The Great Asian Experience

Chapter 3 Just to condense certain prominent facts Strayer points out in part 3, Ways of the World, A Brief Global History concerning commerce; hence still are valued in the 21st century. Historically, not much has changed in today’s society in the way we specialized trading of import and export goods. Currently exchanges of goods are still being routed by road, and sea, (monsoons moving on the sea by the winds to and from Africa to India). Certainly, technology has changed; air transportation has been added. Presently, within the city limits horses aren’t being used; however, in some rural areas horses are being utilized for plowing agriculture fields just as in Paleolithic era and during the classical era were they wild horses are running 25 miles down the Silk roads. According to Strayer’s, Way of the World, “Exchange of goods is not equal” (pg. 218), this statement is referring to Relay trade- the changing of goods to multiple hands many times before reaching its final destination. In comparison, currently this is valid; in the second and third wave of civilization there is no mention how the leaders determined the upper class and lower class; but today this determination is made by zip codes. So the distributions of goods are still not distributed equally. Nevertheless what does this mean for us? Trade has a major impact with the success of society; trading is significant not just for the exchanged of: salt, gun powder, rice, and many other commodities it’s also a political machine. With the exchange ideas, and culture, “silk roads are conduit for culture” such as religion. Religion in China was dominated by Confucianism, and Buddhism the later was spread through trade down the silk roads via India, Asia continent to China making up cosmopolitan center of exchange. Religion (Confusions, Daoism and Buddhism) was not the only significant entity exchanged, but the transmission of diseases. Diseases were spread usually through transitioning from one civilization of people unbeknownst. The transmission of diseases was during transportation commerce such as measles. In comparison in currently measles is running rampant from overseas and ended up in New York, just to exemplify things haven’t changed much. In conclusion, there has been some speculation that the Chinese borrowed from the western society, however, based on the text all ideologies were shared from all across the continent. What kept civilizations intertwine was: Religion which was a major dominated factor among the elite over the masses, along with commerce; have not constantly remained equal. I’m impressed with the people of Japan, and how they borrowed from the people of China but not by force, totally voluntarily. They appeared to be a nation of classy people in arts; ironically, the people of China were of “gentry’ class”, (pg. 218). The people of Japan were disconnected geographically, which may have played a major part in the individuality. However, the dominating religion took precedence with Christianity; which gave the people an option and the freedom to choose individuality.