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
Late Ming and Early Qing Dynasties
Introduction about the Manchu and China
The Manchu in North China and Fall of the Ming
Rise of the Manchu and Rebellion
Establishment of the Qing Dynasty and Manchu Strategy
Kangxi (K’ang Hsi) Emperor and Qianlong Emperor
Foreign affairs
Conclusion
Expansion of the Qing Dynasty 1644-1911
The Manchu and China
Manchu as an ally of the Ming dynasty in face of threats from Japanese pirates and Mongols
Manchu used their knowledge of China to help establish new dynasty
Created the Qing dynasty 1644 and controlled all of China by 1659
Manchu in North China
Descendants of the Jurchens in north China in Jin dynasty (1127-1234)
Hunters, fishermen and farmers
United in early modern period under Nurhaci (1559-1626)
Incorporated bilingual individuals in his government
Nurhaci (1559-1626), leader of the Jurchen Dynasty (Jin)
East Asia c. 1100-1235
Fall of the Ming Dynasty
Peasant rebellions
Deflation
Flooding in 1642
Smallpox epidemic in 1643
Rebel forces emerged throughout northern China in the 1630s, such as those led by Li Zicheng
Peasant Rebel Leader, Li Zicheng (1606-1645)
Rebellion
By 1635 rebel leaders controlled much of north central China
April 1644 Li’s armies in Beijing when last Ming emperor hanged himself
Response to rebels led by General Wu Sangui
Opened gates of Great Wall to let the Manchu into China
Shanhai Pass in the Great Wall of China
Establishment of the Qing Dynasty
Wu and the Manchu occupied Beijing by June 1644 at the expense of the rebels
Installation of new emperor in 1644
Pursuit of Ming loyalists
Controlled all of China by 1659
Manchu Strategy
Qing system of government
Manchu as ethnically separate group
Use of the banner system
Creation of system to work with the Chinese, but to maintain Manchu identity, in government, society and military
Manchu Banners
Kangxi Emperor (1661-1722)
Prosperous and vibrant reign
Diligent and intelligent leader
Gained control of government by 1669
Economic and cultural achievements
Qing Emperor Kangxi (r. 1661-1722) at a young age
Primary source: “The Sacred Edicts”
What values do these teachings reflect?
What is considered valuable and why?
Do these edicts reinforce the power of the Emperor?
Transmission of imperial goals and use of traditional Chinese language and concepts to solidify his position and his dynasty
Qing Emperor Kangxi (r. 1661-1722)
Foreign Affairs
Concern about the northern borders
Conflict with the Russians on the Amur river in the 1680s
The Treaty of Nerchinsk (1689):
Fixed the border between Russia and China
Regulated trade across it until 1850
Qing control of Inner Mongolia by 1691
Expansion into Tibet, Taiwan and central Asia
Emperor Kangxi on tour throughout his empire
Qianlong Emperor (1736-95)
Emperor of the Middle Kingdom
- Accomplishments
- Strategies of Rule within China
- Interaction with other groups
- Economic development
- Last great Qing Emperor
Qianlong Emperor (1736-1795)
Lord Macartney (1737-1806)
Lord Macartney’s Trade Mission
In September 1793 Lord Macartney met with the Qianlong Emperor in an effort to open up trading system in China for the benefit of Britain
He wanted special trading privileges for Britain
The Qianlong Emperor refused to change the established system since it did not benefit China
Meeting between Qianlong Emperor and Lord Macartney in 1793
International Trade:
Cohong system in Canton (Guangzhou):
- Limited interaction between Chinese merchants and foreigners
- Importance of tea, silk, porcelain
- Foreigners subject to Chinese law
- Competition for British with Spanish and Portuguese
- Massive trade deficit for British merchants
View of Canton, ca, 1750-1800 (artist unknown)
Trade problems and issues
Opium:
1810s = 26 million taels of silver going
into China
1830s = 34 million taels of silver going
out of China
Effects of opium addiction in China and role of British in opium trade
Silver Currency in China
5 tael silver saddle coin
10 tael silver drum coin
Conclusion
The Ming dynasty fell by 1644 as a result of internal and external problems
The Manchu took advantage of Ming weakness and their knowledge of China to create the Qing dynasty (1644-1911)
The Qing dynasty experienced tremendous growth and great achievements, especially during the reign of two early emperors, but threats from the west increased instability and weakened China in the nineteenth century
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