3/28/2012 Geography Ming China 1368- 1644 A Ming legend tells of farmers digging along the Huang-he River finding a statue with only one eye and the inscription: "Do not despise this one-eyed statue: it will be the herald of rebellion all throughout the empire." Ming China 1368- 1644 End of Yuan Ideological Change Famine, floods, rebellions all • Strong nationalist made the inscription ring true: passions the Mongols had lost the • Established the capital in Mandate of Heaven Nanjing in the South to Revolution had begun reject the Mongol capital in the North Really ... Yuan was in decline long before the rebellions in the • Used Confucianism to 1350s justify making war to intimidate remaining Cities were seized, leaders Mongols, central Asians, claiming to be kings – from lower and southeast Asians merchant class Hongwu Rejection of the Mongols • Monk, soldier, and a • Emperor directly ruled rather than use chief bandit ministers as Mongols had • Inspired by the deaths • Closed the empire to trade with Central of his parents from the Asia and Middle East famine and disease • Strict limits on imports and closed most of (blamed Mongols) the border to foreigners • Oversaw a centralized, • Stopped use of paper money (silver), which militarily strong was uneconomical empire 1 3/28/2012 Yongle Confucian Centralized Authority Updated Confucian code of Capital moved to Beijing in laws written 1421. Code regulated all aspects of Time of greatest wealth in social affairs, for the harmony Chinese history of political, economic, military, familial, ritual, last native Han Emperors in international, and legal Chinese history relations in the empire first to deal with large #s of Civil service exam re-instated European merchants Careful records kept (census, arriving hereditary social hierarchy) and used to control peasants Population of about 100 and strengthenMing kingdom China 1368- 1644 million The Forbidden City Chinese Naval Power Expeditions sailed to East Asia, Southeast Asia, southern India, Ceylon, the Persian Gulf, the Middle East and Africa. China the world's greatest commercial naval power in the world at the time, far superior to any Ming China 1368- 1644 European power.Ming China 1368- 1644 Admiral Zheng He (1371-1435) From 1405 to 1433, Emperor Chengzu sent a Muslim eunuch named Zheng He to cross the Indian Ocean. In 1435 court scholars convinced the emperor that the voyages were wasteful, encouraged foreign ideas, and would ruin China The Emperor ended Naval exploration and tribute and destroyed the records of the Ming China 1368- 1644 voyages Ming China 1368- 1644 2 3/28/2012 Tribute System Ming China 1368- 1644 Ming China 1368- 1644 Zheng He’s Armada Economy China continued its shift from agricultural Seven voyages for diplomacy and trade. and rural to commercial and urban The armada included treasure boats (or Porcelain production and painting (China Bao-Chuan), which are the largest wooden dishes) became VERY important ships ever built. Commercial port cities including Beijing, Covered 10,000 miles with a fleet of more Nanjing, Yangzhou, Suzhou, Guangzhou, than 300 ships and crews totaling 30,000 Xian and Chengdu grew to trade with Japan men. and Europe Sailed from China, crossed the South China Farming still important; especially rice and Sea, Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea and tea went as far as East Africa. Ming China 1368- 1644 Markets andMing merchants China 1368- 1644 more important than before Ming China Europe traded silver from S. America to China for porcelain Resold all over Europe Linked China to Europe via sea trade Also sold to Middle East along Silk Rd Ming China 1368- 1644 Ming China 1368- 1644 3 3/28/2012 Agricultural Developments Ming Industrial Development crop rotation introduced in China textiles, paper, silk, and porcelain traded • Fields could be kept continuously in cultivation with Japan, Europe (especially Spain), India, • While still maintaining their fertility SE Asia and Indonesian islands for Stocking the rice paddies with fish, which fertilized firearms, and American goods such as the rice and provided peasants w/ protein . sugar, potatoes, and tobacco. Food production and new farming tools In exchange for raw goods such as silver— improved nutrition for peasants and city dwellers probably half the silver mined in the Peasants grew cash crops, such as cotton for Americas from the mid-1500's to 1800 clothing, indigo for clothing dyes, and cane. ended up in China Dramatic population growth(60 to 100 million), largely due to the increased food supply on account of theMing agricultural China 1368- 1644 revolution (Champa) Ming China 1368- 1644 • The Dutch imported tea from China and Tea Time other parts of Asia and started the English and European love of tea • Dutch East India Tea Company and later the British East India Tea Company become powerful and wealthy from this trade • Trading tea to China was more profitable than trading silver to China as the Spanish Ming China 1368- 1644 had done Reforestation of China Religion/Philosophy Hong-wu – reforestation beginning in the 1390's. Nanjing was reforested with 50 million trees in Neo-Confucianism 1391; these trees became the lumber that built Matteo Ricci the first the naval fleet put together by Yung-lo in the early1400s. Christian missionary started nearly 300 One billion trees were planted in this decade in a Catholic churches reforestation project that greatly replenished both the timber and the food supply. Christian influence condemned in late Ming and early Qing Ming China 1368- 1644 Ming China 1368- 1644 4 3/28/2012 Social Life Ming Great Wall Confucianism dominates Great Walls had been built in earlier times, Interaction with Japan Most of what is seen today was either built and Europe increases or repaired by the Ming. Patriarchical Brick and granite work was enlarged Watchtowers were redesigned Cities provide opportunity for parties Cannons were placed along the wall with music and drama Ming China 1368- 1644 Ming China 1368- 1644 Intellectual Life • Literacy increased and books became cheaper because of the printing press and a stable govt Yongle Dadian - biggest and earliest encyclopedia in the world. Many inventions to China from Europe (telescope) Gunpowder Weapons improved Revolving cannon with 10 shots Toothbrush invented (pigs hair for bristles) Great furnaces for porcelain Ming China 1368- 1644 Ming China 1368- 1644 How to Handle Corrupt Ming Art Government Officials • adopted the Sui and Yuan practice of Beautiful harmonious landscape art publicly beating incompetent or corrupt China and sculpture important bureaucratic officials. Drama and poetry important • Mainly beaten on the buttocks by more than Ming great wall through the a hundred soldiers with clubs, almost mountains is spectacular art nobody who was punished survived • Not a bad idea for today? Ming China 1368- 1644 5 3/28/2012 Fall of Ming corruption of the court officials and the domination of the eunuchs. natural disasters like famine from “little ice age” and worst earthquake of all time in Shaanxi(800,000 dead) th the rebellions that racked the country in the 17 century and Aggressive military expansion of the Manchus. By 1643 the government was bankrupt from fighting and the peasants were broke because of the constant taxes imposed to pay the armies to fight Ming China 1368- 1644 The Ming ends Northern Chinese Manchu slowly grew in power until they threatened the Ming Dynasty Ming military grew weak so Ming often used Manchu to stop the “barbarians” from taking China One leader, Manchu rebel Li Zicheng, eventually decided to take China rather than protecting it. He entered Beijing in 1644 as he did so the last Ming emperor,Chongzhen, hanged himself on a tree overlookiing the forbidden palace Ming China 1368- 1644 6.