Editing History of East Asia (section)

===Summary of history===
{{Human history}}

Recorded civilization dates to approximately 2000&nbsp;BC in China's [[Shang dynasty]] along the [[Yellow River]] Valley, though the historically disputed [[Xia dynasty]] is said to have existed even earlier. Civilization expanded to other areas in East Asia gradually. In Korea [[Gojoseon]] became the first organized state around approximately 195&nbsp;BC. Japan emerged as a unitary state with the creation of its first constitution in 604&nbsp;AD. The introduction of [[Buddhism]] and the [[Silk Road]] were instrumental in building East Asia's culture and economy.

Chinese dynasties such as the [[Sui dynasty|Sui]], [[Tang dynasty|Tang]] and [[Song dynasty|Song]] interacted with and influenced the characters of early Japan and Korea. At the turn of the first millennium&nbsp;AD, China was the most advanced civilization in East Asia and was responsible for the [[Four Great Inventions]]. China's [[Economic history of China before 1912|GDP]] was likely the largest in the world at times as well.

The rise of the nomadic Mongol Empire disrupted East Asia, and under the leadership of leaders such as [[Genghis Khan]], [[Subutai]], and [[Kublai Khan]] brought the majority of East Asia under rule of a single state, with the exception of [[Kamakura shogunate|Japan]] and Taiwan. The [[Yuan dynasty]] attempted and [[Mongol invasions of Japan|failed to conquer Japan in two separate maritime invasions]]. The Mongol era in East Asia was short-lived due to natural disasters and poor administrative management. In the aftermath of the Yuan dynasty's collapse, new regimes such as the [[Ming dynasty]] and [[Joseon]] dynasty embraced [[Neo-Confucianism]] as the official state ideology. Japan at this time fell into feudal civil war known as the ''[[Sengoku period|Sengoku Jidai]]'' which persisted for over a century and a half. At the turn of the 16th century European merchants and missionaries traveled to East Asia by sea for the first time. The Portuguese established a colony in [[Macau]], China and attempted to [[Kirishitan|Christianize Japan]]. In the last years of the Sengoku period, Japan attempted to create a larger empire by [[Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–98)|invading Korea]] only being defeated by the combined forces of [[Joseon|Korea]] and China in the late 16th century.

From the 17th century onward, East Asian nations such as China, Japan, and Korea chose a policy of [[isolationism]] in response to European contact. The 17th and 18th centuries saw great economic and cultural growth. [[Qing dynasty|Qing China]] dominated the region but [[Edo period|Edo Japan]] remained completely independent. At this time limited interactions with European merchants and intellectuals led to the rise of Great Britain's [[East India Company]] and the beginning of Japan's [[Rangaku|Dutch studies]]. However, 1800s saw the rise of European imperialism in the region. Qing China was unable to defend itself from various colonial expeditions from Great Britain, France, and Russia during the [[Opium Wars]]. Japan meanwhile choose the path of westernization under the [[Meiji period]] and attempted to modernize by following the political and economic models of Europe and the Western World. The rising [[Empire of Japan|Japanese Empire]] forcibly [[Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910|annexed Korea]] in 1910. After years of civil war and decline, China's last emperor [[Puyi]] abdicated in 1912 ending China's imperial history which had persisted for over two millennium from the Qin to Qing.

In the midst of the [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]]'s attempts to build a modern state, Japanese expansionism pressed onward in the first half of the twentieth century, culminating in the brutal [[Second Sino-Japanese War]] where over twenty million people died during Japan's invasion of China. Japan's wars in Asia became a part of [[Pacific War|WWII]] after Japan's attack of the United States' Pearl Harbor. Japan's defeat in Asia by the hand of the allies contributed to the creation of a new world order under American and Soviet influence across the world. Afterwards, East Asia was caught in the cross hairs of the [[Cold War]]. The [[China|People's Republic of China]] initially fell under the sphere of the [[Second World|Soviet camp]] but Japan under [[Occupation of Japan|American occupation]] was solidly tied to [[Western world|Western nations]]. Japan's recovery became known as the [[Japanese economic miracle|post-war economic miracle]]. Soviet and Western competition led to the [[Korean War]], which created [[Division of Korea|two separate states]] that exist in present times.

The end of the [[Cold War (1985–1991)|Cold War]] and the rise of globalization have brought [[South Korea]], and the People's Republic of China into the world economy. Since 1980, the economies and living standards of South Korea and China have increased exponentially. In contemporary times, East Asia is a pivotal world region with a major influence on world events. In 2010, East Asia's population made up approximately 24% of the world's population.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/eastern-asia-population/|title=Population of Eastern Asia |date=2018|publisher=Worldometers|website=www.worldometers.info|language=en|access-date=2018-08-16}}</ref>