Korea Chapter 14:iva [Image source:

A “shrimp between whales”, Korea acts as a land bridge between China and Japan. [Image source:

Koreans claim descent from Tangun, son of the bear god, who founded the first Korean kingdom 5,000 years ago. [Image source:

People from northern Asia settled in small villages and practiced shamanism. [Image source:

Han China invaded Korea in 109 B.C. [Image source:

Korea regained independence following the fall of the Han dynasty in A.D [Image source: rwb/lecture_asian_civ.htm]

By 313 Korea had splintered into three kingdoms – Silla, Paekche, and Koguryo. [Image source:

Between 313 and 668 Korea adopted many elements of Chinese culture, among them... [Image source:

Confucianism,

...Buddhism,...

... calligraphy, and...

... government.

Koguryo artists produced mammoth cave art murals. [Image source:

Queen Sondok of Silla built an astronomical observatory.

Silla conquered all of Korea in 668. [Image source:

Korean potters became renowned for their porcelain. [Image source: Image1.GIF]

Unique dance masks were produced for religious festivities and ceremonies. [ Image source:

Korean scholars compiled the Tripitaka Koreana – the largest collection of Buddhist scriptures in the world. [Image source:

The Yi dynasty established the kingdom of Choson in [Image source:

Their capital was located at Hanyang (present-day Seoul). [Image source:

Schools teaching the Confucian Classics were established to prepare civil service candidates. [Image source:

Neo- Confucianism became the state-doctrine under the Yi dynasty. [Image source: wang-jo_in_1750.jpg/150px-Cho_Kwang-jo_in_1750.jpg]

Under neo-Confucianism, Koreans adopted a rigid social order similar to that of China’s. [Image source:

King Sejong contributed to greater literacy when he simplified the written language. [Image source: state.edu/bender4/eall131/EAHReadings/ module02/imageforcontent/sejong.jpg]

The hangul is an alphabet composed of fourteen consonants and ten vowels. [Image source:

Scholars continued to write in Chinese characters, whereas the hangul was used to preserve folk tales and popular literature. [Image source: ak0.pinimg.com/236x/0c/c6/e6/0cc6e64e99424beaa ba6c50ba.jpg]

King Sejong also ordered the creation of a bronze rain gauge, resulting in the oldest record of rainfall in the world. [Image source:

The Yi dynasty managed to repel a Japanese invasion in [Image source:

Admiral Yi-Sun-shin used ironclad warships (“turtle ships”) to destroy the Japanese fleet. [Image source:

[Image source;

Following the defeat of Japan, Korea increasingly avoided contact with the outside world. [Image source: