Central Asia led the world in size, economic development and sophistication during the 1800’s. They had great minds and were innovative than any other country throughout the world. The rest of the world waited for their inventions to follow suit. Central Asia was beaming with trade, religions, and ethnic groups. Great philosophers emerged to teach people how to live life. During this time, China was the leading economy in central Asia. The Chinese were the leading in developments and innovations, and the rest of Asia looked up to them for guidance. China was the most powerful country at the time. They influenced the happenings in other countries around them, and specifically Korea. The Koreans copied the way of life of the Chinese and adopted most of their cultures. As the centuries passed, China established itself as the ruling power in Asia. This was however, rejected by the Koreans who sought their own independence from the Chinese (Schmid 2002). They acknowledged the innovative powers of the Chinese but chose to be independent Pan Asianism refers to the unity of the Asian nations. This unity was made evident by the use of the Korean flag to represent the Asian people. By so doing, the Asian people were identifying as one people, and showing to the world that they stood together. Pan Asianism has continued into this century and the Asians are known worldwide as the most conservative people who support themselves more than they do outsiders. Colonization of the Asian countries was particularly done by the western powers, especially European countries. This colonization increased the spirit of Pan Asianism as many Asians felt their colonizers were trying to do away with their cultures and lifestyles.
Bibliography
Schmid, Andre. 2002. Korea Between Empires, 1895-1919. New York: Columbia University Press.
