China and Japan both have a very long history, they have both formal and informal relationship. China in a big way influenced Japan, for example, in writing system, architecture, culture, psychology, law system, politics and economics, etc. China is much older than Japan. Both of these countries had different kinds of relations such as commercial and cultural that were established long ago, nearly 200 A.D. China has influenced Japanese language. Japan didn’t have its own written language, do when they had their first contact with Chinese civilization Japanese civilization they started using Chinese symbols in their writings.
During the reign of the Sui and Tang dynasties, Japan sent a large number of students to China as part of the Imperial Embassy, in order to well-establish itself as a sovereign nation in the Northeast Asia. After the fall of the Korean confederate kingdom Baekje, because of Tang and Silla, Japan was forced to seek China itself, which in those days was a hopeless thing, and it limited success of foreign relationships in Japan. Important elements imported from China were Buddhist teaching, Chinese traditions and culture, bureaucracy, architecture and urban planning. Japanese capital Kyoto was designed according to the elements of feng shui, the same as Chinese capital Chang'an, and in the Heian period,
Buddhism became one of the major religions, along with Shinto. However not only Buddhism was transferred from Chinese culture; also Confucianism had a great impact on the Japanese religion. Both Buddhism and Confucianism had a big influence on Japanese culture. As for Japanese art, it was evolved and developed under the strong influence of Confucianism and Buddhism, and the most strongly it manifested in the architecture. The ancient capital of Nara and Heian (Kyoto), as well as other cities, magnificent temples, monasteries and palaces were built in the Chinese style. One of the most famous landmarks is the Horyuji temple in Nara, including the Golden Temple, decorated with wooden columns and a high pagoda with five roofs. The most magnificent Buddhist temple is Todaiji temple. The Buddhist sculpture also receives a widespread in ancient Japan.
China and Japan are the world's major economies, which take the second and third place in the world. China influenced Japan not only in its language, religion and culture but also in the system of government and its politics. For example, the Japanese had adopted the way how the Imperial Court of China was organized. Almost everything in the Imperial Court was transferred from China. Japanese bureaucracy with its ranks and titles and also its functions were built after the Confucian principles. The Chinese model of imperial reign did not last a long time in Japan. It was gone by the X century, and was replaced by the traditional Japanese system of clans and the family rivalry.
