 BC when the Han Chinese conquered the northern part of the Korean peninsula and established a province called
Lelang. Chinese influences were transmitted and soon took root in Korea through the inclusion of the Chinese writing system, monetary system, rice culture, philosophical schools of thought, and Confucian political institutions. Jomon society in ancient Japan incorporated wet-rice cultivation and metallurgy through its contact with Korea. Starting in the fourth century AD, Japan adopted
Chinese characters, which remain integral to the
Japanese writing system. Utilizing the Chinese writing system allowed the Japanese to conduct their daily activities, maintain historical records and give form to various ideas, thoughts, and philosophies.
Medieval era compared to today's
Mongols|alt=Map of Asia During the
Tang dynasty, China exerted its greatest influence on East Asia as various aspects of Chinese culture spread to
Japan and
Korea. The establishment of the medieval Tang dynasty rekindled the impetus of Chinese expansionism across the geopolitical confines of East Asia. Similar to its
Han predecessor, Tang China reasserted itself as the center of East Asian geopolitical influence during the early medieval period which spearheaded and marked another
golden age in Chinese history. During the Tang dynasty, China exerted its greatest influence on East Asia as various aspects of Chinese culture spread to Japan and Korea. In addition, Tang China also managed to maintain control over northern Vietnam and
northern Korea. As full-fledged medieval East Asian states were established, Korea by the fourth century AD and Japan by the seventh century AD, Japan and Korea actively began to incorporate Chinese influences such as
Confucianism, the use of
Chinese characters,
architecture, state institutions,
political philosophies, religion, urban planning, and various
scientific and technological methods into their culture and society through direct contacts with Tang China and succeeding Chinese dynasties. Drawing inspiration from the Tang political system, Prince
Naka no oe launched the
Taika Reform in 645 AD where he radically transformed Japan's political bureaucracy into a more centralised bureaucratic empire. The Japanese also adopted
Mahayana Buddhism, Chinese style architecture, and the imperial court's rituals and ceremonies, including the orchestral music and state dances had Tang influences. Written Chinese gained prestige and aspects of Tang culture such as
poetry,
calligraphy, and
landscape painting became widespread. The Japanese created laws adopted from the Chinese legal system that was used to govern in addition to the
kimono, which was inspired from Chinese
hanfu during the 8th century.
Modern era and
Tokugawa Japan For many centuries, most notably from the 7th to the 14th centuries, China stood as East Asia's most advanced civilization and foremost military and economic power, exerting its influence as the transmission of advanced Chinese cultural practices and ways of thinking greatly shaped the region up until the 19th century. From 3rd century through the 18th century, diplomatic and trade relations between China and other East Asian countries and the steppe kingdoms was governed through a tributary system. By the mid-19th century, the weakening
Qing dynasty became fraught with political corruption, obstacles and stagnation that was incapable of rejuvenating itself as a world power in contrast to the industrializing Imperial European colonial powers and a rapidly modernizing Japan. The United States Commodore
Matthew C. Perry would
open Japan to Western influence, and the country would expand in earnest after the 1860s. Around the same time, the
Meiji Restoration in Japan sparked rapid societal transformation from an isolated feudal state into East Asia's first industrialised nation. By the early 1900s, the
Empire of Japan succeeded in asserting itself as East Asia's most dominant geopolitical force. Japan viewed this as an opportunity to increase its power in China and shortly after the war began, occupied
Germany's concessions in
Shandong.
Contemporary era After a century of exploitation by the European and Japanese colonialists, post-colonial East Asia saw the
defeat and
occupation of Japan by the victorious Allies. The end of World War II did not result in east Asian countries obtaining independence or national unification. Independence and national unification were primary concerns for the first generation of east Asian post-World War II leaders. The northeast part of East Asia hardened along communist and anti-communist lines. As of at least 2022, the region is more peaceful, integrated, wealthy, and stable than at any time in the previous 150 years. ==Definitions==