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Introduction - Ming Dynasty
Essay on the Ming Dynasty
Introduction - Ming Dynasty
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The Ming Dynasty The Chinese Empire was large and controlled most of Asia at one point in time. One of the dynasties that ruled the empire was the Ming Family. Ruling from 1368-1644, almost three hundred years, the Ming Dynasty impacted Chinese history very much. The purpose of this paper is to tell the history of the Ming Dynasty’s impact on the Chinese Empire, and to explain why the Chinese Empire was in fact an empire. The Ming Dynasty had created an empire. They had the government, the military, and the economic system to prove it. At different points in time, The Chinese Empire was the greatest in the world, for trade, military, and other key factors in a society. The main reason for the creation of the Ming Dynasty was the collapse of the Yuan dynasty. The word Ming means “brilliant” and “bright.” The creator and first emperor of the Ming Dynasty was Chu Yuan-chang, who later changed his name to suit him and his new government. Chu Yuan-chang was the youngest of the Yuan dynasty and due to the collapse of the dynasty; Chu never got to rule, and was left as a peasant. So after the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, Chu created the Ming dynasty. Chu’s new name, Hongwu, was made to describe the new government that he wanted to create. The name Hongwu means, Vast Military and it reflects the increased prestige of the military during his reign. Due to the fact that Hongwu was a peasant before his reign, he established rules and laws that applied only to those who were peasants. The laws sort of boosted their lives; he kept the land tax low, and the granaries stocked to guard against famine. During his reign he also attempted and succeeded in building up the class of those of the peasant and working class. Hongwu’s new government did not cause any change for those in other social classes. Hongwu’s reign affected the government of China greatly. In Hongwu’s government, he felt that “Principle was the diffusion of the imperial government.”(www.travelchinaguide.com). So in order to correct the situation of the government, he tried to strengthen rule into absolute rule by emperor. One of the single most important innovations that Hongwu made to the Chinese government was the abolishment of the Chief Minister. By eliminating the Chief Minister, Hongwu essentially took over the administration. In a way he was proclaiming absolute... ... middle of paper ... ...lmost all of Asia, and is the largest empire that Asia has seen. If the Chinese Empire is not considered a true empire, then I will ask you this: Why has the Chinese Empire been called one of the most powerful empires of its time? Author Unknown. Empires Past: China: Ming Dynasty. 9 Dec. 2004 http://library.thinkquest.org/16325/c-min.html . Author Unknown. Ming China, 1368-1644. 9 Dec. 2004 http://www.stockton.edu/~gilmorew/consorti/2feasia.htm . Author Unknown. Ming China(1368-16440). 8 Dec. 2004 http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/history/ming.htm . Davis, Richard L. Ming Dynasty. 9 Dec. 2004 http://www.virtualology.com.virtualmuesamofnatuarlhistory/hallofanthropology/china/themingdynasty.com/ . Hall, John Whitney and Rene Grousset. “The Establishment of the Ming Dynasty.” 1300’s Headlines in History. San Diego: Greenhaven Press Inc., 2001. 241-261 “Ming Dynasty(1368-16440” World Eras. Imperial China. Volume 7, 2003 Richard Hooker. Ming China. “The Decline of the Ming.” 8 Dec. 2004 http://www.wsu.edu:800/~dee/MING/DECLINE.htm . Richard Hooker. Ming China. “Ming China.” 8 Dec. 2004 http://www.wsu.edu:800/~dee/MING/MING.htm .
In the Qing empire the leaders were not able to resolve the problem caused by increased population pressure and concentration of land ownership. The Qing Dynasty was the last imperial dynasty in China. The dynasty was founded by the non-chinese people of the Manchus who originally lived in the northeast which was later called Manchuria. The Manchus used the disintegration of the central government of the Ming Empire that
The title of Ray Huang’s book 1587: A Year of No Significance: The Ming Dynasty Decline suggests that this book is a work based on a single year in which little occurred. But in reality, Huang’s look at the events of 1587 demonstrate the complex workings of the leadership during the decline of the Ming dynasty, giving the reader an insight into the societal structure, the governmental process, and the mistakes that occurred systematically to enhance the progression towards the seemingly inevitable downfall. Though nothing of historical significance occurred during the year 1587, Huang is able to demonstrate the way in which the existing culture and the smaller, more systematic elements of political leadership can be understood within the context of a seemingly unimportant period of time.
4) Qing Dynasty- the Qing Dynasty term, is described as being one of the first imperial dynasty in China. The Qing Dynasty is important because, it’s what began the construction of the Great Wall of China, and construction of roads.
Ming China in premodern times was not as populated and geographically large as it is today, but it was still quite large in both aspects, especially comparing to other empires around such era. About hlaf of chinas population worked for the government in some form. These people known as bureocracts were highly educated and knew how to read and write. Education aided the country to be smart in trade, foreing aspects, and army tactics. Having most of the country educated in political manners also meant their strong army would be intelligent enough to come up with techniques to defend the territory as well as invading sorrounding lands.
Emperor Hong Wu was born Zhu Yuan hang to poor peasant parents in 1328 in China. His parents, being peasant farmers, did not have much to offer young Zhu not even a decent formal education. To compound his challenges, Zhu was orphaned by the age of fourteen years as documented by the New World Encyclopedia (2014). Consequently, Zhu found himself living at the mercy of a Buddhist monastery sometimes having to beg for basics such as food. This however did not deter him from pushing on in life. Soon after, the monastery, which acted as his home, was raised down in flames during a rebellion war between the ‘Red Turbans’, a Buddhist rebel group, and the
During the early Ming Dynasty, China was one of the most economically and technologically advanced countries in the world. As Ebrey pointed out, “Europe was not yet a force in Asia and China continued to look at the outer world in traditional terms.” China was regarded as the center of Asia at the beginning of the 15th century and the idea of “Middle Kingdom” (Zhong guo) began to take off at that time. The early Ming Emperors were not interested in promoting commercial trade at all. Emperor Hongwu, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, implemented the Hai jin policy which forbade maritime shipping and private foreign trade outside of the tributary system (Ebrey, p. 209).
More than two thousand years ago, two great empires arose. The Chinese and the Roman Empires. Having different locations, there were obvious differences from the start, assembly and the collapse of the empires, but there were also astonishing similarities. Located in modern time Asia and Europe, the Chinese and Roman empires were revolutionary with their ideas and accomplishments in their time from the start to the end of their empires.
The Han Dynasty was a period of peace and prosperity. During the time of 206 BCE-220 CE, it was considered to be a world power having interests in literature,arts, culture, and technology as well as achieving numerous praiseworthy successes. It was found and established by Liu Bang, who became Emperor Gaozu following four years of civil war started by peasant uprisings agaisnt the Qin Dynasty. It was ruled by 12 emperors who promoted reform and lessened taxes, letting the people live in stability and peace. However, after two centuries the quality of Han rule declined and invasions overturned the dynasty entirely.
The Sui dynasty reigned from 581 – 618 A.D. The emperor built monasteries for both Buddhism and Daoism throughout the land, and appointed Buddhist monks as his key advisors. (Duiker, & Spielvogel, 2009) The Han system of examination based on the Confucian classics were revived. Taxation was reformed, and a census was introduced to create equitable tax collection. Also, a land grant was given to every taxable male. Once a male turned 60 years old, part of the land was returned to the government, the rest could be passed on to his heirs. (Halsall, 1998) This was also a time of great building. During the Sui, the Great wall was rebuilt, and the Grand Canal was constructed. Connecting the Huang, Huai, and Yangtze rivers, the Grand Canal had a huge impact on travel, trade, and socialization in China.
Two important, mighty Asian empires in history are the Ottoman Empire and the Ming China. These two empires are in totally different areas of Asia – the Ottomans were in the very west, the Chinese were in the oriental east. Therefore, these two empires, naturally, formed completely different cultures. However, surprisingly, these empires had many parts in common as well. The Ottoman Empire and the Ming Dynasty had both many different and distinct parts, as well as many similarities.
The rulers of the Ming and Safavid Dynasties strengthened their countries through careful control of their governments and military.
The Ming Revival In the mid-1300s, China was in turmoil. The Mongol Yuan dynasty was still in power, but disease and natural disasters had weakened the Mongol grip. Bandits and rebels roamed the countryside. In 1368, a Chinese rebel army overthrew the Mongols. The rebel leader, Zhu Yuanzhang (JOO yuwen-JAHNG), took power and established the Ming dynasty. In Chinese, the word Ming means “brilliant.”
The Tang Dynasty’s rise is similar to the rise of the Han Dynasty, which began over 800 years earlier. The first emperor of the tang, Kao-tsu (618-626 C.E.), implemented many of the practices and ideas established during the Sui Dynasty. Emperor Kao-tsu carried on the tradition of local government rule, and also awarded each adult male in China equal amounts of land, in exchange for taxes. Emperor Taizong, who began rule in 626 C.E., was the son of Kao-tsu, also played an important role in the economic expansion of China and ruled during the beginning decades of the Tang. Emperor Taizong’s reign beg...
The book China Since 1945, written by author Stewart Ross, opens in a description of the Chinese Empire in the 1900’s. There it describes the terrain of the Chinese lands and thoroughly states the fact of having the Great Wall of China to keep out the barbarians at 221 B.C. The author uses a very admiring tone of the Chinese Empire and seems to think it’s one of the very few best empires that have ever formed. In fact, Rozman states, ‘ …the cultural and scientific achievements of the Chinese had been immense, including the invention of paper, printing and gunpowder, and the creation of the most exquisite paintings and by most “Empire Critics” China was one of the best Civilizations around.