This Monday we learned about East Asia in the time before and leading into the 20th century, covering the Qing and Choson dynasties as well as the Tokugawa era of Japan. This time period aimed to give insight into recent developments in East Asia, focusing on internal developments to counter the idea of development occurring because of increasing interactions with the West. One such development contributing to the growth of these empires is that of centering.

Centering refers to the pattern of great importance being placed on capital cities in these empires. In the Qing Empire, officials would make a trip to Beijing at least every three years to complete their examinations. In the Choson Empire, officials would travel to Seoul to participate in examinations similar to those of the Qing dynasty. Finally, in Tokugawa Japan, the daimyos, each ruling over their own domain, would have to travel to and live in Edo every other year. Due to this system, it was beneficial for a daimyo to rule a domain closer to Edo and thus the Shogun would place daimyos related by blood closest, and those who were enemies of the shogun would be placed furthest.