Now, about the Koreans.....

[dido]

That's just cuz u have no idea about East Asian history.............
Go read your history

no its just repetitive, esp. Chinese history

 

[Huayna Capac357]

Chinese history can be (and is) interesting. Though European history is more interesting. Maybe it's because China seems so monolithic to a Westerner.

 

[Azale]

no its just repetitive, esp. Chinese history

European history isn't? Repetitive does not equal uninteresting necessarily.

Although I do kinda what to know what you mean by repetitive.

 

[Traitorfish]

I think the only reason people think like that is because they have more knowledge of European history, and European history is much easier to gain access to. European history is EXTREMELY boring in the dark ages (300-1000 AD) Islamic and Asian history so much more interesting around that timeline.

I actually find the Early Middle Ages, as they are properly known, quite interesting. Maybe not much was happening on your side of the continent, but ours was full of action! The fall of Rome, the rise of the Germanic kingdoms, Charlemagne's empire, the Viking invasions, very interesting!
Play Plotinus' The Rood and the Dragon mod for Civ3 and you'll see exactly what I mean.

 

[Mirc]

I actually find the Early Middle Ages, as they are properly known, quite interesting. Maybe not much was happening on your side of the continent, but ours was full of action! The fall of Rome, the rise of the Germanic kingdoms, Charlemagne's empire, the Viking invasions, very interesting!
Play Plotinus' The Rood and the Dragon mod for Civ3 and you'll see exactly what I mean.

Yeah, nothing, I mean, like... Byzantium, blah, who cares about that insignificant state and its short peaceful history and lack of influence.

 

[Eretz Yisrael]

China is by no means monolithic.
GO READ HISTORY

 

[Huayna Capac357]

But it seems that way. After all they have been the dominant ethnic group in the region for 2000 years, had the same form of government for over 2000 years (until communism)

 

[Eretz Yisrael]

No they havnt.
The Qiang, the Xianbei, the Hu, the Miao, the Yue, the Mongols, the Manchus and all these kingdoms had vast kingdoms bigger than the Han Chinese at period of history.

 

[aronnax]

But it seems that way. After all they have been the dominant ethnic group in the region for 2000 years, had the same form of government for over 2000 years (until communism)

Dude! That is just wrong dude!

The Tang Dynasty was a liberal havan and worshipped all things foreign!
While the Ming Period was a conversative work of art and deemed foreign influence heretical and babaric.

The Taiping Rebellion was awesome! A warlord who saw himself as fighting for a Christan God who establish a short-lived "Christan" Empire in the Chinese south that required European Forces to crush.

 

[Huayna Capac357]

Dude! That is just wrong dude!

The Tang Dynasty was a liberal havan and worshipped all things foreign!
While the Ming Period was a conversative work of art and deemed foreign influence heretical and babaric.

The Taiping Rebellion was awesome! A warlord who saw himself as fighting for a Christan God who establish a short-lived "Christan" Empire in the Chinese south that required European Forces to crush.

But that's not what I said. I know about both events. I said that China seemed monolithic to an average Westerner.

 

[aronnax]

But that's not what I said. I know about both events. I said that China seemed monolithic to an average Westerner.

Oh then.. Never mind.

 

[Eretz Yisrael]

Aand you guys are not normal?

 

[Tee Kay]

you have to realize the fact that the history of East Asia is way more boring than that of Europe

Naturally, if you live in the West, you learn Western history. You don't get taught history of other areas and if you do it's often limited to a list of dates and a bunch of names that sounds pretty much the same (Taizong, Xuanzong, Zhengzong, Renzong, Suzong... it doesn't help all of Korea only have 300 or so family names and all of China around 700 family names). If you look deeper into Asian history it's very interesting, IMO much more so than European history.

 

[Eretz Yisrael]

Naturally, if you live in the West, you learn Western history. You don't get taught history of other areas and if you do it's often limited to a list of dates and a bunch of names that sounds pretty much the same (Taizong, Xuanzong, Zhengzong, Renzong, Suzong... it doesn't help all of Korea only have 300 or so family names and all of China around 700 family names). If you look deeper into Asian history it's very interesting, IMO much more so than European history.

thxs man. YOu summed it up nicely.

 

[dido]

European history isn't? Repetitive does not equal uninteresting necessarily.

Although I do kinda what to know what you mean by repetitive.

virtually every single dynasty go through the same cycle. Periods of rise, golden age, instability, invasion from the north and fall. And worst, they happened again and again for pretty much the same reason. Not to mention the same form of government. Are there much difference between Post-Wudi Han and mid-late Qing? Not much, when compared to Roman Republic and British Empire

 

[aronnax]

virtually every single dynasty go through the same cycle. Periods of rise, golden age, instability, invasion from the north and fall. And worst, they happened again and again for pretty much the same reason. Not to mention the same form of government. Are there much difference between Post-Wudi Han and mid-late Qing? Not much, when compared to Roman Republic and British Empire

Virtually every European Kingdom goes throught the same cycle, Periods of rise, instability, invasion from the French and worst. They happened again and again for pretty much the same reason. Not to mention the same old Autocractic dictator or theocracy. Are there much difference between the Prussian Germany and the Frankish Empire? Not much when compared to the Warring Period of China and the Foreign rule of the Yuan Dynasty.

Please, go read about Chinese History properly before strolling here with your comments that make you sound like your Username with an extra "L"

 

[dido]

Virtually every European Kingdom goes through the same cycle, Periods of rise, instability, invasion from the French and worst. They happened again and again for pretty much the same reason. Not to mention the same old Autocractic dictator or theocracy. Are there much difference between the Prussian Germany and the Frankish Empire? Not much when compared to the Warring Period of China and the Foreign rule of the Yuan Dynasty.

Please, go read about Chinese History properly before strolling here with your comments that make you sound like your Username with an extra "L"

I thought we are talking about European history as a whole, not a particular state. But still, do you see any unification of the crowns in Asia? Religious wars? ties through marriages?

And yes I think Eastern Zhou is much more interesting than the imperial period. You have multitude of kingdoms and strong interactions between them, which is also one of the reason why Europe history is more fascinating.

 

[Eretz Yisrael]

Damn, your ID sounds really wrong, Dido

 

[aronnax]

I thought we are talking about European history as a whole, not a particular state. But still, do you see any unification of the crowns in Asia? Religious wars? ties through marriages?

And yes I think Eastern Zhou is much more interesting than the imperial period. You have multitude of kingdoms and strong interactions between them, which is also one of the reason why Europe history is more fascinating.

But still, do you see any unification of the crowns in Asia?

The Warring Period http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warring_States_Period

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Dynasties_and_Ten_Kingdoms_Period

Three Kingdoms Period
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_kingdoms

Religious wars

Your Buddhist Persecutions and wars
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Buddhist_Persecutions_in_China
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Anti-Buddhist_Persecution

ties through marriages

http://www.newasiabooks.org/index.php?q=node/7762

multitude of kingdoms and strong interactions

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tang_dynasty#Military_and_foreign_policy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_invasions_of_Korea_(1592-1598)#Intervention_of_Ming_China
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Talas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goguryeo-Sui_Wars
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Sino-Japanese_War
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Khitans

There is plently more where that came

 

[dido]

Naturally, if you live in the West, you learn Western history. You don't get taught history of other areas and if you do it's often limited to a list of dates and a bunch of names that sounds pretty much the same (Taizong, Xuanzong, Zhengzong, Renzong, Suzong... it doesn't help all of Korea only have 300 or so family names and all of China around 700 family names). If you look deeper into Asian history it's very interesting, IMO much more so than European history.

Nothing about the language, really

The Warring Period http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warring_States_Period

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Dynasties_and_Ten_Kingdoms_Period

Three Kingdoms Period
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_kingdoms


Your Buddhist Persecutions and wars
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Buddhist_Persecutions_in_China
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Anti-Buddhist_Persecution


http://www.newasiabooks.org/index.php?q=node/7762


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tang_dynasty#Military_and_foreign_policy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_invasions_of_Korea_(1592-1598)#Intervention_of_Ming_China
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Talas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goguryeo-Sui_Wars
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Sino-Japanese_War
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Khitans

There is plently more where that came

I suppose you wouldnt call bloody annexations "unification of crowns" as in Britain and Spain (or to a lesser extent, the Habsburg Empire) would you?

Persecution of Buddhism, especially the two in Northern Wei, had much less impact on the empire than those in Europe. No resistance, no diplomatic hit, teh emperors can do whatever they want with no consequences.

Those examples you gave arent proof of strong interaction either, the Chinese never gave a **** about their neighbors/protectorates except when they're at war. Song is the only exception. But still they dont have a lot of communication with their more peaceful neighbor of Dali, Goryeo and Japan.
Lets see...Sui Yangdi and Tang Taizong invaded Goguryeo a few times and failed and no further attempts were made after Tang. China fought Japan three times, 2 were naval battles, over 1400 years, and not much communication between the two were known except that letters they made in 7th century. And you call this strong interactions? seriously?

I have to admit though, coup d'état happens more often in China