The Silla Kingdom, located in the southeast, remained isolated from Buddhist influence for a long time, but it finally accepted Buddhism in 535 A.D. Later, it formed an alliance with China's Tang Dynasty. Together, they destroyed Paekche in 660 and Koguryo in 668. The Silla Kingdom then turned on its former Chinese ally, defeating the Tang. After an eight-year war, Silla triumphed in this Sino-Korean War in 676, and thus ruled the southern two-thirds of the Korean peninsula.

Silla remained a kingdom until 891. During this time, Buddhist art reached great heights, producing the Sokkuram Grotto with its huge stone Buddha and carved reliefs of his guardians. The Silla Kingdom was part of an expanding network of land and sea trade, which extended into the Indian Ocean. Chinese, Japanese and Korean maritime trade routes were dominated for a time by Silla's traders. They linked up to Arab and Indian merchants with vast commercial and shipping intersects in the Indian Ocean.

In time, the Silla Kingdom declined and was replaced by the Koryo Dynasty (918-1392). Early Koryo rulers maintained diplomatic, commercial and cultural relations with China's Sung Dynasty. They adopted same Chinese government institutions such as the civil service examination system. Koryo rulers favored Confucian ideals for governing, but the people remained loyal to Buddhism.

Preserving Korean Culture
Koreans produced beautiful artwork over the centuries. These include gold crowns during the Silla Kingdom, bronze bells, and other ornaments.

In the 1200's, the Koryo Dynasty was a target of the Mongol invaders. These nomadic herding people from Central Asia conquered a vast empire stretching from north China and Russia. During these invasions, Koreans created the Tripitaka Koreana. These 81,258 wood blocks contain the entire Buddhist canon or scriptures. In 1232, Mongol forces burned the wood blocks. In a great effort of faith and craftsmanship, Koreans recarved again the Buddhist scriptures. Today the Tripitaka is the world's oldest surviving collection of wood blocks and a UNESCO World Heritage Treasure.

By 1270, the Mongols dominated Koryo, requiring Koryo kings to marry Mongol princesses. Their offspring half-Korean, half-Mongol, ruled Koryo until the Mongols were driven from Korea in the 1350's. Mongol ruler, Kublai Khan saw Korea as a bridge to Japan and forced Koreans to participate in his disastrous invasions of Japan in 1274 and 1281.

Most celebrated of all Korean artistic creations are the celadon porcelains developed during the Koryo Dynasty. The subtle green-blue glaze, simple designs, and elegant lines of celadon have drawn the admiration of collectors. The special techniques used by Korean potters to make their celadon were lost during the invasion. In the late 1500's, Japanese invaders kidnapped Korean potters and took them to Japan. The Japanese forced the potters to produce fine celadon, saving the Japanese from importing expensive ceramics from China.

The Choson Dynasty
As the Koryo Dynasty influence declined, Koreans leaders competed for power. Japanese pirates, known as waegu, raided the coasts of Korea. General Yi Song-gye rose to prominence due to his successes against the waegu. He gained enough support to establish a new Korean dynasty, Choson (1392-1910). About the same time, a brilliant new dynasty, the Ming, gained power in China.