Reflection paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 34

Reflection paper - Essay Example The lecture explores various Chinese dynasties and how people migrated and settled within China and beyond. First, West discussed the Han Dynasty, which was organised around the emperor. During this era, there was massive movement of people into the empire, spreading out into Central Asia. There was a significant resettlement in the area. West then advanced to the Tang Dynasty, where he gave a clear talk about how the dynasty displaced the Turks, who originally occupied Central Asia, pushing them further to the north into Tibet and to the south of Vietnam. The Silk Road, which passed along steppes and deserts, provided a channel that the Turks used to reach their new areas of settlement. West also proceeds to the Song dynasty, which existed from 960-1126, marking the end of medieval period and the birth of capitalism. It is from this lecture that it became clear to me that the Manchus emerged from the Southern Song. West argued that the largest migration in the history of China included migration from North to South to the lowlands. The lecture revealed that the Chinese had their expansionist ideology and strategy thwarted in Northern Asia as well as Central Asia. In the process of continuous displacement of the Chinese deeper into south, there was extensive interaction of cultures. Despite the fact that Europe was expanding during this time, the only people who interacted with the Europeans were the Mongols. The Monkey King displays qualities such as endurance, which enables him to successfully manoeuvre through his journey to the West. His smartness can be witnessed in the cases where he explores various means to get to the West, where he even uses clouds as automobile to cover 180, 000 miles in the in an epic span of one somersault. The professor’s lecture is an eye opener into the highly ritualised Chinese society, which the â€Å"Journey to the West† focuses on. West exposed the thinking of the