China
Overview
Statewide Dual Credit Modern World History: Unit 4, Lesson 2
Discussion of the Ming dynasty in China, which ruled from 1368-1644. It covers the rise and fall of the dynasty, as well as its many accomplishments, including the construction of the Great Wall of China.
China also benefited from the end of Mongol rule. By 1500, the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) had ruled China for more than 130 years. The rise of the Mings ushered in a new period of peace that allowed China to flourish. However, by 1500 problems had begun to beset the Ming dynasty. A succession of weak and incompetent emperors, coupled with fiscal, military and bureaucratic issues, undermined the stability of the Chinese state.
Enthusiastic builders, the Mings constructed a new capital called Beijing. Built between 1407 and 1420, the new capital consisted of a series of squares within squares, each being more restrictive and private than the next. A palace complex of nearly 10,000 rooms, the Forbidden City was the most private area. Within these walls, the emperor and the bureaucracy worked, sometimes together, others at odds, to run the Chinese state.
MING DYNASTY
Chinese scholar-officials represented the backbone of the Chinese state and bureaucracy. Unlike Europe, China had no hereditary aristocracy, nor did its merchant class become politically significant as in some European countries. Deriving power and status from their education and high government office, scholar- officials became the most formidable check on the absolute power of the emperor. Scholar-officials gained their place in government by passing rigorous civil service examinations held at the prefecture, provincial and capital levels. Quotas ensured that each province could only send so many worthy candidates to the capital, ensuring no regional dominance in government. The prestige associated with being sent to the capital meant that families who could afford to do so would hire tutors to give their male children an advantage. Based mainly on Confucian texts, the examinations could last for several days. The grueling process of the exams, the writing of essays, the drafting of mock state papers and edicts, and commenting on Confucian texts, coupled with the meager passing rates, ensured that those who advanced would be adept public servants capable of administering the Chinese state.
The rise of the Ming dynasty did not end the threat of another Mongol invasion. Ming rulers deeply respected and feared the Mongols, especially their fighting abilities. This encouraged them to expand, rebuild and improve a series of walls, some very old, to aid in keeping the Mongols at bay. Earlier walls, often made of rammed earth, were replaced, buttressed, or built anew with stone and brick. This increased the overall cost and labor needed to develop and improve the walls. The walls also had a series of watch towers and gates to facilitate trade, taxation and security. It is estimated that 3,800 miles were added to the original defensive structure.
During the Ming dynasty, attention was paid to improving the countryside. During this period, whole populations, if judged necessary, would be moved to help increase farming or recover lands destroyed by natural disaster, war or neglect. The government also invested heavily in reforestation. Promoting agriculture led to increased food production and a healthier, wealthier and more numerous populations.
Merchants sold cotton, silks, paper and textiles to large Chinese cities and foreign nations. By the end of the Ming dynasty, tobacco, imported from the Americas, became a popular consumption item for men and women. Due to its focus on education and its papermaking and publishing industries, China, during this period, had an unusually high literacy rate.
Historians continue to debate the causes of the Ming dynasty's decline, with some attributing it to internal corruption, economic troubles, and external threats, while others emphasize social unrest and natural disasters. Whatever one’s view, historians agree that the competition with Japan combined with a series of natural disasters (floods, epidemics, etc.) put tremendous pressure on the Ming government, which disintegrated in the face of these problems and growing unrest.
Unable to defend the state or deal with its underlying problems, the final Ming emperor committed suicide in 1644 as a rebel army gained control of Beijing. The Qings (1644-1912) now ruled China. Descended from the Jurchens, the Qing dynasty came from Manchuria. Like the neighboring Mongols, the Manchus excelled at archery from horseback. The Qing dynasty brought stability to China, and by the end of the century, China once again experienced a period of wealth and prosperity.
Spotlight On | Great Wall of China
The earliest origins of the Great Wall of China belong to the Spring and Autumn period (771-476 BCE). During the Qin dynasty (221-206 BCE), Emperor Qin Shi Huang (r. 221-210 BCE) connected some of the various defensive walls to create a more extensive fortification to protect his newly founded dynasty from outside invasion. Subsequent dynasties would also build new walls. The Great Wall of China as it stands today largely dates from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Not all of the Wall is manufactured from stone and brick as natural hills, mountain ridges and rivers are woven into the defensive structure. Although parts of the Wall have disappeared over time (it is estimated that the total building would equal more than 13,000 miles), today, the best-preserved section is still more than 5,000 miles in length.