The Ming Dynasty WHAP/Napp

The Ming Dynasty WHAP/Napp “Zhu Yuanzhang, a former monk, soldier, and bandit, had watched his parents and other family members die of famine and disease, conditions he blamed on Mongol misrule. During the Yuan Empire’s chaotic last decades, he vanquished rival rebels and assumed imperial power under the name Hongwu (r. 1368-1398). He ruled a highly centralized, militarily formidable empire. Hongwu choked off the close relations with Central Asia and the Middle East fostered by the Mongols and imposed strict limits on imports and foreign visitors. Silver replaced paper money for tax payments and commerce.

Continuities with the Yuan became more evident after an imperial prince seized power through a coup d’état to rule as the emperor Yongle (r. 1403-1424). He returned the capital to Beijing, enlarging and improving Khubilai’s imperial complex. The central area – the Forbidden City – acquired its present character, with moats, orange-red outer walls, golden roofs, and marble bridges. Yongle intended this combination fortress, religious site, bureaucratic center, and imperial residential park to overshadow Nanjing, and it survives today as China’s most imposing traditional architectural complex. Yongle also restored commercial links with the Middle East. Because hostile Mongols still controlled much of the caravan route, Yongle explored maritime connections. In Southeast Asia, Annam became a Ming province as the early emperors continued the Mongol program of aggression. This focus on the southern frontier helped inspire the naval expeditions of the trusted imperial eunuch Zheng He from 1405 to 1433.

The brilliant economic and cultural achievements of the early Ming Empire continued during the 1500s. Ming manufacturers had transformed the global economy with their techniques for the assembly-line production of porcelain. An international market eager for Ming porcelain, as well as for silk and lacquered furniture, stimulated the commercial development of East Asia, the Indian Ocean, and Europe. But this golden age was followed by many decades of political weakness, warfare, and rural woes until a new dynasty, the Qing from Manchuria, guided China back to peace and prosperity. ~ The Earth and Its Peoples

1. Under Hongwu, the Ming dynasty was 3. Which of the following was the primary established as goal of Zheng He's expeditions? (A) A feudal state dominated by local (A) To eliminate foreign trade with China. warlords. (B) To establish Chinese trading cities on the (B) A military state with a puppet emperor. Indian Ocean. (C) A constitutional monarchy. (C) To impress foreign people with the (D) A decentralized empire with power and might of the Ming dynasty. considerable autonomy for local authorities. (D) To establish diplomatic relations with (E) A highly centralized, autocratic state. the Muslim states trading on the Indian Ocean. 2. The Forbidden City was a(n) (E) To offer military protection and support (A) Imperial complex to Chinese merchants in the Indian Ocean. (B) International trading city (C) Frontier outpost (D) Islamic center of learning Key Words/ I. Origins and Early Years Questions A. 1368, a rebellion led by a Chinese warlord ended the Yuan Dynasty B. Established the Ming (1368-1644) Dynasty C. His son, Yongle (1403-1424) or “perpetual happiness” took the throne D. Both effective at rebuilding China and repairing damage done by war E. Zheng He 1. From 1405-1433, Chinese admiral made seven voyages: to Southeast Asia, Indonesia, India, Persian Gulf, Red Sea, and East African coast 2. Forced fifty nations and city-states to pay tribute/established trade 3. After Yongle, rulers lost interest in outside; expeditions stopped II. Art and Culture A. A time of artistic grandeur and intellectual dynamism B. Confucianism was restored to prominence, rejoining Buddhism C. Exquisite glassware, pottery, ceramics, and especially, porcelain 1. No accident that the word china is synonymous with fine dishware D. Another major art form was scroll paintings, depicting landscapes, etc. E. Beijing was transformed into a magnificent capital for imperial family F. Yongle began construction of what is still called the Forbidden City 1. Marshalled a million workers to his vision for a palace 2. 180 acres and with 9000 rooms 3. What went on behind its red walls forbidden to all but Emperor’s court III. A Change in the Global Balance of Power A. China was beginning to slip in terms of international balance of power B. Losing technological advantages possessed between 1000-1450 IV. The Europeans A. During Ming period, first European explorers began to arrive in China B. China was too large/powerful to conquer, but trade – yes C. Accompanying European traders were frequently Catholic missionaries D. Most famous was Matteo Ricci, there in 1590s and early 1600s 1. Italian Jesuit missionary, introduced Christian teaching to China 2. For nearly 30 years, a pioneer in mutual comprehension 3. Adopted the language and culture, gained entrance to interior of China, which was normally closed to foreigners 4. Ricci produced remarkable map of world, “Great Map of Ten Thousand Countries,” showed China’s relation to world 5. Eventually, the emperor allowed Ricci to move to Beijing V. Decline and Collapse – 1600s A. Portuguese and Spanish traded with silver from Americas, and sudden, influx of it triggered inflation (rising prices), then economic breakdown B. Ming had implemented Single Whip Tax (all taxes paid in silver) C. At same time, agricultural yields shrank; border defenses expensive D. Massive peasant revolt, from 1636 to 1644, toppled Ming dynasty E. Then enemies from north, Manchus, swept in, took Beijing, established new dynasty, Qing dynasty, last dynasty of China Reflections: 1. Which description best characterizes 4. Which best explains the Ming decision the period of Ming rule in China? to bring a brief period of extensive (A)Turn to isolationism, overseas exploration guided by Admiral consolidation of Confucian Zheng He in the early fifteenth century to values, economic and a halt? demographic expansion (A) Grievous naval defeats at the (B) Turn from isolationism, hands of Portuguese maritime deterioration of Confucian power values, economic and (B) Attitudes toward the demographic contraction expeditions within the imperial (C)Turn from isolationism, bureaucracy that ranged from consolidation of Confucian indifference to hostility values, economic and (C)A rare suspension of monsoon demographic expansion winds that made long-distance (D)Turn to isolationism, voyages impossible deterioration of Confucian (D)Muslim dominance of the values, economic and Indian Ocean basin, which led demographic contraction to hostility at ports of call from (E) Turn to isolationism, East Africa to Western India deterioration of Confucian (E) Growing preference of Chinese values, economic and merchants and elites for goods demographic expansion produced in foreign lands, undermining customary notions 2. Aside from the Yuan dynasty, which of superiority and centrality of other Chinese dynasty was founded by China in world affairs nomadic invaders? (A)Qing (Manchu) 5. Which of the following adversely (B) Qin affected Ming economics during the first (C)Han half of the 1600s? (D)Song (A)Inflation caused by the glut of (E) Ming silver coming from Spanish and Portuguese colonies 3. Who was Matteo Ricci? (B) The financial strain caused by (A)A Portuguese warlord who the need to defend China’s long conquered Macao frontiers (B) A Jesuit missionary who (C)The decline of agricultural traveled widely in China yields and disturbances in the (C)A Spanish colonial countryside administrator in Asia (D)All of the above (D)The Founder of the Ming Dynasty Thesis Practice: Change over Time Analyze cultural, political, and economic continuities and changes in China from the Han Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty. ______Several Summaries from Stearns – The World’s Civilizations “The Ming dynasty (1368-1644) replaced the Yuan and pushed to regain China’s previous borders. It established influence in Mongolia, Korea, Vietnam, and Tibet. In a new policy, the Ming mounted state-sponsored trading expeditions to India, the Middle East, and eastern Africa. The fleets, led by Chinese Muslim admiral Cheng Ho [Zheng He] and others, were technological world leaders. Ming rulers halted the expeditions in 1433 because of their high costs and opposition from Confucian bureaucrats. Chinese merchants remained active in southeast Asian waters, establishing permanent settlements in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia, but China had lost a chance to become a dominant world trading power. The Chinese, from their viewpoint, had ended an unusual experiment, returning to their accustomed inward-looking policies. The withdrawal opened opportunities for European expansion.

The Ming dynasty (1368-1644) ruled over the Earth’s most populous state. China possessed vast internal resources and advanced technology. Its bureaucracy remained the best organized in the world, and its military was formidable. The return to the examination system ensured the presence of a large and educated elite. The dynasty emerged when Zhu Yuanzhang, a military commander of peasant origins, joined in the revolts against the Mongols and became the first Ming emperor, with the name of Hongwu, in 1368. The poorly educated Zhu was suspicious of the scholar-gentry, but he realized that their cooperation was necessary for reviving Chinese civilization. They were given high government posts, and imperial academies and regional colleges were restored. The civil service exam was reinstated and expanded.

The Chinese, after the end of the Zheng He’s expeditions, developed a policy of isolation. In 1390, the first decree limiting overseas commerce appeared, and the navy was allowed to decline. Europeans naturally were drawn to the great empire. Missionaries sought access to the court. Franciscans and Dominicans worked to gain converts among the masses; the Jesuits followed the Di Nobili precedent from India in trying to win the court elite. Scientific and technical knowledge were the keys to success at the court. Jesuits like Matteo Ricci and Adam Schall displayed such learning, but they won few converts among the hostile scholar-gentry, who considered them mere barbarians.

By the late 1500s, the dynasty was in decline. Inferior imperial leadership allowed increasing corruption and hastened administrative decay. The failure of public works projects, especially on the Yellow River, caused starvation and rebellion. Exploitation by landlords increased the societal malaise. The dynasty fell in 1644 before Chinese rebels. A political vacuum followed that ended when northern nomads, the Zhurchens, or Manchu, seized control. Their leader, Nurhaci, established the last of the imperial dynasties, the Qing.”

Why was the pattern of change and continuity present in Ming China? ______