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Yuan Dynasty

Map of the Yuan Dynasty's Territory [] Mongol Empire Map

**//In the thirteenth century//** Chinggis Khan (Genghis Khan) unified the different Mongol tribes and other nomadic peoples and successfully established an empire that stretched across Asia. After his death, this empire was divided into four parts, and China, the wealthiest of these four, was ruled by the Mongols under the dynastic name Yuan. Initially Mongols planned to use the north China plain to pasture their horses, but were persuaded that collecting taxes on the land was more lucrative. The Mongol rulers from Khubilai Khan (r. 1260-1294), Genghis Khan's grandson, onwards adopted the Chinese style of governance, but put Mongols and other Central Asians in the positions of greatest trust. The Chinese elites, especially those in the South, found themselves closed off from their traditional career path of official service: many were unwilling to be in the employ of the foreign conquerers, and others found that they were permitted only a limited role. Some elites turned to education or the arts as an outlet for their talents. Many of the social and economic trends begun in the Song carried through into the Yuan, and south China continued to be a thriving commercial region. Marco Polo's account of his travels describes a China of this time that is wealthy and urbanized. However, the Yuan dynasty faced a series of succession problems, and the government began to weaken in the 1330. The Yellow River began to change course in the 1340s, causing widespread flooding. Building a new channel for it further taxed the government. The weakened Yuan was unable to control the rebellions that began to spring up in the South.

Timeline of Yuan Dynasty

For more detailed chronologies, see //Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture// (Columbia, 2000).
 * 1206 || Chinggis Khan (Genghis Khan) named supreme leader of Mongols ||
 * 1260-1294 || Reign of Khubilai Khan, who moved capital to Beijing and took dynstic name Yuan ||
 * 1254-1322 || Life of artist and calligrapher Zhao Mengfu ||
 * 1289 || Grand Canal extended to Beijing ||
 * 1313 || Exam system reinstated; quotas favored Mongols ||
 * 1351 || Government begins construction on new channel for Yellow River ||