DBQ #3 - Isolationism and the Ming Dynasty

7.26 Draw evidence from informational texts to analyze the contributions made during the Ming Dynasty such as building projects, including the Forbidden City and the reconstruction of the Great Wall , isolationism, and sea voyages.

Directions: Review the following documents and answer the questions provided. Afterwards, you will use this information to answer the essay prompt.

Essay Prompt:Based on the information provided about the Ming Dynasty and your knowledge of world history, explain what the isolationist policies of the Ming government were and how they affected Ming China. Be sure to include in your essay:

A summary of the reasons for the Ming Dynasties isolationist policies

An explanation about how things were different after isolationist policies took effect

How did the Forbidden City, Great Wall, and voyages of Zheng He show Chinese isolationism

Document 1 - Wall Building During the Ming Dynasty

Question 1 - Why did the Ming originally ignore the Great Wall?ANSWER: The Ming had little interest in border fortifications at the beginning of their empire due to expansionist policies and attitudes

Question 2 - What made the Ming rulers decide to rebuild the Great Wall?ANSWER: They moved the capital to Beijing, so they saw the wall as part of the city's protection. They also wanted to protect China from outside influences when their foreign policy became more isolationist.

Question 3 - Draw a conclusion about how you think the Great Wall was used by Ming China to enforce its isolationist foreign policies?ANSWER: This wall could have been used strategically to keep foreign influences out of China. It could also have been used to keep Chinese citizens inside the country since it presented an obvious physical barrier to travel.

Document 2 - Why China Instead of Europe?

Despite its long history, the Great Wall of China as it is exists today was constructed mainly during the mighty Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Like the Mongols, the early Ming rulers had little interest in building border fortifications, and wall building was limited before the late 15th century. In 1421, the Ming emperor Yongle proclaimed China’s new capital, Beijing, on the site of the former Mongol city of Dadu. Under the strong hand of the Ming rulers, Chinese culture flourished, and the period saw an immense amount of construction in addition to the Great Wall, including bridges, temples and pagodas. The construction of the Great Wall as it is known today began around 1474. After an initial phase of territorial expansion, Ming rulers took a largely defensive stance, and their reformation and extension of the Great Wall was key to this strategy.

When in 1368 the new Chinese emperor inaugurated a native (Ming) dynasty to replace the defeated Mongol invaders, he ascended the throne in Nanjing as the Hongwu ("Vast Martial") emperor. Let not the name deceive the reader: Hongwu's goal was anything but war. He wanted rather to immobilize the realm. People were to stay put and move only with the permission of the state-at home and abroad. People who went outside China without permission were liable to execution on their return. The Ming code of core laws also sought to block social mobility, with severe penalties for those jumping professional and occupational barriers.

In this regard, Timothy Brook (1998, p. vii) cites in epigraph one of the Hongwu emperor's favorite moral dicta:

Let the state be small and the people few;So that the people... fearing death, will be reluctant to move greatdistancesAnd, even if they have boats and carts, will not use them.So that the people... will find their food sweet and their clothesbeautiful,Will be content with where they live and happy in their customs.Though adjoining states be within sight of one another and cocks crowingand dogs barking in one be heard in the next,Yet the people of one state will grow old and die without having had anydealings with those of another.

These matters reached a wretched climax under the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), when the state attempted to prohibit all trade overseas. Such interdictions led of course to evasion and smuggling, with concomitant corruption (protection money), searches for contraband, confiscations and punishment. All of this necessarily acted to strangle initiative, to increase risk and the cost of transactions, and to chase talent from commerce and industry.

Question 1 - According to the text above, what were the isolationist Chinese policies of the Ming emperor?ANSWER: Chinese citizens were not allowed to leave China unless they had the permission of the emperor. People were also not allowed to change occupations or rise in the social ladder [from laborer to doctor/lawyer]. Finally, Ming eventually prohibited overseas trade.

Question 2 - According to the text above, what were the outcomes of some of these policies on the Chinese people?ANSWER: People were obviously scared to leave China. Trade and social climbing restrictions led to decreased enthusiasm for business and innovation. Talented people either fled China or were not motivated enough to participate in the economy, due to the low possibility of reward. People also took to smuggling and trading illegally in order to make a living.

Question 3 - Do you feel that these policies were good or bad for China? [Use evidence to support your answer]ANSWER: According to the text, the trade limitations put on the Chinese by the Ming Dynasty led to the creation of a black market in China that participated in criminal acts. This led to a higher amount of policing from the Chinese government. People were also given less freedom. For example, they were not allowed to travel out of the country and were very limited in the types of opportunities they could have (jobs).

Document 3- Map of Zheng He's Voyages

Question 1 - Based on the map above, what can you conclude about the success of Zheng He's voyages?

ANSWER: Zheng He's voyages made it as far as the eastern coast of Africa. The voyages lasted at least nine years. There are at least five separate successful voyages recorded on this map. I can also conclude from this map that more than a few empires came into contact with China through these voyages.

Question 2 - What cultures did he come into contact with and how might this have been beneficial to the Chinese?ANSWERS: The Chinese came into contact with the Muslim empires in Persia, India and Arabia which could have linked China to the vast trading network maintained by Muslim merchants. This could have given the Chinese a market for their goods to sell to the Europeans (through the Muslim traders). The Chinese also came into contact with cultures in Africa, which could have led them to engage in the gold/salt trade in Africa (since gold was one of the few things the Chinese actually needed).

Document 4 - Record of Ming Chinese Tribute from Voyages

Question 1 - Based on the information in the chart above, what can you conclude about the amount of tribute collected from 1400 to 1500?ANSWER: According to the chart above, there is a significantly larger amount of tribute that was collected by China in the years 1400-1409 (total of 39) than in 1500-1510 (total of 5). This is approximately than one eighth of what was collected the first year.

Question 2 - Why do you think this change occurred?ANSWER: There are two possibilities. First this change could have occurred due to the Ming isolationist restrictions on trade and foreign contact. However, the less gifts of tribute could have been the result of the greater distance from the time of Zheng He's original voyages. Since these countries had not heard from the Chinese in so long, they could have assumed that they had been conquered, weakened or simply forgot about them.

Document 5 - Why did China Stop Zheng He's Voyages?

Question 1 - According to the excerpt above, why did Emperor Yongle originally send Zheng He on his famous voyages?ANSWER: Emperor Yongle intended to explore new lands, establish trade relationships and show off the power of China.

Question 2 - According to the text, what were the main reasons that Chinese officials decided to end these voyages?ANSWER: According to the text, one possible answer is that the voyages were too costly to maintain. Also, Chinese foreign policy changed and Chinese officials did not feel like China needed contact or trade with other parts of the world.

Emperor Yongle had several reasons for sending Zheng He on this epic mission. He wanted to explore new lands and establish new trade relationships. The emperor also had a strong desire to show the world the greatness of both China and himself. What better way to do this than to appear on the horizon with hundreds of gigantic ships, thousands of soldiers, bundles of Chinese silk and the promise of friendship? To avoid military conflict, local leaders typically responded by offering tribute in the form of gifts and sending emissaries to pay their respects to the emperor. On only three occasions during the seven voyages did Zheng He's fleet encounter serious armed resistance-once from pirates.

Despite these glories, Zheng He's story ends with obscurity. Not long after both Zheng He and Emperor Yongle died, Chinese officials dismantled the fleet and destroyed the records of the seven voyages. One explanation is that building and maintaining the fleet while fighting costly wars against the Vietnamese and the Mongols had bankrupted the Ming treasury. Also, there was a strong feeling by some in the government that China did not need trade and diplomatic contact with the world. Zheng He's expeditions, they concluded, were a big mistake.