Transcript Ming Dynasty - Homework Market

Ming Dynasty 1368-1644
• Establishment of Ming Dynasty
• Reasons for Ming Success
• Ming Economy and Society
• Integration with World Economy
• Threats to Stability
• Arrival of Europeans – explorers, merchants, missionaries
• Conclusion
Ming Dynasty 1368-1644
Establishment of the Ming Dynasty
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Centralized bureaucratic regime
Traditions of rule and government
Integrated society
Rejection of sinicized Mongols
Loss of mandate of heaven by Mongol rulers
Establishment of Ming dynasty by peasant,
Zhu Yuanzhang
Ming Dynasty within Asia
Sources of Strength
• Confucianism:
– Ideology
– Educational system
– Family-state connection and patriarchy
– Neo-Confucianism
Timeline of Chinese Philosophy through the Song Dynasty
Hongwu Emperor (r. 1368-1398)
Ming Government
• Strong Emperors:
– Direct involvement in government
– Hongwu Emperor (r. 1368-1398) established Ming
capital at Nanking (Nanjing)
– Yongle Emperor (r. 1403-1425)
• Troops sent into Northern Vietnam
• Set up elaborate tribute system
• Promoted maritime expeditions to Southeast
Asia, India, the Arabian Gulf and East Africa
(1403-1433) under Zheng He, but last one sent
in the 1470s
Yongle Emperor (r. 1403-1425)
Government Finances and the
Economy
Importance of taxes
Population growth
Increased agricultural yield and products
Ming Bureaucracy
• Importance of competent officials:
– Structure of government based on Tang-Song
models
– Grand Secretariat, Censorate, Military, etc.
– Multiple levels of government
– Mandarins = government officials
Elegant Gathering in the Apricot Garden, c. 1437
Artistic representation of Chinese scholarbureaucrats in the Ming dynasty
Portrait of a Ming dynasty scholar-official of the highest rank (jinshi)
Education and Officials
• Importance of scholar-officials
• Civil service examination system:
– Based on Confucian classics
– Staffed the government bureaucracy
– Elaborate and intensive system of exams
Painting that depicts the Chinese examination system
Ming Gentry
• Growth in numbers and importance in Ming
dynasty:
– Intermediaries between government and people
– Chinese gentry
– Link to local politics and education
– Source of stability
Social Pyramid in Imperial China
Ming Economy and Society
• Increased interaction between China and the
rest of the world, including Europe, by 1500
• Rising demand for Chinese goods led to
expansion of the economy and later to
negative effects on internal affairs
• Arrival of European missionaries and
merchants in the sixteenth century
Integration of Ming China in the World
Economy
• The effect of rapid growth in textile and
porcelain industries on:
– Agriculture
– Currency
– Trade
– Cities
Ming porcelain vase
Lacquer box from Ming era
Urban Life in Ming China
• Increased population
• Diverse urban society
• Dynamic urban culture
• Urban economy:
– Small businesses
– Factories
Trade in Ming China
Problems in Ming China
• Lack of technology
• Corruption
• Poor harvests
• Inflation – influx of silver
Spanish Silver Coins Used in China
Spanish Colonial Cob
Spanish Pillar Dollar
Arrival of Europeans to Ming China
• Reasons for European exploration
• Navigation around the Cape of Good Hope –
Vasco da Gama (1498)
• Arrival of Portuguese in China, 1513 – expelled
in 1533 – right to trade in Macao, 1557
• Limited contact between foreigners and
Chinese
Portuguese Exploration in the Early Modern Age
Missionaries in East Asia
• Franciscans – appealed to the masses
• Dominicans – appealed to the masses
• Jesuits, such as Matteo Ricci – appealed to the
scholar-elites and gentry in China
• Matteo Ricci’s career and strategy in China
Matteo Ricci dressed in traditional robes
of Chinese scholar
Ricci’s Success at Court
• Knowledge of science and gave gifts to the Imperial
Court
• Adapted Catholic Christianity to Chinese cultural
traditions
• Primary Source: “On Chinese Government –
Selections from his Journals”
• In Beijing 1601-1610 with imperial stipend
• European appreciation and knowledge of Chinese
culture = sinology
Conclusion
• Early Ming dynasty’s sources of strength:
– Confucianism; Strong emperors; Improved
government finances; Competent officials;
Increased role and influence of the gentry
• Latter half of Ming dynasty marked by economic
prosperity, but with both positive and negative
effects on Chinese society
• Exacerbation of internal problems
• Arrival of Europeans upset balance of power and
influence within East Asia