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East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms.[1][2] The modern states of East Asia include China (People's Republic of China), Hong Kong (SAR of PRC), Japan, Macau (SAR of PRC), Mongolia, North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea), South Korea (Republic of Korea) and Taiwan (Republic of China).[3] The East Asian states of China, North Korea, South Korea and Taiwan are all unrecognized by at least one other East Asian state due to severe ongoing political tensions in the region, specifically the division of Korea and the political status of Taiwan. Hong Kong and Macau, two small coastal quasi-dependent territories located in the south of China, are officially highly autonomous but are under de jure Chinese sovereignty. North Asia borders East Asia's north, Southeast Asia the south, South Asia the southwest and Central Asia the west. To the east is the Pacific Ocean and to the southeast is Micronesia (a Pacific Ocean island group, classified as part of Oceania).

East Asia, especially Chinese civilization, is regarded as one of the earliest cradles of civilization. Other ancient civilizations in East Asia that still exist as independent countries in the present day include the Japanese, Korean and Mongolian civilizations. Various other civilizations have existed in East Asia during ancient times but have since been absorbed into neighbouring civilizations in the present day, such as Tibet, Baiyue, Manchuria and Ryukyu, among many others. Taiwan has a relatively young history in the region after the prehistoric era; originally, it was a major site of Austronesian civilization prior to colonization by European colonial powers and China from the 17th century onward. For thousands of years, China largely influenced East Asia as it was principally the leading civilization in the region exerting its prestige and influence onto its neighbors.[4][5][6] Historically, societies in East Asia have fallen within the Chinese sphere of influence, and East Asian vocabulary and scripts are often derived from Classical Chinese and Chinese script. The Chinese calendar preserves traditional East Asian culture and serves as the root to which many other East Asian calendars are derived from. Major religions in East Asia include Buddhism (mostly Mahayana[7]), Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism, Taoism, Ancestral worship, and Chinese folk religion in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, Shintoism in Japan, and Christianity, and Sindoism in Korea.[8][9][10] Tengerism and Tibetan Buddhism is prevalent among Mongols and Tibetans while other religions such as Shamanism are widespread among the indigenous populations of northeastern China such as the Manchus.[11]Template:SfnbTemplate:Sfnb Major languages in East Asia include Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Major ethnic groups of East Asia include the Han (mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan), Yamato (Japan) and Koreans (North Korea, South Korea). Mongols, although not as populous as the previous three ethnic groups, constitute the majority of Mongolia's population. There are 76 officially-recognized minority or indigenous ethnic groups in East Asia; 55 native to mainland China (including Hui, Manchus, Chinese Mongols, Tibetans, Uyghurs and Zhuang in the frontier regions), 16 native to the island of Taiwan (collectively known as Taiwanese indigenous peoples), one native to the major Japanese island of Hokkaido (the Ainu) and four native to Mongolia (Turkic peoples). Ryukyuan people are an unrecognised ethnic group indigenous to the Ryukyu Islands in southern Japan, which stretch from Kyushu Island (Japan) to Taiwan. There are also several unrecognised indigenous ethnic groups in mainland China and Taiwan.

East Asians comprise around Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character "[". billion people, making up about 38% of the population in Continental Asia and 22% of the global population.[12][13][14] The region is home to major world metropolises such as Beijing, Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei, and Tokyo. Although the coastal and riparian areas of the region form one of the world's most populated places, the population in Mongolia and Western China, both landlocked areas, is very sparsely distributed, with Mongolia having the lowest population density of a sovereign state. The overall population density of the region is Template:Convert, about three times the world average of Template:Convert.Template:WhenTemplate:Citation needed

East Asia has some of the world's largest and most prosperous economies: Mainland China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.[15]

History[]

Main article: History of East Asia

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.[16] The various other regions in East Asia were selective in the Chinese influences they adopted into their local customs. Historian Ping-ti Ho famously labeled Chinese civilization as the "Cradle of Eastern Civilization", in parallel with the "Cradle of Western Civilization" along the Fertile Crescent encompassing Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt.[17]

Chinese civilization existed for about 1500 years before other East Asian civilizations emerged into history, Imperial China would exert much of its cultural, economic, technological, and political muscle onto its neighbors.[18][19][20][21] Succeeding Chinese dynasties exerted enormous influence across East Asia culturally, economically, politically and militarily for over two millennia.[21][22][23] The Imperial Chinese tributary system 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.[24][25][20] Imperial China's cultural preeminence not only led the country to become East Asia's first literate nation in the entire region, it also supplied Japan and Korea with Chinese loanwords and linguistic influences rooted in their writing systems.[26]

Under Emperor Wu of Han, the Han dynasty made China the regional power in East Asia, projecting much of its imperial power on its neighbors.[21][27] Han China hosted the largest unified population in East Asia, the most literate and urbanized as well as being the most economically developed, as well as the most technologically and culturally advanced civilization in the region at the time.[28][29] 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 influence would soon take root in Korea through the inclusion of the Chinese writing system, monetary system, rice culture, and Confucian political institutions.[30] Jomon society in ancient Japan incorporated wet-rice cultivation and metallurgy through its contact with Korea. Starting from the fourth century AD, Japan incorporated the Chinese writing system which evolved into Kanji by the fifth century AD and has become a significant part of the Japanese writing system.[31] 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.[32] During the Tang dynasty, China exerted its greatest influence on East Asia as various aspects of Chinese culture spread to Japan and Korea.[33][34] 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 written Han characters, Chinese style 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.[35][36][37] 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 into a more centralized bureaucratic empire.[38] 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.[39] During the Nara period, Japan began to aggressively import Chinese culture and styles of government which included Confucian protocol that served as a foundation for Japanese culture as well as political and social philosophy.[40][41] The Japanese also created laws adopted from the Chinese legal system that was used to govern in addition to the kimono, which was inspired from the Chinese robe (hanfu) during the eighth century AD.[42] 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 nineteenth century.[43][44][45][46]

As East Asia's connections with Europe and the Western world strengthened during the late nineteenth century, China's power began to decline.[18][47] By the mid-nineteenth 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.[48][49] The U.S. Commodore Matthew C. Perry would open Japan to Western ways, and the country would expand in earnest after the 1860s.[50][51][52] Around the same time, Japan with its rush to modernity transformed itself from an isolated feudal samurai state into East Asia's first industrialized nation in the modern era.[53][54][51] The modern and militarily powerful Japan would galvanize its position in the Orient as East Asia's greatest power with a global mission poised to advance to lead the entire world.[53][55] By the early 1900s, the Japanese empire succeeded in asserting itself as East Asia's most dominant power.[55] With its newly found international status, Japan would begin to challenge the European colonial powers and inextricably took on a more active geopolitical position in East Asia and world affairs at large.[56] Flexing its nascent political and military might, Japan soundly defeated the stagnant Qing dynasty during the First Sino-Japanese War as well as vanquishing imperial rival Russia in 1905; the first major military victory in the modern era of an East Asian power over a European one.[57][58][59][60][50] Its hegemony was the heart of an empire that would include Taiwan and Korea.[53] During World War II, Japanese expansionism with its imperialist aspirations through the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere would incorporate Korea, Taiwan, much of eastern China and Manchuria, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia under its control establishing itself as a maritime colonial power in East Asia.[61] 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 as well as the division of China and Korea during the Cold War. The Korean peninsula became independent but then it was divided into two rival states, while Taiwan became the main territory of de facto state Republic of China after the latter lost Mainland China to the People's Republic of China in the Chinese Civil War. During the latter half of the twentieth century, the region would see the post war economic miracle of Japan, which ushered in three decades of unprecedented growth, only to experience an economic slowdown during the 1990s, but nonetheless Japan continues to remain a global economic power. East Asia would also see the economic rise of South Korea and Taiwan, and the integration of Mainland China into the global economy through its entry in the World Trade Organization while enhancing its emerging international status as a potential world power.[3][62][63] Although there have been no wars in East Asia for decades, the stability of the region remains fragile because of North Korea's nuclear program.

Definitions[]

File:Central Asia borders4.png

Three sets of possible boundaries for the Central Asia region that overlap with conceptions of East Asia

In common usage, the term "East Asia" typically refers to a region including Greater China, Japan, and Korea.[64][65][66][67][12][68][69][70][71][72][63]

China, Japan, and Korea represent the three core countries and civilizations of traditional East Asia - as they once shared a common written language, culture, as well as sharing Confucian philosophical tenets and the Confucian societal value system once instituted by Imperial China.[73][74][75][76][77] Other usages define Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, North Korea, South Korea and Taiwan as countries that constitute East Asia based on their geographic proximity as well as historical and modern cultural and economic ties, particularly with Japan and Korea having strong cultural influences that originated from China.[73][77][78][79][80][81] Some scholars include Vietnam as part of East Asia as it has been considered part of the greater Chinese sphere of influence. Though Confucianism continues to play an important role in Vietnamese culture, Chinese characters are no longer used in its written language and many scholarly organizations classify Vietnam as a Southeast Asian country.[82][83][84] Mongolia is geographically north of Mainland China yet Confucianism and the Chinese writing system and culture had limited impact on Mongolian society. Thus, Mongolia is sometimes grouped with Central Asian countries such as Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan.[82][83] Xinjiang (East Turkestan) and Tibet are sometimes seen as part of Central Asia.[85][86][87]

Broader and looser definitions by international organizations such as the World Bank refer to the "three major Northeast Asian economies, i.e. Mainland China, Japan, and South Korea", as well as Mongolia, North Korea, the Russian Far East and Siberia.[88] The Council on Foreign Relations includes the Russia Far East, Mongolia, and Nepal.[89] The World Bank also acknowledges the roles of sub-national or de facto states, such as Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. The Economic Research Institute for Northeast Asia defines the region as "China, Japan, the Koreas, Nepal, Mongolia, and eastern regions of the Russian Federation".[90]

File:Map of East Asia.png

The countries of East Asia also form the core of Northeast Asia, which itself is a broader region.

File:East Asia map of Köppen climate classification.svg

East Asia map of Köppen climate classification.

File:Location-Asia-UNsubregions.png

UNSD geoscheme for Asia based on statistic convenience rather than implying any assumption regarding political or other affiliation of countries or territories:[91] Template:Legend Template:Legend Template:Legend Template:Legend Template:Legend Template:Legend

The UNSD definition of East Asia is based on statistical convenience,[91] but also other common definitions of East Asia contain the Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan.[1][92]

Alternative definitions[]

There are mixed debates around the world whether these countries or regions should be considered in East Asia or not.

  • Far Eastern Federal District in Russia (often described as North Asia due to its location, although this part of Russia is often seen as more closely related to its East Asian neighbours)Template:Citation needed
  • Sovereignty issues exist over some territories in the South China Sea.Template:Citation needed

In business and economics, "East Asia" is sometimes used to refer to a wide geographical area covering ten Southeast Asian countries in ASEAN, Greater China, Japan and Korea. However, in this context, the term "Far East" is used by the Europeans to cover ASEAN countries and the countries in East Asia. However, being a Eurocentric term, Far East describes the region's geographical position in relation to Europe rather than its location within Asia. Alternatively, the term "Asia Pacific Region" is often used in describing East Asia, Southeast Asia as well as Oceania.Template:Citation needed

Observers preferring a broader definition of "East Asia" often use the term Northeast Asia to refer to China, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan, with Southeast Asia covering the ten ASEAN countries. This usage, which is seen in economic and diplomatic discussions, is at odds with the historical meanings of both "East Asia" and "Northeast Asia".[93][94][95] The Council on Foreign Relations of the United States defines Northeast Asia as Japan and Korea.[89]

Economy[]

Main article: Economy of East Asia
Customs territory GDP nominal
billions of USD (2020)[96]
GDP nominal per capita
USD (2020)[96]
GDP PPP
billions of USD (2020)[96]
GDP PPP per capita
USD (2020)[96]
Template:CHN 15,222.155 10,839.435 24,162.435 17,205.654
Template:HKG[97] 341.319 45,175.727 439.459 58,165.200
Template:MAC[98] 26.348 38,769.201 40.049 58,930.534
Template:JPN 4,910.580 39,047.860 5,236.138 41,636.628
Template:MNG 13.385 3,989.927 41.125 12,259.059
Template:PRK N/A N/A N/A N/A
Template:KOR 1,586.786 30,644.427 2,293.475 44,292.194
Template:TWNTemplate:Efn 635.547 26,910.229 1,275.805 54,019.882

Territorial and regional data[]

Etymology[]

Flag Common Name Official Name ISO 3166 Country Codes[99]
Exonym Endonym Exonym Endonym ISO Short Name Alpha-2 Code Alpha-3 Code Numeric
Template:Flagdeco China Template:Lang People's Republic of China Template:Lang China CN CHN 156
Template:Flagdeco Hong Kong Template:Lang Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
of the People's Republic of China
Template:Lang Hong Kong HK HKG 344
Template:Flagdeco Macau Template:Lang Macao Special Administrative Region
of the People's Republic of China
Template:Lang Macao MO MAC 446
Template:Flagdeco Japan Template:Lang Japan Template:Lang Japan JP JPN 392
Template:Flagdeco Mongolia Template:Lang Mongolia Template:LangTemplate:MongolUnicode Mongolia MN MNG 496
Template:Flagdeco North Korea Template:Lang Democratic People's Republic of Korea Template:Lang Korea (the Democratic People's Republic of) KP PRK 408
Template:Flagdeco South Korea Template:Lang Republic of Korea Template:Lang Korea (the Republic of) KR KOR 410
Template:Flagdeco Taiwan[100] Template:Lang Republic of China Template:Lang Taiwan (Province of China)[101] TW TWN 158

Demographics[]

State/Territory Area km2 PopulationTemplate:UN Population
(Template:UN Population)
Population density
per km2
HDI[102] Capital/Administrative Center
Template:Flag 9,640,011Template:Efn Template:UN PopulationTemplate:Efn 138 0.752 Beijing
Template:HKG 1,104 Template:UN Population 6,390 0.933 Hong Kong
Template:MAC 30 Template:UN Population 18,662 0.909 Macao
Template:JPN 377,930 Template:UN Population 337 0.909 Tokyo
Template:MNG 1,564,100 Template:UN Population 2 0.741 Ulaanbaatar
Template:PRK 120,538 Template:UN Population 198 0.733 Pyongyang[103]
Template:KOR 100,210 Template:UN Population 500 0.903 Seoul
Template:TWN 36,197 Template:UN Population 639 0.907 Taipei[104]

Ethnic groups[]

Main article: East Asians
Ethnicity Native name Population Language(s) Writing system(s) Major states/territories* Traditional attire
Han/Chinese Template:Lang or Template:Lang 1,268,000,000Template:Citation needed Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese, Shanghainese, Hokkien, Hakka, Gan, Hsiang, etc.) Simplified Han characters, Traditional Han characters Template:Flagicon (Template:FlagiconTemplate:Flagicon) Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon
File:Hanfu man and lady.jpg
Yamato/Japanese Template:Lang 125,117,000[105] Japanese Han characters (Kanji), Katakana, Hiragana Template:Flagicon
File:Shinto married couple.jpg
Korean Template:Lang
Template:Lang
79,432,225Template:Citation needed Korean Hangul, Han characters (Hanja) Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon
File:Hanbok (female and male).jpg
Bai Template:Lang 1,858,063 Bai, Southwestern Mandarin Simplified Han characters, Latin script Template:Flagicon
File:Bai 5.JPG
Hui Template:Lang 10,586,087Template:Citation needed Northwestern Mandarin, other Chinese Dialects, Huihui language, etc. Simplified Han charactersTemplate:Efn Template:Flagicon
File:HuiChineseMuslim3.jpg
Mongols Template:Lang/Монголчууд/Template:MongolUnicode
Монгол/Template:MongolUnicode
8,942,528 Mongolian Mongol script, Cyrillic script Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon
File:Mongolian Musician.jpg
Zhuang Template:Lang/Template:Lang 18,000,000 Zhuang, Southwestern Mandarin, etc. Simplified Han characters, Latin script Template:Flagicon
File:Zhuang's beautiful maiden in Chongzuo Fusui.jpg
Uyghurs Template:Lang/ئۇيغۇر 15,000,000+[106] Uighur Arabic alphabet, Cyrillic script Template:FlagiconTemplate:Efn
File:Uyghur-elders-sunday-market-Kashgar.jpg
Manchus Template:Lang/Template:ManchuSibeUnicode 10,422,873Template:Citation needed Northeastern Mandarin, Manchu language Simplified Han characters, Mongol script Template:Flagicon
File:Akšan.jpg
Hmong/Miao Template:Lang/Ghaob Xongb/Hmub/Mongb 9,426,007Template:Citation needed Hmong/Miao, Southwestern Mandarin Latin script, Simplified Han characters Template:Flagicon
File:贵州黔东南苗族女性(a Miao woman in Qiandongnan,Guizhou).jpg
Tibetans Template:Lang/Template:Bo-textonly 6,500,000 Tibetan, Rgyal Rong, Rgu, etc. Tibetan script Template:Flagicon
File:People of Tibet46.jpg
Yi Template:Lang/Template:Lang 8,714,393 Various Loloish, Southwestern Mandarin Yi script, Simplified Han characters Template:Flagicon
File:Ethnic Yi China Costume.jpg
Tujia Template:Lang 8,353,912 Northern Tujia, Southern Tujia Simplified Han characters Template:Flagicon
File:Tujia women.jpg
Kam Template:Lang/Gaeml 2,879,974 Gaeml Simplified Han characters, Latin script Template:Flagicon
File:Ethic Dong Liping Guizhou China.jpg
Tu Template:Lang/Monguor 289,565 Tu, Northwestern Mandarin Simplified Han characters Template:Flagicon
File:Nadun Picture 1.jpg
Daur Template:Lang/Template:MongolUnicode 131,992 Daur, Northeastern Mandarin Mongol script, Simplified Han characters Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon
File:Daur woman smiling.jpg
Indigenous Taiwanese Peoples Template:Lang/Pangcah, etc. 533,600 Austronesian languages (Amis, Yami), etc. Latin script, Traditional Han characters Template:Flagicon
File:Tao1.jpg
Ryukyuan Template:LangTemplate:Lang 1,900,000 Japanese
Ryukyuan
Han characters (Kanji), Katakana, Hiragana Template:Flagicon (Template:Flagicon) Template:Flagicon
File:Five men wearing Ryukyuan Dress.JPG
Ainu Template:Lang 200,000 Japanese
Ainu[107]
Han characters (Kanji), Katakana, Hiragana Template:Flagicon
File:AinuSan.jpg
  • Note: The order of states/territories follows the population ranking of each ethnicity, within East Asia only.

East Asian culture[]

Main article: Culture of East Asia

Template:Main category

Overview[]

The culture of East Asia has largely been influenced by China, as it was the civilization that had the most dominant influence in the region throughout the ages that ultimately laid the foundation for East Asian civilization.[108] The vast knowledge and ingenuity of Chinese civilization and the classics of Chinese literature and culture were seen as the foundations for a civilized life in East Asia. Imperial China served as a vehicle through which the adoption of Confucian ethical philosophy, Chinese calendar system, political and legal systems, architectural style, diet, terminology, institutions, religious beliefs, imperial examinations that emphasized a knowledge of Chinese classics, political philosophy and cultural value systems, as well as historically sharing a common writing system reflected in the histories of Japan and Korea.[109][21][110][111][112][113][114][115][77] The Imperial Chinese tributary system was the bedrock of network of trade and foreign relations between China and its East Asian tributaries, which helped to shape much of East Asian affairs during the ancient and medieval eras. Through the tributary system, the various dynasties of Imperial China facilitated frequent economic and cultural exchange that influenced the cultures of Japan and Korea and drew them into a Chinese international order.[116][117] The Imperial Chinese tributary system shaped much of East Asia's foreign policy and trade for over two millennia due to Imperial China's economic and cultural dominance over the region, and thus played a huge role in the history of East Asia in particular.[25][117] The relationship between China and its cultural influence on East Asia has been compared to the historical influence of Greco-Roman civilization on Europe and the Western World.[113][111][117][109]

Religions[]

Main article: East Asian religions
Religion Native name Creator/Current Leader Founded Time Main Denomination Major book Type Est. Followers Ethnic groups States/territories
Chinese folk religion 中国民间信仰 Spontaneous formation 5000 years from nowTemplate:Citation needed Salvationist, Wuism, Nuo Chinese classics, Huangdi Sijing, precious scrolls, etc. Prehistoric,pantheism,and polytheism ~900,000,000[118][119] Han, Hmong, Qiang, Tujia (worship of the same ancestor-gods) Template:Flagicon (Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon) Template:Flagicon
Taoism Template:Lang Zhang Daoling, was consider the founder of Taoism by Taoists. He founded Zhengyi, the earlist denomination of Taoism. Zhang Daoling reformed the Chinese folk religion from Szechuan, into a real, organized, and regulated religion, in 125A.D.. Wang Chongyang founded the Quanzhen Denomination. Tale says Wang Chongyang met two Gods, Lü Dongbin and Han Zhongli, during Jin dynasty (1115–1234) in 1159. He then get started to study Taosim himself. Three years later, he finished his studying, and founded Quanzhen. The new leader of Zhengyi need to be the son or paternal nephew of the previous leader, confirmed by the court of Zhengyi, in Mount Longhu, Jiangxi. Also beginning from the Song Dynasty, the leaders of Zhengyi get started to be confirmed and titled by the Emperor of China. In 1949, the 63th leader, Zhang Enfu, fled to Taiwan with Chiang Kai-shek, leader of the Kuomintang, died in 1969 in Taipei. The Kuomintang Authority titled his cousin Zhang Yuanxian as the 64th leader, while the Court of Zhengyi back in Jiangxi argued that the oracle already foreseen the leadership will end at the 63th generation. Zhang Yuanxian died in 2008, only left a daughter as heir. Meanwhile, the Kuomintang Authority didn't confirmed the next leader. On the other hand, in Mainland China, Zhang Enfu's second daughter's son, Lu Jintao, changes his surname to Zhang, and get in charge of the Court of Zhengyi currently. For the leader of Quanzhen, the last (18th) leader (1335-1362) was Wanyan Deming, titled by the Emperor of Yuan Dynasty. Wanyan Deming was a Jurchen Taoist, the Wanyan family was the imperial house of Jin Dynasty. There is no official leader pf Quanzhen after Wanyan Deming anymore.Template:Citation needed 125 A.D. Eastern Han dynastyTemplate:Citation needed Zhengyi, Quanzhen Tao Te Ching Pantheism, polytheism ~20,000,000[119] Han, Zhuang, Hmong, Yao, Qiang, Tujia Template:Flagicon (Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon) Template:Flagicon
East Asian Buddhism/Chinese Buddhism Template:Lang or Template:Lang The Emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Zhuang, made a dream about the Buddha occasionally, then sent people to the Western Regions to Introduce Buddhism to the Capital, Chang'an, in 67 A.D. In 384 A.D., during the Eastern Jin dynasty, Indian Mālānanda introduced the Chinese Buddhism to Baekje. In 552 A.D., The King Shengming of Baekje offered Buddhism to the Emperor Kinmei of Japan.Template:Citation needed 67 A.D. Eastern Han dynasty Mahayana Diamond Sutra Non-God, Dualism. ~300,000,000 Han, Korean, Yamato Template:Flagicon (Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon) Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon
Tibetan Buddhism Template:Lang/Template:Bo-textonly Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche, Prince of the Ancient Xang Xung Kingdom. 1800 years ago Mahayana, Bon Anuttarayoga Tantra Non-God ~10,000,000 Tibetans, Manchus, Mongols Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon
ShamanismTemplate:Efn Template:Lang or Template:Lang Spontaneous formation Prehistoric period N/A Prehistoric, polytheism, and pantheism N/A Manchus, Mongols, Oroqen Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon
Shintoism Template:Lang Spontaneous formation Jōmon period Shinto sects Kojiki, Nihon Shoki Prehistoric,pantheism,and polytheism N/A Yamato Template:Flagicon
Shindo/Muism Template:Lang or Template:Lang Spontaneous formation 900 years ago Shindo sects N/A Prehistoric,pantheism,and polytheism N/A Korean Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon
Ryukyuan religion Template:Lang or Template:Lang Spontaneous formation N/A N/A N/A Prehistoric,pantheism,and polytheism N/A Ryukyuan Template:Flagicon (Template:Flagicon)

Festivals[]

Template:Unreferenced section

Festival Native Name Other name Calendar Date Gregorian date Activity Religious practices Food Major ethnicities Major states/territories
Lunar New Year Template:Lang/Template:Lang or Template:Lang/Template:Lang Spring Festival Chinese Month 1 Day 1 21 Jan–20 Feb Family Reunion, Ancestors Worship, Tomb Sweeping, Fireworks Worship the King of Gods Jiaozi Han, Manchus etc. Template:Flagicon (Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon) Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon
Korean New Year Template:Lang or Template:Lang Seollal Korean Month 1 Day 1 21 Jan–20 Feb Ancestors Worship, Family Reunion, Tomb Sweeping N/A Tteokguk Korean Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon
Losar or Tsagaan Sar Template:Lang/Template:Bo-textonly or Template:Lang/Template:Lang White Moon Tibetan, Mongolian Month 1 Day 1 25 Jan – 2 Mar Family Reunion, Ancestors Worship, Tomb Sweeping, Fireworks N/A Chhaang or Buuz Tibetans, Mongols, Tu etc. Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon
New Year Template:Lang Yuan Dan Gregorian 1 Jan 1 Jan Fireworks N/A N/A N/A Template:Flagicon (Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon) Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon
Lantern Festival Template:Lang or Template:Lang Upper Yuan Festival (Template:Lang) Chinese Month 1 Day 15 4 Feb – 6 Mar Lanterns Expo, Ancestors Worship, Tomb Sweeping Birthdate of the God of Sky-officer Yuanxiao Han Template:Flagicon (Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon) Template:Flagicon*
Daeboreum Template:Lang or Template:Lang Great Full Moon Korean Month 1 Day 15 4 Feb – 6 Mar Greeting of the moon, kite-flying, Jwibulnori, eating nuts (Bureom) Bonfires (daljip taeugi) Ogok-bap, namul, nuts Korean Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon
Hanshi Festival Template:Lang or Template:Lang Cold Food Festival Solar term Traditionally, on the 105th day after the Winter solstice. Revised to 1 day before the Qingming Festival by Johann Adam Schall von Bell (Chinese: 汤若望) during the Qing dynasty. April 3–5 Ancestors Worship, Tomb Sweeping, No cooking hot meal/setting fire, Cold food only. Cuju, etc. (People used to mix this one with the Qingming Festival due to their close dates) In Memory of a loyal Ancient named Jie Zhitui (Chinese: 介子推), ordered by the Monarch of the Jin (Chinese state), Duke Wen of Jin (Chinese: 重耳) Cold Food, e.g. Qingtuan Han, Korean, Mongols Template:Flagicon (Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon) Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon
Qingming Festival Template:Lang or Template:Lang Tomb Sweeping Day Solar term 15th day after the Vernal Equinox. Just 1 day after the Hanshi Festival, but in much higher repute. April 4-6th Ancestors Worship, Tomb Sweeping, Excursion, Planting trees, Flying kites, Tug of war, Cuju, etc. (Almost the same with the Hanshi Festival's, due to their close dates) Buring Hell money for deceased family members. Planting willow brances to keep ghosts away from houses. Boiled eggs Han, Korean, Mongols Template:Flagicon (Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon) Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon
Dragon Boat Festival Template:Lang or Template:Lang or Template:Lang Duanwu Festival / Dano (Surit-nal) Chinese / Korean Month 5 Day 5 Driving poisons & plague away. (China - Dragon Boat Race, Wearing colored lines, Hanging felon herb on the front door.) / (Korea - Washing hair with iris water, ssireum) Worship various Gods Zongzi / Surichwitteok (rice cake with herbs) Han, Korean, Yamato Template:Flagicon (Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon) Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon*
Ghost Festival Template:Lang or Template:Lang or Template:Lang Mid Yuan Festival Chinese Month 7 Day 15 Ancestors Worship, Tomb Sweeping Birthdate of the God of Earth-officer Han, Korean, Yamato Template:Flagicon (Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon) Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon*
Mid-Autumn Festival Template:Lang or Template:Lang Template:Lang Chinese Month 8 Day 15 Family Reunion, Enjoying Moon view Worship the Moon Goddess Mooncake Han Template:Flagicon (Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon) Template:Flagicon*
Chuseok Template:Lang or Template:Lang Hangawi Korean Month 8 Day 15 Family Reunion, Ancestors Worship, Tomb Sweeping, Enjoying Moon view N/A Songpyeon, Torantang (Taro soup) Korean Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon
Double Ninth Festival Template:Lang or Template:Lang Double Positive Festival Chinese Month 9 Day 09 Climbing Mountain, Taking care of elderly, Wearing Cornus. Worship various Gods Han, Korean, Yamato Template:Flagicon (Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon) Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon*
Lower Yuan Festival Template:Lang or Template:Lang N/A Chinese Month 10 Day 15 Ancestors Worship, Tomb Sweeping Birthdate of the God of Water-officer Ciba Han Template:Flagicon (Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon) Template:Flagicon
Dongzhi Festival Template:Lang or Template:Lang N/A Gregorian Between Dec 21 and Dec 23 Between Dec 21 and Dec 23 Ancestors Worship, Rites to dispel bad spirits N/A Tangyuan, Patjuk Han, Korean Template:Flagicon (Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon) Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon
Small New Year Template:Lang Jizao (Template:Lang) Chinese Month 12 Day 23 Cleaning Houses Worship the God of Hearth tanggua Han, Mongols Template:Flagicon (Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon) Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon
International Labor Day N/A N/A Gregorian 1 May 1 May N/A N/A N/A N/A Template:Flagicon (Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon) Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon
International Women's Day N/A N/A Gregorian 8 Mar 8 Mar Taking care of women N/A N/A N/A All

*Japan switched the date to the Gregorian calendar after the Meiji Restoration.

*Not always on that Gregorian date, sometimes April 4.

Collaboration[]

East Asian Youth Games[]

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Main article: East Asian Youth Games

Formerly the East Asian Games, it is a multi-sport event organised by the East Asian Games Association (EAGA) and held every four years since 2019 among athletes from East Asian countries and territories of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), as well as the Pacific island of Guam, which is a member of the Oceania National Olympic Committees.

It is one of five Regional Games of the OCA. The others are the Central Asian Games, the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games), the South Asian Games and the West Asian Games.

Free trade agreements[]

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Name of agreement Parties Leaders at the time Negotiation begins Signing date Starting time Current status
China–South Korea FTA Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Xi Jinping, Park Geun-hye May, 2012 Jun 01, 2015 Dec 30, 2015 Enforced
China–Japan–South Korea FTA Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Xi Jinping, Shinzō Abe, Park Geun-hye Mar 26, 2013 N/A N/A 10 round negotiation
Japan-Mongolia EPA Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Shinzō Abe, Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj - Feb 10, 2015 - Enforced
China-Mongolia FTA Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Xi Jinping, Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj N/A N/A N/A Officially proposed
China-HK CEPA Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Jiang Zemin, Tung Chee-hwa - Jun 29, 2003 - Enforced
China-Macau CEPA Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Jiang Zemin, Edmund Ho Hau-wah - Oct 18, 2003 - Enforced
Hong Kong-Macau CEPA Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Carrie Lam, Fernando Chui Oct 09, 2015 N/A N/A Negotiating
ECFA Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Hu Jintao, Ma Ying-jeou Jan 26, 2010 Jun 29, 2010 Aug 17, 2010 Enforced
CSSTA (Based on ECFA) Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Xi Jinping, Ma Ying-jeou Mar, 2011 Jun 21, 2013 N/A Abolished
CSGTA (Based on ECFA) Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Hu Jintao, Ma Ying-jeou Feb 22, 2011 N/A N/A Suspended

Military alliances[]

Name Abbr. Parties within the region
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation SCO Template:Flagicon (Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon) Template:Flagicon
General Security of Military Information Agreement GSOMIA Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon
Sino-North Korean Mutual Aid and Cooperation Friendship Treaty - Template:Flagicon (Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon) Template:Flagicon
Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan - Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon
Mutual Defense Treaty Between the United States and the Republic of Korea - Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon
Taiwan Relations Act (Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty before 1980) TRA (SAMDT) Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon
Major non-NATO ally (Global Partners of NATO) - Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon Template:Flagicon[120]

Major cities[]

Main article: Cities of East Asia

Template:Largest urban areas of East Asia

See also[]

Template:Portal

  • China–Japan–South Korea trilateral summit
  • East Asia Summit
  • East Asia–United States relations
  • East Asian Community
  • East Asian languages
  • East Asian studies
  • East Asian cultural sphere

Notes[]

Template:Notelist

References[]

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  97. Listed as "Hong Kong SAR" by IMF
  98. Listed as "Macao SAR" by IMF
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  100. From 1949 to 1971, the ROC was referred as "China" or "Nationalist China".
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  103. Seoul was the de jure capital of the DPRK from 1948 to 1972.
  104. Taipei is the ROC's seat of government by regulation. Constitutionally, there is no official capital appointed for the ROC.
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Further reading[]

  • Church, Peter. A short history of South-East Asia (John Wiley & Sons, 2017).
  • Clyde, Paul H., and Burton F. Beers. The Far East: A History of Western Impacts and Eastern Responses, 1830-1975 (1975) online 3rd edition 1958
  • Crofts, Alfred. A history of the Far East (1958) online free to borrow
  • Dennett, Tyler. Americans in Eastern Asia (1922) online free
  • Ebrey, Patricia Buckley, and Anne Walthall. East Asia: A cultural, social, and political history (Cengage Learning, 2013).
  • Embree, Ainslie T., ed. Encyclopedia of Asian history (1988)
  • Fairbank, John K., Edwin Reischauer, and Albert M. Craig. East Asia: The great tradition and East Asia: The modern transformation (1960) [2 vol 1960] online free to borrow, famous textbook.
  • Flynn, Matthew J. China Contested: Western Powers in East Asia (2006), for secondary schools
  • Gelber, Harry. The dragon and the foreign devils: China and the world, 1100 BC to the present (2011).
  • Green, Michael J. By more than providence: grand strategy and American power in the Asia Pacific since 1783 (2017) a major scholarly survey excerpt
  • Hall, D.G.E. History of South East Asia (Macmillan International Higher Education, 1981).
  • Holcombe, Charles. A History of East Asia (2d ed. Cambridge UP, 2017). excerpt
  • Iriye, Akira. After Imperialism; The Search for a New Order in the Far East 1921-1931. (1965).
  • Jensen, Richard, Jon Davidann, and Yoneyuki Sugita, eds. Trans-Pacific Relations: America, Europe, and Asia in the Twentieth Century (Praeger, 2003), 304 pp online review
  • Keay, John. Empire's End: A History of the Far East from High Colonialism to Hong Kong (Scribner, 1997). online free to borrow
  • Levinson, David, and Karen Christensen, eds. Encyclopedia of Modern Asia. (6 vol. Charles Scribner's Sons, 2002).
  • Mackerras, Colin. Eastern Asia: an introductory history (Melbourne: Longman Cheshire, 1992).
  • Macnair, Harley F. & Donald Lach. Modern Far Eastern International Relations. (2nd ed 1955) 1950 edition online free, 780pp; focus on 1900-1950.
  • Miller, David Y. Modern East Asia: An Introductory History (Routledge, 2007)
  • Murphey, Rhoads. East Asia: A New History (1996)
  • Norman, Henry. The Peoples and Politics of the Far East: Travels and studies in the British, French, Spanish and Portuguese colonies, Siberia, China, Japan, Korea, Siam and Malaya (1904) online
  • Paine, S. C. M. The Wars for Asia, 1911-1949 (2014) excerpt
  • Prescott, Anne. East Asia in the World: An Introduction (Routledge, 2015)
  • Ring, George C. Religions of the Far East: Their History to the Present Day (Kessinger Publishing, 2006).
  • Szpilman, Christopher W. A., Sven Saaler. "Japan and Asia" in Routledge Handbook of Modern Japanese History (2017) online
  • Steiger, G. Nye. A history of the Far East (1936).
  • Vinacke, Harold M. A History of the Far East in Modern Times (1964) online free
  • Vogel, Ezra. China and Japan: Facing History (2019) excerpt
  • Woodcock, George. The British in the Far East (1969) online

External links[]

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