January 23rd, 2020 
Your main posting this week is a short essay. Typically, a short essay has an introductory paragraph, three paragraphs or so of main points with supporting evidence, and a concluding paragraph.
Choose ONE of the following topics for your main discussion posting for the week. Remember to provide a reference for information. Also, remember not to copy and paste from any sources – summarize and analyze in your own words.
1. In China, during the first millennium of the Common Era, what accounts for the initial resistance to Buddhism and the later persecution of its practitioners?
2. In what ways did Korea, Vietnam, and Japan develop cultural traditions that differed from Chinese culture?
3. How did outside influences shape China during the Tang and Song dynasties?
4. To what extent was China’s view of itself as the center of the world reflected in the reality of the world between 500 and 1300?
5. Creative option: Some of the sources in this chapter are poems. Write your own poem. Then, tell us about the poem and how it illustrates a person/place/event/topic in this chapter. Tip: A short essay is about five paragraphs, so your poem and your description of it can be roughly the same length. Feel free to bring in an additional source of information if desired.
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