WW- chapters 8,9,10

WW- Chapters 8,9, 10

Chapter 8
Trade had been around forever; when I was reading this chapter it reminded me of young kids trading marbles at recess. I believe it’s a natural instinct to trade. When a person sees someone else with a better “resources” that person wants it. Trading is an on-going cycle. “ Trade also affected the day-to-day working lives of many people, encouraging them to specialize in producing particular products for sale in the distant markets rather than for the use in their own communities. Trade, in short, diminished the economic self-sufficiency of local societies” (Strayer, page 218). As times changed communities couldn’t just rely on itself, they had to go out and follow the trend of the world, if they didn’t, they wouldn’t survive. Goods were traded by Silk Roads, Sea Roads, and Sand Roads, trading goods came with a price; many dieses were transferred through trade, because people didn’t know much of the other culture they were trading with, they just wanted the goods. Obviously trading by sea was the best because it could hold more goods than a camel.

I always enjoy reading about information that I learned in another class, for example, reading about the Maya and Aztec, I learned about them in my Art History class during the Fall, and they are a very interesting group of people.

Chapter 9

China was a powerful country back then, and still is today. They had rules “The Tribute System” and people who lived in China regardless if the were Chinese needed to follow the rules. The Nomadic people north of the Great Wall didn’t adapt to the Chinese culture. For the people who lived South of the Great wall, trade was easy for them; they had “pros” for adapting to the Chinese way(s).

While reading the section “ Women in the Song Dynasty” I started to think about China treats their women today. I do believe that we in the U.S. have made our women too liberal. I say this because I DO NOT believe that women should have the same roles as men, I feel this way because how I was raised, at home and religiously. I agree that women need to be respected that that it’s a little extreme to have their “feet binding” so they have to stay home.

It was also in 300-800CE where Buddhism became rapid practice in China. At first China didn’t know how to feel about Buddhism because it clashed with some of the beliefs that China had, but after the fall of Han dynasty, it became the China religion.

Chapter 10

Being a Christian I have different views than the book has on certain subjects. Christian crusades were considered “Holy Wars” and were to help keep Jerusalem the Holy place. I learned in other classes that there were around 9 crusades. As in the previous chapters we learned how China became a Buddhist country and how we learned how Christianity spread among the people and how many people fought to save Jerusalem.