The Rise of the Ming
China became a dominant power
Vassals states in Korea paid the Ming tribute
China expected the same from Europeans
Was not going to let outsiders threaten peace and prosperity
The Rise of the Ming
• Ming had ended Mongol rule
• Hongwu- a peasant’s son who drove the Mongols out
• Ruled from Yuan capital
• Restored destroyed fields
• Erased all traces of the Mongol past
The Rise of the Ming
Hongwu’s agriculture reforms increased rice production and irrigation
Encouraged fish farming, growing crops (cotton, sugar cane)
Brought stability to China
The Rise of the Ming
Encouraged a return to Confucian moral standards
Improved on restoring merit based civil service
Hongwu became a ruthless tyrant Purged the
government Killed thousands of
officials
The Rise of the Ming
• Hongwu’s death in n1398 led to a power struggle
• Yonglo his son emerged victorious
• Moved the royal Court to Beijing
• Yonglo had a curiosity of the outside world
• Launched 7 voyages of exploration
The Voyages of Zeng He
• Chinese admiral who led all seven voyages
• Large distances, large fleet, large ships
• Went from Southeast Asia to Africa
• Fighting ships, storage vessels
• Treasure ships measuring over 400 feet
The Voyages of Zeng He
• 27,000 people in the crew
• Sailors, soldiers, carpenters, accountants, doctors and religious leaders
• Distributed gifts of silks and silver to show superiority
• 156 countries sent tribute to the Ming court
• After 7th voyage China withdrew in isolation
Ming Relations with Foreign Countries Trade policies in
the 1500’s isolation
Only government could conduct foreign trade
Only trade through three ports Canton Macao Ningbo
Ming Relations with Foreign Countries• Profited minded
merchants smuggled goods
• Europeans paid with silver from American mines
• Silk-making and ceramics grew rapidly
• Manufacturing and commerce grew rapidly
Ming Relations with Foreign Countries• Idea of commerce
offended Confucian beliefs
• Money supported foreigners who were robbers
• Chinese policies favored agriculture
• Taxes on manufacturing skyrocketed, agriculture stayed low
Ming Relations with Foreign Countries Missionaries
accompanied traders to China
Brought Christianity, knowledge of European science and technology (clock)
Matteo Ricci- first Jesuit to have an impact
Manchus Found Qing Dynasty Higher taxes and bad
harvest pushed peasants to starvation
1644 Manchus people invade China
Seized Beijing and became the leader
Upheld Confucian beliefs
Qing Dynasty will rule for 260 years
China Under Qing
Resisted the rule of non-Chinese Manchus
Reduced government expenses and reduced taxes
Scholar and patron of the arts
Company of Jesuits in his court
China under Qing
Jesuits taught him mathematics, science and medicine
Qian-long (grandson) ruled from 1736-1795
China reached its greatest size and prosperity
Expanded European missionaries in China
Manchus Continues Chinese Isolation Middle kingdom was
the center of the universe fro 2,000 years
Foreign states wanted to trade they had to follow Chinese rules
Use only special ports and pay tribute
Dutch accepted Chinese restrictions
Manchus Continues Chinese Isolation Kowtow ritual-
kneeling in front of the emperor and touching your head nine times
Dutch sold tea, silk and porcelain
1800 tea was 80% of the shipments
Great Britain did not like Chinese restrictions
Manchus Continues Chinese Isolation Britain refused to
kowtow and China declined the invite to trade
China was self sufficient and did not need the British
Korea Under Manchus
Manchus had conquered Korea
Korea organized their government under Confucian ideas
They adopted Chinese technology
Chinese invasion and Japanese attacks provoked strong feelings of nationalism
Life in Ming and Qing China
Most families farmed the land
Farmers grew more than rice (sweet potatoes, corn)
Food production increased, population followed
Families favored sons over daughters
Life in Ming and Qing China
Only sons could perform vital religious rituals
Females were not valued
Many female infants were killed
Men dominated the households
Life in Ming and Qing China
Women had a lot of responsibilities Supervised
children’s education
Worked the fields Managed the
family finances Women force to
remain secluded in their homes
Worked as midwives or textiles
Cultural Developments
Chinese fiction written during this period
Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Zhan
Examines upper class society in the 1700’s
Valued techniques over creativity
Pottery needed technical skill