China Notes PDF

1.The Ming Dynasty -The Yuan dynasty weakened after Kublai Khan’s death a.Weak emperors b.Officials stole from treasury -A military officer named Zhu Yuanzhang ended Mongol rule a.Reunited China b.Capital in Nanjing c.Founded Ming dynasty d.Took the na...

1.The Ming Dynasty -The Yuan dynasty weakened after Kublai Khan’s death a.Weak emperors b.Officials stole from treasury -A military officer named Zhu Yuanzhang ended Mongol rule a.Reunited China b.Capital in Nanjing c.Founded Ming dynasty d.Took the name Hong Wu -Hong Wu brought peace and order but was also a harsh leader a.Trusted few people b.Punished officials he suspected of treason c.After he died Yong Le, his son, was emperor -Yong Le moved the capital to Beijing, where he built the imperial city, a center of government buildings a.In the center was the Forbidden City, where the emperor’s family lived A.Only top officials were allowed in -Ming emperors brought back Civil Service Exams -The strong Ming government brought peace and security, resulting in economic growth a.Agriculture thrived b.Hong Wu rebuilt canals and farms c.Paved new roads and planted forests -Ming rulers repaired and expanded the Grand Canal a.Allowed merchants to ship rice and other products between North and south China -Ming supported the Silk industry a.Farmers grew cotton and weaved cloth -Chinese writers wrote novels during the Ming dynasty a.Romance of the Three Kingdoms A.Described military rivals at the end of the Han period b.Writers avoided formal language -Traditional Chinese dramas were banned during Mongol rule but were restored to the stage 2.Chinese Exploration -Ming Emperors built a large fleet of ships to sail to other countries a.Ships known as Junks -Ming Emperors sent the fleet on seven voyages to trade with other kingdoms a.Weaker kingdoms would have to pay tribute b.The leader of these journeys was a Chinese Muslim named Zheng He or Chengho -Zheng He took his first fleet to Southeast Asia a.Reached Western India and the city-states of East Africa -Zheng He brought back animals, visitors and representatives of south Asia -Despite the benefits of the voyages, Chinese officials complained the voyages cost too much and that they would bring unwanted foreign ideas a.After Zheng He died officials convinced the emperor to stop the voyages  A.This marked the beginning of a 50 year period of isolation -Ming China was not able to cut off all contact, as Portugese ships landed off the coast of Southern China a.It was the first direct contact with Europe and China since Marco Polo -The Portuguese wanted to convert the Chinese to Christianity and trade a.At first refused to trade with the Portuguese A.Built a trading post in Macao -China was too strong militarily to be conquered by an European power -Despite limited contact, European ideas still reached China a.Many of the missionaries were Jesuits (Roman Catholic priests) A.Their knowledge of science impressed officials B.Did not convince many Chinese to become Christian -Dishonest officials took over the country and placed heavy taxes on farmers -The Manchus prepared to invade China a.A northern people also conquered by the Mongols b.They retreated to Manchuria, northeast of the great wall -The Mancus defeated the Chinese and started the Qing dynasty