Tongdo-sa Temple 통도사

David A. Mason’s One-Page Introduction to KOREAN HISTORY
Dynasty / Period aprox. dates + / - capital key features

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Pre-History 1000 BC ~ 300 C.E. + {manchuria} conquest, formation of identity

Shamanism dominates

Three Kingdoms 300 – 670 +  ++ Manchuria & Pyeongyang Introduction of Buddhism & Chinese Culture;

Goguryeo, Baekje and Shilla Hanyang, Buyeo, Gongju metalwork, sculpture, grey unglazed stoneware

founding monks: Wongwang Jajang Wonhyo Uisang

Unified Shilla 1^st GA 670 – 800 ++ Shilla: Gyeongju magnificent Buddhist temples and stone artworks

end of Shilla, civil war 800 – 930 –  - - Seon Buddhism, Doseon-guksa, Go-un Choi Chi-won

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Early Goryeo 2nd GA 940 – 1200 ++ Gaeseong flowering of State Buddhist Culture, blue-green Celadon

pottery, paintings. Unification of Buddhism by Bojo-guksa

Late Goryeo 1200 – 1390 - - Gaeseong Military rule, Mongol conquest; worldly but enslaved

wood + metal printing, Buncheong-ware pottery

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....Buncheong ware. Taejo Yi, Muhak & Jeong Do-jeon

Early Joseon 3rd GA 1390 – 1592 ++ Seoul Neo-Confucian Philosophy & Culture intro; paintings

White w/blue Porcelain pottery; Social changes

Mid- Joseon 1592 – 1630 - - Seoul destructive invasions by Japanese and Manchus

Late Joseon 1630 – 1910 (1897) + Seoul closed “Hermit Kingdom”, conservative, arts but poverty,

Strict Neo-Confucianism enforced; Shil-hak, Catholics

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Japanese Colonial 1910 (1885) – 1945 + - Seoul, Tokyo 1st modernization, but exploitation & oppression; Cultural

Nationalism; Resistance: Kim Ku, Yi Seung-man, Manhae etc

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Division by Superpowers 1945 – 1953 - - WDC, Moscow, Beijing Division, separated governments, War

Early Modern 1953 – 1960 S: - N: + Pyeongyang N: industrial development, radical change

and Seoul S: American-supported stagnation

Middle Modern 1961 – 1987 S: +- N: - Seoul & Pyeongyang S: industrial development & dictatorship

N: stagnation & cultish dictatorship

Recent Modern 1988 – now S: ++ N: - - Seoul, Pyeongyang S: Olympics, wealth, democracy, high-tech

N: defeat, poverty, collapse, nuclear crises

SOUTH KOREAN TOURISM ----- THE BIG THREE:
1. North-Central Seoul: Gyeongbok Palace with National Folklore Museum; Jong-myo Shrine;

Changdeok Palace with Secret Garden; Inwang-san with Guksa-dang;

Pagoda (Tap-gol) Park; Insa-dong and Anguk-dong, Jogye-sa and other

Buddhist temples; Bugak-san; Seonggyung-gwan Shrine; Bukhan-san N P.

2. Seorak-san: Seorak-dong with Shinheung-sa, Ulsan-bawi, Biseon-dae & Geumgang Cave, Cable-Car

to Castle. Osaek Area with water, hot-spring, hikes. Inner Regions: temples, valleys

3. Gyeongju: Bulguk-sa & Sokkur-am; National Museum; sites of Mt. Nam-san; Yang-dong; etc etc.
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MY NEXT TEN PICKS:
Jeju Island: Halla-san NP, Mokseok-won Garden, beaches, folk culture

Jiri-san NP: Hwaeom-sa, Ssanggye-sa, Shilsang-sa temples, hiking, Cheonghak-dong, Green Tea

Gaya-san NP: Haein-sa Temple with the Tripatika Koreana, hermitages, hiking

Sogni-san NP: Beobju-sa Temple, hiking

Gyeryong-san N P west of Daejeon City: Gap-sa, Shinwon-sa, Donghak-sa, hiking, Shamanism

Taebaek-San Provincial Park: temples, peak shrines, Shamanism

Busan City: Haeundae Beach, Beomeo-sa, Tongdo-sa & other temples, Fish Market

Jeolla Provinces: Ma-i-san and other parks for temples & hiking, islands, food, culture

Seoul: Nam-san, Namdae-mun & Market & Station; Dobong-san hiking, Shinchon & Hongdae areas.

DMZ (Panmun-jeom)

Northeast-Asian Historical Timeline by Prof David A. Mason

Century	Korea	China	Japan	India & Other
10^th- 3^rd BCE 1000 BCE ~ 200 BCE	Pre-historic Tribes bronze-age horsemen Gojoseon, Gija, Wiman	Zhou Kingdom(s) Early Iron-Age Confucius, Lao-tzu	Pre-historic Ainu / Yayoi Tribes	Buddhism starts in India 6^th Cen. Starts to rival Hinduism
2^nd- 1^st BCE 200 BCE ~ 0	Tribal Confederations contact China 108 BCE	Qin, then Western Han Empires	Pre-historic Ainu / Yayoi Tribes	Emperor Ashoka spreads Buddhism north and south
1^st- 3^rd CE 0 ~ 300 CE	Tribal States  Sam-han	Eastern Han  three kingdoms	Pre-historic Ainu / Yayoi Tribes	Silk Road brings Buddhism to China
4^th- 7^th 300 ~ 660	Three Kingdoms Goguryeo, Baekje, Shilla form up, fight, adopt Chinese	chaos, civil war, many kingdoms, Buddhism grows, then Sui 589-617, Tang starts 618	prehistoric bronze-age but then culture from Korea starting in 500s Asuka 550-650	Buddhism flourishes in India and Central Asia, SE Asia etc Tibet stregthens
Late 7^th– 9^th 660 ~ 900	1^st Golden Age 600-800 Unified Shilla Dynasty and Balhae up north	Tang Dynasty	Taika, Nara, Heian Kingdoms (Kyoto)	Buddhism starts declining in India etc as Hinduism returns
10^th - 13^th 900 ~ 1300	2^nd Golden Age 940-1200 Goryeo Dynasty	Sòng Cháo Dynasty Liao and Chin	Fujiwara and Kamakura	Muslims conquer India, destroy Bud. Mongols begin rise
14^th late 1200s~ late 1300s	Goryeo declines under Mongol rule	Yuan Dynasty (Mongols)	Kamakura changes to Ashikaga	Mongols conquer everything, decline
15^th – 16^th 1400 ~ 1600	Early Joseon 3^rd Golden Age 1392-1592 Imjin War 1592-98	Ming Dynasty 1368 - 1662	Ashikaga Kingdom civil wars ends with Hideyoshi	Muslims (Mughal) regain control of all Indian Region
17^th – 19^th 1600 ~ 1900	Late Joseon Isolated until 1860s	Qing (Ching) Dynasty 1668-1912	Tokugawa Shogunate	European colonization of most of the World
Early 20^th 1900 ~ 1950	Colonization by Japan WW-II, Liberation	Republic of China Japan invades, WW-II	Meiji  Empire 1868-1945	World Wars I & II Rise of the USA
Late 20^th 1950 ~ 2000	Republic of Korea 4^th Golden Age 1988 - ? but division from North	People’s Republic of China Maoreform	modern Japan	USA & USSR Cold War, then Global Age