Considered from the standpoint of cultural history, the defining feature of East Asian civilization is its Sino-centric (China-centered) quality. The historical influence of the “Middle Kingdom” over geographically peripheral societies like Japan and Korea is not limited to the kind of temporary political domination that was exercised by great conquering empires (such as the Aztec, Mongols, or Mughals) over their neighbors but has rather resembled the deep and far-reaching character of such central states as Rome or Brahmanic India, whose cultural imprints upon their respective spheres of influence remain visible after the passage of millennia. When identifying the elements that make up the shared property of a civilization, historians look to language, philosophy, religion, political institutions, social practices, and networks of trade and diplomacy that transform diverse communities into integrated macro-cultures. In each of these categories, the influence of China upon Japan and Korea in the premodern era was profound.