in 1368, the mongol dynasty fell and the ming emperors gained power
TRANSCRIPT
It is important to remember that theChinese believed in the Mandate of
Heaven or the right to rule. The godsselected the dynasty but could replacea corrupt dynasty with a new dynasty.
Ming emperors constructed a magnificent imperial palace in Beijing,
known as the Forbidden City.
The Forbidden City was home to all later emperors.
Zheng He was an important Chinesenavigator. He led many Chinesenaval expeditions to South Asia,Southwestern Asia, and Africa.
Eventually, the Chinese discontinuedthe expeditions due to ethnocentrism.The Chinese believed that they were
superior to other cultures.
The Chinese believed that theywere the “Middle Kingdom.”
They believed that they could learn nothing important from other
inferior cultures.
The Ming Emperorsdecided to
end the navalexpeditionsand isolate
China. Theykept foreigners
out of Chinaand Chinese in
China.
The Manchu conquerors founded theQing of Ch’ing dynasty. Like the
Mongols,the Manchus adopted many Chinese
traditions like the civil service examination.
However, the Manchus did forceChinese men to wear their hair in pigtails as a symbol that they had submitted to Manchu rule. This is
the pigtail of the last emperor.
The Manchus improved roads and canals.However, European technology surpassed
China. China’s isolation from the Westand the imperial resistance to change,
led China to fall behind.