East
Asia (1500-1750)
P: With the Mongols reign of terror recently ended in 1368, this opened a door for a new dynastic cycle to begin with the rule of the Ming dynasty. The Ming reversed the unpopular policies of the Mongols and reinstated the system of civil service exams for selecting officials, thus restoring the Mandarins to prominence in Chinese society. They also retained the other features of government used by previous dynasties, such as the Six Ministries and the Censorate. The Censorate was largely concerned with preventing corruption and abuses by sending traveling censors to the provinces to hear complaints and investigate the conduct of local magistrates. In 1421 the capital was moved to Beijing and China was experiencing its most lucrative dynasty yet.
E: Ming economic policies similarly provided for China's prosperity during this period. Dikes and canals were repaired, while extensive land reclamation program was instituted, since some regions of China were totally depopulated from earlier Mongol depredations and neglect. The government offered tax exemptions lasting several years to any peasants who moved into the ruined areas, a policy which effectively revived much of China. Another policy was to encourage extensive reforestation, probably for shipbuilding purposes, although palm, mulberry, and lacquer trees were also planted for other economic purposes. China was further established into the world market and thus created a higher demand for luxury items such as silk, porcelain, and cotton. In addition to this, the Ming experienced the voyages of Zheng He. Some of Zheng He's expeditions comprised over 25,000 men sailing in ships that were 400 feet long, many times larger than anything Europe, just then embarking on its age of exploration, could put into the water. The purpose of these expeditions is not entirely clear, probably being more to display Chinese power and influence than cultivate trade, although profitable trade was certainly carried on, especially in fine porcelain. Then, in 1433, the expeditions suddenly ended, once again for vague reasons. One idea is that the aristocrats and eunuchs, resentful of the profits made by the middle class merchants running these expeditions, pressured the emperor to end them.
R: The expulsion of the Mongols in 1368 effectively cut China off from the West for nearly two centuries. In fact, Columbus was still looking for the Mongols in 1492, since Europe had not received word of their fall over a century after its occurrence. However, in the 1500's, the Portuguese and then the Spanish arrived in China by sea. Most of China's contact with the West at this time was through the Jesuits who skillfully presented Christianity in Confucian terms in order to gain entrance into China and win converts to their faith. Despite Christianity’s many attempts at attracting a large following in China, the three teachings: Confucianism, Taoism, and to a lesser extent, Buddhism, had the majority holdings in the Ming Dynasty. Especially in light of the Neo-Confucian movement in the previous Tang and Song dynasties, converts were hard to come by for Jesuits and Catholics alike.
S: The Ming Dynasty witnessed a “Cultural Revolution” in which new art, literature and musical styles appeared esp. opera. Of more importance was the reinstitution of the civil service examinations that once again put the gentry class far above the peasants. As a whole, the overall social structure remained the same from previous dynasties, with a male dominated patriarchal foundation. The population experienced growth with a new introduction of rice from Southeast Asia and by the end of the dynasty, the population ranged from 160-200 million people. The transition from rural to urban was beginning to happen with large port towns springing up from the immense profit of trading with the outside world.
I: The Ming era facilitated innovation and incredible contributions to science. Containing a wide coverage of subjects such as agriculture, art, astronomy, drama, history, medicine, religion and technology, the Yongle Encyclopedia was definitely the world’s largest known general encyclopedia in ancient times and the first encyclopedia to be written on earth. The Ming Dynasty was the most prosperous eras of China. One of the reasons was due to the invention of woodblock color printing, paper, and the two-color printing process. With the remarkable voyages of Zheng He, the Ming were also incredible maritime experts. They invented the first ship rudder that largely enhanced the steering of their massive ships. Along with these the Ming also restored parts of the Great Wall and did numerous canal and irrigation projects.
A: The Ming had a surge in luxury products due to their aggressive voyages and trade with other empires. This resulted in a large emphasis on porcelain products and fine silk. The porcelain that was created became a trademark and was signified by its classic blue and white colors. As with previous dynasties, a large weight was still put on paintings of nature and the incorporation of expert calligraphy.
N: China was located in East Asia. To the North was the Gobi Desert, to the East was the Pacific Ocean, to the Southeast were thick jungles (Vietnam, Southeast Asia), and to the West were the Himalayan Mountains and more deserts. The middle kingdom was bordered by the Yellow River in the north and the Yangzi in the south. That region was very fertile, but a majority of it was prone to flooding. Vast networks of irrigation and canals were established to ease that burden. The Ming moved capital to Beijing.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/383846/Ming-dynasty
https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Ming_Dynasty.html
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/ming/hd_ming.htm
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0507/feature2/
P: With the Mongols reign of terror recently ended in 1368, this opened a door for a new dynastic cycle to begin with the rule of the Ming dynasty. The Ming reversed the unpopular policies of the Mongols and reinstated the system of civil service exams for selecting officials, thus restoring the Mandarins to prominence in Chinese society. They also retained the other features of government used by previous dynasties, such as the Six Ministries and the Censorate. The Censorate was largely concerned with preventing corruption and abuses by sending traveling censors to the provinces to hear complaints and investigate the conduct of local magistrates. In 1421 the capital was moved to Beijing and China was experiencing its most lucrative dynasty yet.
E: Ming economic policies similarly provided for China's prosperity during this period. Dikes and canals were repaired, while extensive land reclamation program was instituted, since some regions of China were totally depopulated from earlier Mongol depredations and neglect. The government offered tax exemptions lasting several years to any peasants who moved into the ruined areas, a policy which effectively revived much of China. Another policy was to encourage extensive reforestation, probably for shipbuilding purposes, although palm, mulberry, and lacquer trees were also planted for other economic purposes. China was further established into the world market and thus created a higher demand for luxury items such as silk, porcelain, and cotton. In addition to this, the Ming experienced the voyages of Zheng He. Some of Zheng He's expeditions comprised over 25,000 men sailing in ships that were 400 feet long, many times larger than anything Europe, just then embarking on its age of exploration, could put into the water. The purpose of these expeditions is not entirely clear, probably being more to display Chinese power and influence than cultivate trade, although profitable trade was certainly carried on, especially in fine porcelain. Then, in 1433, the expeditions suddenly ended, once again for vague reasons. One idea is that the aristocrats and eunuchs, resentful of the profits made by the middle class merchants running these expeditions, pressured the emperor to end them.
R: The expulsion of the Mongols in 1368 effectively cut China off from the West for nearly two centuries. In fact, Columbus was still looking for the Mongols in 1492, since Europe had not received word of their fall over a century after its occurrence. However, in the 1500's, the Portuguese and then the Spanish arrived in China by sea. Most of China's contact with the West at this time was through the Jesuits who skillfully presented Christianity in Confucian terms in order to gain entrance into China and win converts to their faith. Despite Christianity’s many attempts at attracting a large following in China, the three teachings: Confucianism, Taoism, and to a lesser extent, Buddhism, had the majority holdings in the Ming Dynasty. Especially in light of the Neo-Confucian movement in the previous Tang and Song dynasties, converts were hard to come by for Jesuits and Catholics alike.
S: The Ming Dynasty witnessed a “Cultural Revolution” in which new art, literature and musical styles appeared esp. opera. Of more importance was the reinstitution of the civil service examinations that once again put the gentry class far above the peasants. As a whole, the overall social structure remained the same from previous dynasties, with a male dominated patriarchal foundation. The population experienced growth with a new introduction of rice from Southeast Asia and by the end of the dynasty, the population ranged from 160-200 million people. The transition from rural to urban was beginning to happen with large port towns springing up from the immense profit of trading with the outside world.
I: The Ming era facilitated innovation and incredible contributions to science. Containing a wide coverage of subjects such as agriculture, art, astronomy, drama, history, medicine, religion and technology, the Yongle Encyclopedia was definitely the world’s largest known general encyclopedia in ancient times and the first encyclopedia to be written on earth. The Ming Dynasty was the most prosperous eras of China. One of the reasons was due to the invention of woodblock color printing, paper, and the two-color printing process. With the remarkable voyages of Zheng He, the Ming were also incredible maritime experts. They invented the first ship rudder that largely enhanced the steering of their massive ships. Along with these the Ming also restored parts of the Great Wall and did numerous canal and irrigation projects.
A: The Ming had a surge in luxury products due to their aggressive voyages and trade with other empires. This resulted in a large emphasis on porcelain products and fine silk. The porcelain that was created became a trademark and was signified by its classic blue and white colors. As with previous dynasties, a large weight was still put on paintings of nature and the incorporation of expert calligraphy.
N: China was located in East Asia. To the North was the Gobi Desert, to the East was the Pacific Ocean, to the Southeast were thick jungles (Vietnam, Southeast Asia), and to the West were the Himalayan Mountains and more deserts. The middle kingdom was bordered by the Yellow River in the north and the Yangzi in the south. That region was very fertile, but a majority of it was prone to flooding. Vast networks of irrigation and canals were established to ease that burden. The Ming moved capital to Beijing.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/383846/Ming-dynasty
https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Ming_Dynasty.html
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/ming/hd_ming.htm
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0507/feature2/