Chinese Influence in Southeas Asia
In November 1367, the Chinese, led by its first peasant-emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang (1328–1398), continued to wage war against the retreating Mongols. In calling up fresh troops, the emperor wrote to his subjects that since time immemorial the Chinese emperors ruled everything under heaven and that the out-side "barbarians" were privileged to pay homage to China. Indeed, China believed that the world revolved around it, and the Chinese selectively spread their culture to "barbarian" states. Consequently, China's economic, cultural, and political influences in East Asian countries were profound. Moreover, China's prestige extended beyond its immediate neighbors; over the past two millennia its influence on the Southeast Asia has been as varied and complex as the region itself.
China and Vietnam
China's historical relationship with Vietnam did not follow the general principles that governed China's relations with the rest of Southeast Asia. Historically, Vietnam has experienced a deeper and longer-lasting influence from China than any other Southeast Asia country. The Vietnamese state was founded in the third century BCE by a Chinese military governor. Two hundred years later, in 111 BCE, China made much of modern Vietnam into a province in the expanding Han Empire (206 BCE–220 CE).
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