East Asia History

Covering China, Korea, and Japan, these resources on East Asian history can help you discover the most important figures and events in this region's long and varied history.

  • Red Guards in a mass reading of Mao's Little Red Book, 1968
    Overview of the Chinese Cultural Revolution
  • Connecting at Night
    Write Your Name in Madarin Chinese With These Helpful Translations
  • Gyeongbokgung across the water
    The Role of the Joseon Dynasty in Korean History
  • Aerial View of Traffic Jam in Beijing at Night
    China's Traffic Troubles
  • Chinese Opera
    A Brief History of Chinese Opera
  • The Boxers killed almost 20,000 Chinese Christian converts during the Boxer Rebellion, 1898-1901
    Timeline of the Boxer Rebellion
  • Map of Asia
    Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire
  • Palace of Peaceful Longevity (Beijing, China)
    The Fall of China's Qing Dynasty in 1911–1912
  • Han Dynasty chariot
    The Collapse of the Han Dynasty in China
  • Ancient Chinese Compass
    The Greatest Chinese Inventions
  • Merged flag of China and Taiwan
    A Brief History of Taiwan
  • A Japanese samurai and his European counterpart, a knight
    Feudalism in Japan and Europe
  • Chinese pagoda at sunset with mountains in the distance.
    What Is China's Mandate of Heaven?
  • Chinese Prepare For Christmas
    Is Christmas Celebrated in China?
  • Men and women standing around President Wang Daohan's coffin in Shanghai
    Chinese Funeral Traditions
  • Black and White Rice, Yin Yang Pattern
    The Meaning of Yin and Yang
  • A ninja in the shadows staring out from behind a black mask.
    The 7 Most Famous Ninjas of Feudal Japan
  • The Attempted Mongol Invasion of Japan
    The Mongol Invasions of Japan
  • Japanese Samurai with Map, attributed to Felice Beato
    Bushido: The Ancient Code of the Samurai Warrior
  • Mt. Fuji
    Japan: Facts and History
  • Daimyo arrive at Edo Castle
    Overview of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan
  • Kublai Khan hunting in China
    What Was the Yuan Dynasty?
  • Map of China
    The Physical Geography of China
  • China's Yellow River
    The Yellow River's Role in China's History
  • Counting the compensation money for the murder of Mr Richardson, Japan, 1863.
    Facts about Class Identity in Feudal Japan
  • A fresco of the voyages of Zheng He
    Why Did Ming China Stop Sending out the Treasure Fleet?
  • pile of chinese money
    10 Chinese Good Luck Symbols
  • Man bowing at tomb on Tomb-Sweeping Day
    Tomb Sweeping Day in China
  • Close-Up of Jade Sculpture
    Importance of Jade in Chinese Culture
  • Emperor Meiji by Takahashi Yuichi, Imperial Collection
    What Was the Meiji Era?
  • Portrait of Toyotomi Hideyoshi
    The Kamakura Period
  • Fujikawa Reisho Tokaido
    Japan's Alternate Attendance System
  • Chinese Communist poster with Chairman Mao
    China's Red Guards
  • Chinatown in Havana, Cuba
    A Short History of the Chinese in Cuba
  • Traditional Japanese Samurai in action.
    What Were the Ronin?
  • Man filling in questionnaire, close-up of hand
    11 Taboos in Chinese Culture
  • Matsue Castle
    The Four-Tiered Class System of Feudal Japan
  • Dice
    How to Play Liar’s Dice
  • Money in red Chinese envelope
    Gift-Giving Etiquette in Chinese Culture
  • China, Beijing. Soldier standing in front of a portrait of Mao Zedong on the main entrance of the Forbidden City in Beijing
    An Overview of the Chinese Communist Party
  • Mom with beautiful newborn baby
    Chinese Birthday Customs for Newborns
  • A pagoda in Hong Kong
    Filial Piety: An Important Chinese Cultural Value
  • Japanese man posing as a mobster in dark alley
    History of Japanese Organized Crime, the Yakuza
  • Mannequin wearing the traditional royal dress and crown of the Silla Kingdom.
    Who Was Queen Seondeok of the Silla Kingdom?
  • student very exhausted after study in university with laptop computer
    What Is the Gaokao?
  • Young woman jogging on Great Wall of China, rear view
    The Legacy of the Qin Dynasty
  • business people exchanging a business card
    Chinese Traditions and Tips on Etiquette
  • Replica Of Chinese Navigator Zheng He's Treasure Ship Finished In Nanjing
    Zheng He's Treasure Ships
  • A young lady reading in a bookstore
    50 Common Chinese Proverbs
  • Mahjong tiles on a table facing the camera, full color photograph.
    A Guide to Mahjong Tile Meanings
  • Chinese historical female emperor in Tang Dynasty, Empress Wu Zetian
    The Life of Wu Zetian
  • The Meiji Emperor and his family, circa 1880, featuring adults in western-style clothes
    What Was the Meiji Restoration?
  • The Taiping Rebellion's leaders were beheaded in this stockade in 1865.
    What Was the Taiping Rebellion?
  • Tiananmen Square
    Beijing vs Shanghai
  • A pink lotus flower in a field of dark green leaves
    Importance of the Lotus Flower in Chinese Culture
  • The supreme art of war
    Sun Tzu and the Art of War
  • Color sketch depicting Japan in 1863.
    A Brief History of Japan's Daimyo Lords
  • Painting of samurai by Kuniyasu Utagawa.
    The Tale of the 47 Ronin
  • Close up of one person giving a red envelope to another.
    The Significance of Red Envelopes in Chinese Culture
  • man hanged on tree with people looking on in shock
    The Fall of the Ming Dynasty in China in 1644
  • Woman with Pet Dog
    How Does Chinese Culture View Dogs?
    • More In: History & Culture
    View more