China Limits European Contacts PDF

China Limits European Contacts 1; , l¥-1",1 ?if. a CULTURAL INTERACTION China's independence from the Ming Manchus Advances under the Ming West continues today, even as it Dynasty Q...

China Limits European Contacts 1; , l¥-1",1 ?if. a CULTURAL INTERACTION China's independence from the Ming Manchus Advances under the Ming West continues today, even as it Dynasty Qing and Qing dynasties left China forges new economic ties with Hongwu Dynasty uninterested in European the outside world. Yonglo Kangxi contact. Zheng He SETTING THE STAGE The European voyages of exploration had led to oppor- tunities for trade. Europeans made healthy profits from trade in the Indian Ocean region. They began looking for additional sources of wealth. Soon, European countries were seeking trade relationships in East Asia, first with China and later with Japan. By the time Portuguese ships dropped anchor off the Chinese coast in 1514, the Chinese had driven out their Mongol rulers and had united under a new dynasty. China Under the Powerful Ming Dynasty Wffitifi~11+·~ Use the graphic organizer China had become the dominant power in Asia under the Mine Dynasty (1368- 1644). In recognition of China's power, vassal states from Korea to Southeast Asia paid their Ming overlords regular tribute, which is a payment online to take notes on by one country to another to acknowledge its submission. China expected relevant facts about each emperor. Europeans to do the same. Ming rulers were not going to allow outsiders from distant lands to threaten the peace and prosperity the Ming had brought to China when they ended Mongol rule. The Rise of the Ming A peasant's son, Honpu, commanded the rebel army T Porcelain vase from the · that drove the Mongols out of China in 1368. That year, he became the first Ming Ming Dynasty emperor. Hongwu continued to rule from the former Yuan capital of Nanjing in the south. (See the map on page 93.) He began reforms designed to restore agricultural lands devastated by war, erase all traces of the Mongol past, and promote China's power and prosperity. Hongwu's agricultural reforms increased rice production and improved irrigation. He also encouraged fish fanning and growing commercial crops, such as cotton and sugar cane. Hongwu used respected traditions and institutions to bring stability to China. For example, he encouraged a return to Confucian moral standards. He improved imperial administration by restoring the merit-based civil service examination system. Later in his rule, however, when problems developed, Hongwu became a ruthless tyrant. Suspecting plots against his rule everywhere, he conducted purges of the government, killing thousands of officials. Hongwu's death in 1398 led to a power struggle. His son Yonclo (yung lu) emerged victorious. Yonglo continued many of his father's policies, although he moved the royal court to Beijing. (See the Forbidden City feature on page 104.) 102 Chapter 3  h g H e's Treasure Ship z en - - _..... ◄ Zheng He's treasure ship compared with Christopher Columbus's Santo Mario 4001HT Yonglo also had a far-ranging curiosity about the outside world. In 1405, before Europeans began to sail beyond their borders, he launched the first of seven voy- ages of exploration. He hoped they would impress the world with the power and splendor of Ming China. He also wanted to expand China's tribute system. The Voyages of Zheng He A Chinese Muslim admiral named Zhene He (iung huh) led all of the seven voyages. His expeditions were remarkable for their size. INTERACTIVE MAP Everything about them was large--dista nces traveled, fleet size, and ship mea- Accompany surements. The voyages ranged from Southeast Asia to eastern Africa. From 40 to Zheng He on 300 ships sailed in each expedition. Among them were fighting ships, storage ves- his voyages sels, and huge "treasure" ships measuring more than 400 feet long. The fleet's throughout the Indian Ocean. crews numbered over 27,000 on some voyages. They included sailors, soldiers, car- penters, interpreters , accountants, doctors, and religious leaders. Like a huge float- ing city, the fleet sailed from port to port along the Indian Ocean. Everywhere Zheng He went, he distributed gifts including silver and silk to show Chinese superiority. As a result, more than 16 countries sent tribute to the Ming court. Even so, Chinese scholar-officials complained that the voyages wasted valu- fi able resources that could be used to defend against barbarians' attacks on the north- Making Inferences ~ What do you ern frontier. After the seventh voyage, in 1433, China withdrew into isolation. think the people Ming Relations with Foreign Countries China's official trade policies in the of other countries thought about 1500s reflected its isolation. To keep the influence of outsiders to a minimum, only China after one of the governmen t was to conduct foreign trade, and only through three coastal ports, Zheng He's visits? Canton, Macao, and Ningbo. In reality, trade flourished up and down the coast. Profit-mind ed merchants smuggled cargoes of silk, porcelain, and other valuable goods out of the country into the eager hands of European merchants. Usually, Europeans paid for purchases with silver, much of it from mines in the Americas. Demand for Chinese goods had a ripple effect on the economy. Industries such as silk-makin g and ceramics grew rapidly. Manufactu ring and commerce increased. But China did not become highly industrialized for two main reasons. First, the idea of commerce offended China's Confucian beliefs. Merchants, it was said, made their money "supporting foreigners and robbery." Second, Chinese eco- nomic policies traditionally favored agriculture. Taxes on agriculture stayed low. Taxes on manufactur ing and trade skyrocketed. Christian missionaries accompanied European traders into China. They brought Christianity and knowledge of European science and technology, such as the clock. The first missionary to have an impact was an Italian Jesuit named Matteo Ricci. He An Age ofExploration s and Isolation 103  gained special favor at the Ming court through his intelli- gence and fluency in Chinese. Still, many educated Chinese History Mal How was the ruthlessly persecuted Christians. European missionaries were killed or driven out await the arrival of treatment of a Portuguese ship of Japan. All Japanese were forced to demonstrate faithfulness to some branch of Europeans different at Nagasaki in Buddhism. These policies eventually eliminated Christianity in Japan and led to the in Japan and Chilldl the 1S00s in this formation of an exclusion policy..,IJ How was it similarl painting on wood panels.  The Clo~ed Country Policy The persecution of Christians was part of an attempt to con- Histo ry Depth trol fo~eign ~deas. When Europeans first arrived, no central authonty eXJsted to contain them. The strong leaders who later took power did not like the introduction of European ideas and ways, but they valued European trade. As time passed, the Tokugawa shoguns realized that they could safely exclude both the missionaries and the merchants. By 1639, they had sealed Japan's borders and instituted a "closed country policy." Japan in Isolation Most commercial contacts with Europeans ended. One port, Nagasaki, remained open to foreign traders. But only Dutch and Chinese merchants were allowed into the port. Earlier, the English had left Japan voluntarily; the Spanish and the Portuguese had been expelled. Since the Tokugawa shoguns controlled Nagasaki, Zen Buddhism they now had a monopoly on foreign trade, which continued to be profitable. The form of Buddhism that had the greatest impact on Japanese culture For more than 200 years, Japan remained basically was Zen Buddhism. It especially closed to Europeans. In addition, the Japanese were forbid- influenced the samurai. den to leave, so as not to bring back foreign ideas. Japan Zen Buddhists sought spiritual would continue to develop, but as a self-sufficient country, enlightenment through meditation. Strict discipline of mind and body was free from European attempts to colonize or to establish their the Zen path to wisdom. Zen monks presence. would sit in meditation for hours, as Europeans had met with much resistance in their efforts shown in the sculpture above. If they to open the East to trade. But expansion to the West, in the showed signs of losing concentration, Americas, as you will learn in Chapter 4, would prove a Zen master might shout at them or much more successful for European traders, missionaries, hit them with a stick. and colonizers. MAIN IDEAS CRITICAL THINKING WRITING 1 Which contribution by a 3. What happened during the 6. DRAWING CONCWSIONS Why do you think that the daimyo was the most period of the 'Warring States"? emperor had less power than a shogun? signrticant? Why? 4. What was the structure of 7. ANALYIING CAUSES Why did the Japanese policy toward society in Tokugawa Japan? Christians change from acceptance to repression? Oci-,o AchicveMUtts 5. What were the new styles of 8. FORMING OPINIONS Do you think Japan's dosed country drama, art, and literature in policy effectively kept Western ideas and customs out of Tokugawa Japan? Japan? I I 9. WRmNG ACTMTY CULJ\JRAL INTERACTION Write a two- paragraph comparison of the similarities and differences between the roles of women in China (discussed on page 107) and in Japan (page 110). cnw Ml N1;1;1, hv ii ; ~ G AN ORGANIZATIONAL CHART ~ Use the Internet to find information on the Japanese government today. INTERNET KEYWORD ~ Then create an orpnlutlonal chart showing the structure of the government country profiles An Age of Explorations and Isolation 113