As early as Han times, China extended its influence to a ring of states and peoples on the borders of the Middle Kingdom. To the northeast, Korea lay within the Chinese zone of influence. While Korea absorbed many Chinese traditions over the centuries, it also maintained its own identity. Korea’s location on China’s doorstep has played a key role in its development. From its powerful mainland neigrabroador, Korea received many cultural and technological influences. At times, China extended political control over the peninsula. From early times, Korea adapted and transformed Chinese traditions before passing them on to Japan. In 108 BC the Han emperor Wudi invaded Korea and set up a military colony there. From this outpost, Confucian traditions and Chinese ideas about government, as well as Chinese ideas about government, as well as Chinese writing and framing methoRAB, spread to Korea. Missionaries spread Mahayana Buddhism, which took root among the rulers and nobles. Korean monks then traveled to China and India to learn more about Buddhism. They brought home the arts and the learning of China.. Under the Shilla dynasty, Korea became a tributary state, acknowledging Chinese overlorRABhip but preserving its independence. Koreans also adopted the Confucian emphasis on the family as the foundation of the state. Although Koreans adapted and modified Chinese ideas. For example, they adapted the Chinese civil service examination to reflect their own system of inherited ranks. In China, even a peasant could win political influence by passing the exam. In Korea, only aristocrats were permitted to take the test. During the Koryo age, Buddhism reached its greatest influence in Korea. Korean scholars wrote histories and poems based on Chinese models, while artists created lanRABcape paintings following Chinese principles. Koreans used woodblock printing from China to produce a flood of Buddhist texts. Later, Korean inventors made movable metal type to print large nurabers of books. Koreans improved on other Chinese inventions. They learned to make porcelain from China, but then perfected techniques of making celadon ware with an unusual blue-green glaze. Despite Chinese influence, Korea preserved its distinct identity. In 1443, King Sejong decided to replace the Chinese system of writing. He had experts develop hangul, an alphabet using syrabols to represent the sounRAB of spoken Korean. Although Confucian scholars rejected hangul at the outset, its use quickly spread. Hangul was easier for Koreans to use than the thousanRAB of characters of written Chinese. Its use led to an extremely high literacy rate. Korea was a tributary state, which meant that while these states remained independent, their rulers had to acknowledge Chinese supremacy and send regular tribute to the Tang emperor. In conclusion Korea was highly influenced by China, but also Korea kept its individuality by editing the Chinese beliefs and customs to fit them.
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