Unit+II+Module+3+Chinese+Dynasties+Ming

**Ming Dynasty****(1368-1644)**

media type="youtube" key="9T_fFz9Ow8k?rel=0" height="390" width="480" align="center"//(names on this video are spelled differently due to different translators)//


 * The birth of a new Dynasty! -** Hongwu, a peasant who had been a member of a rebellious religious society called the Red Turbans, amassed an army and emerged the victor in the power struggle at the end of the Yuan. Well aware of the dangers of social unrest, the first Ming emperor put in place a new legal code, and mandated community organization to monitor behavior. The government, however, could only enforce these policies to a limited degree. He supported Confucian moral standards but later became a ruthless tyrant.


 * Exploration-** In the early 15th century, the emperor, Yonglo ( son of Hongwu) sent Zheng He ( a Chinese Muslim Admiral) on several oceanic voyages from 1405 to 1433. The boats used for these voyages were the biggest in the world at this time, and Zheng He traveled as far as the Persian Gulf and Africa.Unlike European exploration, these voyages were intended to demonstrate Ming imperial power, not to seek out new territories or engage in trade.


 * Forbidden City-** The Forbidden City was a Chinese palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is the located in the middle of Beijing,China and now houses the Palace Museum. For over 500 years it served as a home for emperors as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government.It was built between 1406 and 1420 during the Ming Dynasty. It had been the imperial home of 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasty. From their throne in the Forbidden City, they governed the country by holding court sessions with their ministers, issuing imperial edicts and initiating military expeditions. The Forbidden City is one of the largest and best-preserved palace complexes in the world. There are over a million rare and valuable objects in the Museum.




 * Great Wall and Great Canal Restoration** - During the Ming Dynasty, they wanted to restore the nationalist pride in china at the time. They did this by fixing the Great Wall and the Great Canal to show their power to uplift their spirits.


 * Christianity //-//** Accompanying European traders into China were Christian missionaries. The missionaries brought Christianity as well as a variety of European inventions, including the clock and prism. The first missionary to have an impact was an Italian Jesuit, Matteo Ricci. He gained special favor at the Ming court through his intelligence and his ability to speak and write chinese. However, many Chinese opposed Christianity.


 * The Ming economy** continued to expand, and silver came to play a major role in this economy. Copper coin had been the primary currency, but it was heavy and awkward to transport. Silver from mines in Yunnan and Japan allowed a bimetallic currency to emerge, and eventually the demand for silver necessitated finding new sources. Over 100,000 tons of iron per year were produced in North China, and many books were printed using movable type.Portuguese and Spanish traders brought silver from the Americas, and took porcelain and textiles in trade. New crops arrived as well: the sweet potato grew in poor soil, and this along with new strains of rice helped to support population growth. Another transplant from the Americas, the chile pepper changed the flavor of Chinese cooking. Continued economic development created more opportunities for the mixing of social classes; merchants, looked down upon in the traditional ranking of occupations, became an important class. Some historians argue that Early Ming China was the most advanced nation on Earth at the time.

Most of the Ming emperors were devoutly Buddhist and promoted and expanded Buddhism throughout China. The Chia-ching emperor (1522-1566), however, was ardently devoted to Taoism and severely discouraged Buddhism in the capital. He had one overwhelming motive: he wished to become immortal and Taoist alchemy held out the promise of immortality. The emperor became increasingly obsessed with Taoist ceremonies and fantastic omens and steadily neglected the government. In his last twenty-five years, he completely neglected the government which allowed for the corrupt autocracy of his Grand Secretary, Yen Sung. The Wan-li emperor (1572-1619), however, was a devout Buddhist, and Buddhism would remain the dominant religion until the end of the dynasty.
 * Religion**- The Hong Wu emperor (1368-1398) was at an earlier point in his life a Buddhist monk, and when he came to power he actively tried to revive and promote native Chinese schools of Buddhism. The Mongols had promoted the highly esoteric Tibetan lamaist Buddhism over all other forms, and Hong Wu was determined to eliminate Lamaist Buddhism from China. Hong Wu, however, took an enormous interest in Taoism as well; late in his rule, he wrote a commentary on the //Tao te ching// in order to guide its followers.



//**Dragon Pine,**// Ming Dynasty,ca 1400 //Wu Boli//

//**Culture -**// The early Ming Dynasty was a time of cultural restoration and expansion. Artists (painters) scouted by the Ming Court were instructed to return to didactic and realistic representation, in imitation of the styles of the earlier Southern Song Imperial Painting Academy (1127-1279). To glorify the new dynasty and and convey its benevolence,large-scaled landscapes, flower and bird compositions, and figural narratives were the most favored. In most Ming Paintings, the tradition in both the Southern Song academy and the Yuan scholar-artist were developed further.Valuing the presence of personality in a work over mere technical skill, the Ming scholar-painter aimed for mastery of performance rather than laborious craftsmanship.Early Ming decorative arts inherited the richly eclectic legacy of the Mongol Yuan dynasty, which included both regional Chinese traditions and foreign influences. For example, the fourteenth-century development of blue-and-white ware and cloisonné ; enamelware arose, at least in part, in response to lively trade with the Islamic world, and many Ming examples continued to reflect strong West Asian influences. A special court-based Bureau of Design ensured that a uniform standard of decoration was established for imperial production in ceramics, textiles, metalwork, and lacquer.



//In intellectual life//, Wang Yangming revitalized Neo-Confucianism, emphasizing the innate goodness of the human mind, and the possibility that anyone could become a sage. Matteo Ricci and other Jesuit missionaries began to arrive in China, but initially met with little success. New religious groups advocated the harmony of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. Other groups applied accounting to morality, and produced books in which one marked down each good deed and each bad deed, and tallied up the points lost or gained. Publishing grew exponentially, and novels and short stories were written in the vernacular to appeal to a larger audience of readers.

Timeline of Ming Dynasty

For more detailed chronologies, see //Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture//
 * 1368 || Zhu Yuanzhang founds Ming dynasty ||
 * 1405-1433 || Voyages of Zheng He ||
 * 1420 || Capital relocated from Nanjing to Beijing ||
 * 1472-1528 || Life of Wang Yangming ||
 * 1570s || Single Whip Tax Reform simplifies tax system ||
 * 1601 || Missionary Matteo Ricci takes up residence in Beijing ||