Friday, February 15, 2008

Accomplishments of the Chakri Dynasty

10. Rama v Made sure Thailand was never colonized
 Thai people have a sense of independence
9. Rama VI changed flag of Thailand from elephant to stripes
 Represents symbol of Thailand
8. Rama VI changed flag of Thailand from elephant to stripes
 Represents symbol of Thailand
7. Rama II constructed many Thai temples
 Temples are important in Buddhism
6. Rama V passed a law to enforce Thai education
 Improved literacy rates
5. Rama I Established Bangkok/Krungthep as the capital city
 it’s still the capital city today
4. Rama V Banned slavery and prostitution
 More rights for the common people
3. Rama I translated Ramakien
 Upgraded Thai literature, represents Thai society today
2. Rama V Set up Chula University
 One of Thailand’s most prestigious universities
1. Rama IX changed to constitutional monarchy
 Made relationship between monarchy and military better’
BY:ANT, TANYA, PETER
posted by tanyaris2006 @ 2:34 PM 0 Comments

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Ming Dynasty

(1)
Picture of Emperor Hongwu

Introduction
The naming of the Ming dynasty was surprising since all other dynasty titles were taken from the home district name of the first emperor, but the first emperor Hongwu had chosen the word Ming. The meaning of the word Ming is light or brilliance. The period of Ming dynasty is from 1368 to 1644. There were approximately 160 million people. Ming was the last dynasty that was ruled by the Hans. It is a period of many enormous construction and restoration including the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. (1)(2)

Dates of Power and Map
The period of the Ming dynasty is from 1368 to 1644. (1)

(2)

Reason for take over
During the late periods of the Yuan Dynasty, things became worst. The leaders were Mongolians, and they had ethic discrimination against Han Chinese which made up a big part of the population. This caused many Hans to join the rebel army including the Red Turbans and the White Lotus. Also the leaders overtax the people during the Yuan dynasty causing failure in the economy including farming, inflation and also several floods. The government didn’t keep their promise on irrigation projects causing peasants and farmers to be unhappy. Later they joined the rebel army which made it a lot stronger. Finally they rebel and took over many territories. Zhu Yuanzhang became the first emperor and proclaimed DaDu (Beijing) as the capital city. This was the end of the Yuan dynasty and the beginning of the Ming dynasty. (1)(2)(3)
(3)
Red Turbans
Leaders of the Civilization:
The first emperor of the Ming dynasty was Zhu Yuanzhang which took the title Emperor Hongwu. Emperor Hongwu believed in Confucianism. (1)First he built many new buildings and walls protecting his empire. Later he concentrated on the empire’s political systems and tried to improve work of peasants and agriculture. The next emperor was Yongle who was an uncle of Hongwu’s grandson. Seeing his nephew as a bad ruler, he rebel and took over. In his reign, he moved the capital to Beijing. There it took 13 years to build up the Forbidden City. Yongle also build up many great and important buildings. Finally is the Wanli Emperor. During his reign there was the Imjim war with Japan, so the financial and economy was not good. Wanli tried to recover the lost, but he failed and got lazy.(2)

A Leader from another Civilization
Another leader from another civilization far away from China but during the same period of time is King Henry the VIII. King Henry's lifetime was 1491-1547, around the same time as the Ming dynasty. He was the King of England and Ireland. He was famous for the legal union of England and Wales.(4) Also he was famous for having six wives, and also he created the Anglican Church.(5)

(4)
King Henry VIII
Accomplishments
Foreign relationships-

During the Yongle period or the reign of Emperor Chengzu, the relationships between countries in the South East Asia and Europe became stronger. Also the relations with ethic minority groups became stronger.(6)

Economy-

Since the beginning of the Ming dynasty, the trend of capitalism began to grow. Agriculture also improved because the production of food increased more comparing to the Yuan and Song dynasty. Later also the handicraft industries improved encouraging a market economy. In the reign of Emperor Shizong and Emperor Shenzong, products such as fruits, silk, vegetables, crops and many more are sold in markets. Also import products such as tobacco are sold in the market. Another thing that improved was the modernization of big cities which is what is now Beijing, Nanjing, Yangzhou and many more.(2)

Culture-

Literature in the Ming dynasty greatly improved. There were many great books that are well known even today. This includes Journey to the West, Outlaws of the Marsh, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms.(2) Also poetry and art was well known in this period of China. (6)
(5)
Handmade Vase
Voyage and Exploration-

Another well known success in the Ming Dynasty was the voyage of Zheng He. Zheng He built a huge boat with best technologies in that time. He then took his boat with many crews, and he traveled to different countries in Asia and Africa. He brought knowledge, ideas and technology back to his country. This made the Ming dynasty to be very powerful because they now have information and knowledge than other nations. Zheng He's voyage has a big influence to the status of the Ming Dynasty. His voyage took 28 years which is indeed a long time.
Construction-

One of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Great Wall of China was most recently been repaired and construct by the Ming Dynasty. This was considered a gigantic construction made of brick and granite by human hands, so this is a big accomplishment.(6)
(6)
The Great Wall
Reason for Fall
The turning point that caused the Ming dynasty to fall was after the Imjin War against the Japan which China loses. It was the period of Emperor Shenzong's reign. First he had a great helper named Zhang Juzheng. Together they made a lot of improvements of the empire. However Zhang Juzheng died, and Emperor Shenzong was making more mistakes. Then they lose the Imjin War. The last emperor was Weizong' s reign. Due to the lose, the people suffered much more and they began to be unhappy and rebel. There were also court officials that corrupt that join the rebel army. Thw rebel army won and Emperor Weizong commited suicide which is a sign that the Ming dynasty had ended.(2)(1)
Work Cited
Photos-
1. “Zhu Yuanzhang” Chinese History Forum. Ming. 10 Jan 2008 <http://www.paulnoll.com/China/Dynasty/Ming-1368-Tai-Zu.jpg>.
2."Ming" Minneapolis Institute of Art. Ming. 10 Jan 2008
3."Ming Sabers" thomaschen.freewebspace. 10 Jan 2008
4."Image:Henry-VIII-kingofengland 1491-1547.jpg" wikipedia.wikipedia. 10 Jan 2008
5."66-14-001" kam.uiuc. 10 Jan 2008
6."The Great Wall" Theodora.China Photos. 10 Jan 2008
Infomation-
1. "Ming Dynasty." Wikipedia. 9 Jan 2008. Wikipedia. 8 Jan 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming_dynasty.
2."Ming Dynasty." Travel China Guide. 11 Dec 2007. Travel China Guide. 8 Jan 2008 http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/history/ming.htm.
3..Theobald , Ulrich . "Ming Dynasty ." Chinese History. 2000. China Knowledge. 10 Jan 2008 http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Ming/ming.html.
4. "Henry VIII of England." Wikipedia. 9 Jan 2008. Wikipedia. 10 Jan 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_VIII_of_England.
5."Anglicanism." Wikipedia. 9 Jan 2008. Wikipedia. 10 Jan 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglicanism.
6. "Ming Dynasty." China Culture.org. China Daily. 8 Jan 2008 http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_aboutchina/2003-09/24/content_22829.htm.





















Sunday, December 2, 2007

The Kashmir Earthquake

Introduction

The Kashmir Earthquake is also known as the Great Pakistan Earthquake or the South Asia Earthquake. It was a major earthquake due to its power and the damage it made. The earthquake occurred in 2005 striking the region of Kashmir and countries including Pakistan. This natural disaster is indeed dangerous producing serious damage and effects.
"Image:8oct05 sasia quake neic.jpg” Wikipedia. wikipedia. 2 Dec 2007 .

Where

"SUPPORT EARTHQUAKE RELIEF ” Ekta Online. 2 Dec 2007 .

The epicenter of the earthquake is at the region called Kashmir in the close to the city of Muzaffarabad which is 100 km northeast of the capital Ismalabad. The area the earthquake occurred was full of mountains which cause landslides. Many cities of Pakistan received damage from the earthquake including Muzaffarabad, Ismalabad, Punjab, Karachi and many other areas and cities. Also, countries nearby were effected including northern India and Afghanistan. And many other areas were effected by minor aftershocks and secondary earthquakes.
When
The time the earthquake occurred was 08:50:38am 8 October 2005 Pakistan Standard Time.
What
"Geography of Pakistan ” Answer.com. 2 Dec 2007 .
Kashmir lies where the Eurasian and Indian Plate collides which the Himalayas was also formed by the collision of these 2 plates. Collision margins occur when 2 continental plates move towards each other which may form mountains of earthquakes. Due to the movements of these 2 plates, the earthquake occurred measuring 7.7 or 7.6 on the Richter scale. After the initial earthquake, there were about 147 aftershocks which measure around 6.2. Then later there were a total of 976 minor aftershocks. The United States Geological Survey recognizes this earthquake as a major one.
Effects

“Image:Kashmir earthquake casualties” Wikipedia. wikipedia. 2 Dec 2007 .

The people that are most effected by the earthquake are the people that lives close to mountain areas. This is because of landslides occur easily, and they block roads and cause damage. This cause about 3.3 million people in Pakistan to be homeless. The earthquake occurred on Saturday which was a school day. Students and teachers were killed, and people in houses and villages had no time to escape. It was also the period of Ramadan in Pakistan, so people were sleeping in their houses. The numbers of people injured and dead was unimaginable. There were reports that villagers and buildings on the northern part of Pakistan was totally wiped out. Both India and Pakistan were greatly effected.
Results

“Image:Pakistan aid.jpg” Wikipedia. wikipedia. 2 Dec 2007 .

Though Pakistan is an LEDC, aid and help did come quickly. The problem is it took quite a while for some people to receive help because they live in mountain areas. Roads and passages were block, so it took some time and heavy machines to clear the area and give help. Also Pakistan had fairly good rescue teams and technology to help their people, though other countries and international organizations also gave a lot of help. The UN gave help and raised 272 million dollars in donation. However people tend to live in the area is because they were quite poor, and not much people decide to move somewhere else.
What is being done about it?

“Image:Lions-House-Kashmir.jpg” Wikipedia. wikipedia. 2 Dec 2007 .

The International Association of Lions Clubs raise funds and they built more than 150 houses for the people and build a water supply system. This is done because before houses were poorly built and can't withstand the earthquake, so stronger houses, water systems and many other constructions are built. Pakistan isn't able to install better facilities in warning systems in detecting earthquakes, but at least they did something to lessen the damage if the earthquake tends to happen again.

Citations
."2005 Kashmir earthquake." Wikipedia. 24 November 2007. 2 Dec 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005%20Kashmir%20earthquake.
Khalid Bin Sayeed. “Pakistan.” The New book of Knowledge. Volume 15 Grolier Incorporated: Connecticut, 1993

Welcome!!

Welcome readers, my name is Ant and this blog will tell you about a natural disaster in Asia that i picked to present to you. I hope you enjoy it! ^^