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

• 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)

Importance of taxes

Population growth

Increased agricultural yield and products

Government Finances and the Economy

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 scholar- bureaucrats 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