Ming China Final Quiz Study Guide PDF

HIST 208 FINAL QUIZ STUDY GUIDE MING CHINA: The Fall of the Yuan Rebels and warlords - rebellions to Mongol rule Rose up against Mongols Drove them out and declared a new dynasty - the Ming Red Turban Rebellion Zhu Yuanzhang’s Vision of Society Zhu had a fundament...

HIST 208 FINAL QUIZ STUDY GUIDE MING CHINA: The Fall of the Yuan Rebels and warlords - rebellions to Mongol rule Rose up against Mongols Drove them out and declared a new dynasty - the Ming Red Turban Rebellion Zhu Yuanzhang’s Vision of Society Zhu had a fundamentally conservative outlook - founder of Ming Economic and social order was to be fixed, and centered on agriculture Explicit rejection of Mongol practices, but in fact many continuities from the Yuan dynasty Continuity with conservative neo-confucian values - including gender roles and such Agrarian economy and protection of farmers Taking on the prestige of the Mongol dynasty and things that seemed successful The Yellow Registers Registers produced beginning in 1381 to collect standardized information about all residents of empire Occupational status was hereditary - households were supposed to perform same duties across generations Permanent duties assigned to each household Fixed economic roles was in theory, but in practice, many households developed mechanisms to manage their duties, like complex corporate financial systems to provide a soldier Lijia system used to supervise population Land Registration System of fish scale registers began in 1387 Land divided into fiscal mu (⅙ of an acre) Government could not keep up with updating registers after end of 14th century Politics and Succession at the Turn of the 15th Century Zhu Yuanzhang’s state was characterized by autocratic exercises of imperial power Intense victorial government - lots of purges and attacks on officials A succession dispute after the first emperor’s death in 1398 led to Zhu Yuanzhang’s chosen heir (his grandson) being usurped by one of the first emperor’s sons in 1402 Ambitious Policies of the Yongle Emperor Conscious of his father’s great achievements in founding Ming Dynasty and such Also aware of negative response because he is in the throne now Ambitious policies to demonstrate his own greatness and live up to his father’s legacy and that his rule was worthy and worth supporting Return capital to Bejing Grand Canal project Encyclopedia - Yongle Encyclopedia The Maritime Voyages of Zheng He Voyages of a massive fleet of over 300 ships and 28,000 men, carried out between 1405 and 1433 Traveled across the Indian Ocean world Often presented as diplomatic missions of peace and friendship Ming Imperial Expansion in Southeast Asia Ming established “pacification superintendencies” in areas of contemporary Yunnan, Burma, and Vietnam Chinese clerks assigned to “assist’ local Indigenous rulers Massive scale invasion of Vietnam in 1406-1407, northern Vietnam transformed into the Ming province of Jiaozhi Controlling trade routes in Southeast Asia Zheng He’s Voyages as Proto-Colonialism Eunuch control of voyages reflects the emperor’s personal interests in them ○ Men castrated entering imperial service - don’t have independent courses of authority and are reliant on emperor for their power ○ Emperors rely on Eunuchs as a counterweight to bureaucratic officials and use them as people who ran Emperor’s own personal affairs - separate entity from state The crew of ships were mostly soldiers Numerous military attacks on lands visited: Sumatra, Java, Sri Lanka, etc. One scholar argues that these voyages constituted maritime “proto-colonialism” ○ An early form of colonialism where would set up foreign settlements  ○ Portugal follows a similar strategy later These voyages reflected the goal of the Ming court to project power across the world Ming Eunuchs Eunuchs were despised by the literati bureaucrats who had entered office via the exam system Scapegoats for everything that went wrong in the Ming era Many criticisms were deeply unfair: eunuchs were much better adherents to Neo-Confucian values than their critics believed ○ Example: contribution to building patriarchal lineages as seen in the use of generation names Silver and the Single Whip Reforms Ming economy heavily dependent on Silver Importation of huge amounts of silver from Japan and Americas in 16th century Silver flowed to China due to greater value there Silver was not just a money but also a commodity Silver has higher value than gold in China at this time when compared to rest of world Influx of silver helped expand market economy Transition to taxation in money, instead of taxation in kind and labor service – these reforms (early 17th century) known as the “Single Whip Reforms” The Late Imperial Examination System - Origins of the System Not the dominant form of official recruitment prior to the Song First exams in Han, but only 36 men passed them during entire period Tang brought back exams after period of abeyance, created the jinshi (presented scholar) degree Most Tang officials not chosen via exams, Tang exam system very simply Rise of the Exam System Northern Song saw anonymous civil service exams as way to combat autonomous military and aristocratic power Emperor became symbolic chief examiner Policies like anonymity introduced in Song Mongols instituted Neo-Confucian curriculum, reinforced under Ming Progression Through the Exams A series of low level exams had to be passed to even become a candidate for the lowest level degree of licentiate (shengyuan) Licentiates had to be screened again to determine who could progress to provincial exams  Licentiates were theoretically students, had to retake exams to maintain status ○ Not permanent status unless pass provincial exam Number of licentiates grew rapidly over time Memorize Four Books and understanding of commentaries on them, how to understand them The Examination Hall The Higher Level Exams Provincial graduates received title of juren (“recommended man”) Re-examination necessary to determine which juren could take metropolitan exam Metropolitan exam followed by palace exam (basically everyone passed palace one), degree of jinshi (presented scholar) awarded Top graduates entered Hanlin Academy Studying - A Lifelong Process From young age, elite boys devoted to memorizing texts Start at the age of 2 Educated man would learn about 10,000 distinct characters, memorize texts totaling more than 500,000 characters in length Many men remained exam candidates their whole lives Discussion: Elman, “Political, Social, and Cultural Reproduction via Civil Service Examinations in Late Imperial China” What was the importance of the exam system for the imperial state? Reinforce Confucian ideals that work in favor of the imperial court Content of Confucian ideals - promotes social hierarchy, one core relationship is between ruler and subject - reinforces power  Moral values of Confucianism - loyalty The way to have power is to participate in exams which are held bythe state and controlled and managed by the state The way you get power is through exams which is dictated by the state What was the importance of the exam system for people in China? How did this vary by background? More for elite who can dedicate themselves to study that others didn't have the resources to do Most men are allowed to take exams legally, however people who are actually capable form a distinct class Maintenance of a shared set of values and a shared elite community What was the importance of the exam system to the organization of Chinese society and to the cultural life of Chinese elites? Ensure common knowledge and values Meritocracy? Was the examination system meritocratic? What does that even mean? ○ Some claims was not ○ Higher percentage of graduates come from higher families in societies ○ Within class of elites some meritocracy, but not outside elites Debate: Ho Ping-ti vs Robert Hymes and Benjamin Elman Complexities – office purchase in work of Lawrence Zhang The Story of the Great Wall - Ming Wall Around 1442, a wall was erected by the Ming in Liaodong to protect Han settlers from a possible threat from the Jurched-Mongol Oriyanghan. In 1467–68, expansion of the wall provided further protection for the region from against attacks by the Jianzhou Jurchens in the northeast. Prevent Mongolian invasion The Ming and the Mongols Early Ming tried to seize Mongol legacy in certain ways Aggressive approach to the steppe under Zhu Yuanzhang, to some degree continuing under Yongle and Xuande But Yongle and Xuande removed permanent garrisons from Ordos Ming military began to weaken in mid-15th century The Tumu Incident - 1449 In 1449, the Mongol leader Esen Taishi ambushed and decisively defeated the Ming army at Tumu, capturing the Zhengtong Emperor.  The Ming suffered massive losses, exposing severe weaknesses in their military strategy and frontier defenses. The Zhengtong Emperor's capture caused a political crisis, leading to his brother's installment as the Jingtai Emperor. Esen Taishi released the emperor in 1450 after failing to leverage him effectively, reflecting shifting Mongol politics. The incident prompted the Ming to prioritize strengthening the Great Wall to prevent future invasions. Yi Zijun’s New Wall 1471 – Yu proposes a wall at southern edge of Ordos Military campaign made construction possible in 1474 Wall-Building Returns After a long pause, wall building began again in mid-16th century Walls built first in west, then moving east, final walls northeast of Beijing Walls built in many cases with brick and stone not just rammed earth (unlike Yu’s wall) – much more expensive and labor intensive Wall building had to continue because Mongols under Altan Khan simply went around walls that did not form a continuous line The Wall Fails The Mongols and other steppe peoples easily bypassed or overwhelmed wall defenses through gaps or by exploiting poorly guarded sections. Ming officials often diverted funds meant for wall construction or maintenance, weakening its effectiveness. The massive size of the wall made consistent defense logistically impossible, especially in remote regions. Leaders like Altan Khan continued to raid and pressure the Ming, demonstrating the limitations of static defenses against mobile armies. By the 17th century, the wall failed to prevent the Manchu invasion, leading to the fall of the Ming in 1644. Waldron, “The Problem of the Great Wall of China” What is the origin of the common (mostly mythical) understanding of the “Great Wall” that Waldron debunks? ○ Emerged in European writings during the 18th and 19th centuries, portraying the wall as a single, unified structure symbolizing China's defensive prowess and isolation.  ○ Popularized by travelogues and maps catering to Western romanticized views of China's uniqueness. ○ Reinforced by nationalist narratives in modern Chinese history, emphasizing the wall as a symbol of unity and resilience. Is the “Great Wall of China” a coherent historical concept? If so, what would it refer to? If not, what should historians talk about instead? ○ Not coherent historically: The term "Great Wall" lumps together various disconnected walls built across different dynasties, each serving specific regional purposes. ○ These structures were not a single, continuous entity but rather localized fortifications responding to varying threats. ○ Waldron argues historians should discuss regional defense systems or individual wall-building projects (e.g., Qin, Han, Ming walls) in their unique historical contexts, rather than a singular "Great Wall." THE REUNIFICATION OF JAPAN: Late Muromachi/Ashikaga Japan 1550s: 120 or so different domains, 12 controlled by shugo descendants Rise of low-ranking men to daimyo staus leads to period being described as gekokujō jidai (下剋上時代) – “the period of the low overcoming the high” Ashikaga shoguns dominated by other families (Hosokawa then Miyoshi) Oda Nobunaga List of proper nouns mentioned: ○ Kiyosu castle ○ Oda Nobuhide ○ Matsudaira Takechiyo (Ieyasu) ○ Imagawa clan ○ Saitō clan ○ Hashiba Hideyoshi ○ Provinces: Owari, Mikawa Oda Nobunaga’s Power Grows List of Proper Nouns ○ Mino ○ Matsunaga family ○ Asakura family ○ Enryakuji ○ Mount Hiei ○ Ikkō sect ○ Echizen Province ○ Nagashima Oda Nobunaga as Powerholder Seemed to have real chance of reunifying Japan, provoking alliances against him Took land from defeated enemies to give to his own followers, like Hashiba Hideyoshi His subordinates ruled their own domains, but fought at Nobunaga’s direction and could be transferred from fief to fief. All decisions they made needed to be in conformity with Nobunaga’s orders Headquarters in Azuchi Castle Assassinated by Akechi Mitsuhide (one of his own followers) in 1582 Toyotomi Hideyoshi  Oda’s grandson Sanbōshi became head of his clan, but Hideyoshi took over control of country Disarmed rural samurai and peasants with Sword Hunt edict, building a giant Buddha at Hōkōji using (in part) metal melted down from weapons Created fixed social order Extensive land surveys Alliance builder, unlike Oda Nobunaga After “retiring” in 1592, built Momoyama Castle in Kyoto to serve as his retirement palace Hideyoshi’s Invasion of Korea Intended to conquer both Korea and China Korean navy under Yi Sunsin used “turtle ships” to outmaneuver Japanese ships Ming sent an army to aid Chosŏn War was devastating for Korea Togugawa Leyasu Victory at Battle of Sekigahara (1600) established dominance Named shogun in 1603 Eliminated Hideyoshi’s son Hideyori in attack on Osaka Castle in 1615 New rules for daimyo, establishment of hostage and alternate attendance systems Three categories of daimyo: fudai, shinpan, tozama Built city of Edo (Tokyo) 16th Century European Trade Christian Teachings Arrive in Japan