The rise of Western power is a relatively recent development in the modern era. Previously the world could be seen as polycentric with overlapping spheres of influence (Marks 34). However, by the fifteenth century, China held considerable economic and military power, leading the world in size, population, agriculture, and commerce (Mungello 1). China also excelled in technology, military strength, learning, and the fine arts (Mungello 2). Leading China through its glory days was the Ming Dynasty which endured more than 250 years until its decline in 1644 (Dardess 1).
Before the Ming dynasty, China had become little more than a portion of the Mongol Empire. Hongwu, formerly Zhu Yuanzhang, became the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty after the successful rebellion that pushed the Mongols out of China (Roberts 119). The Ming Dynasty became known for its effective and organized government system that provided the foundation for the prosperity that would characterize the Ming Dynasty for the next two centuries (Mungello 2). The Prince of Yan, later known as Yongle, became emperor after a rebellion and usurping his nephew, Jianwen, in 1403 (Roberts 120) Yongle quickly cemented his position by restoring prior regiments and asserting his power by dispatching a series of seven two-year sea expeditions between 1405 and 1433 (Roberts 126). Many have speculated that Yongle’s grand expeditions were actually searches for Jianwen, who according to rumor was still alive. However, it is most likely that the ships were sent to gain recognition of Yongle as a ruler (Roberts 126). The great commander of these expeditions was Zheng He, who led the expeditions from China all the way to the African coast (Roberts 126).
Zheng He was a Chines...
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...e was little more than a memory and legend, providing little resistance to the new European explorers (Levathes 20).
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When China Ruled the Seas: The reassure fleet of the dragon throne, (1405-1433) by Louise Levathes
In the book, When China Ruled the Seas, Levathes tells us about seven voyages made by junk armadas during the Chinese emperor Zhu Di's reign. 'Treasure ships' as they were called, were under the command of admiral Zheng He, these ships traded silk, porcelain, and many other fine objects of value. They sailed from India to East Africa, throughout Korea and Japan, and possibly as far as Australia. She believes that China might have been able to create a great colonial realm one hundred years before the Europeans explored and expanded, from China's navy of some three thousand ships.
In China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia, Peter Perdue gives a detailed account of the history of central Eurasia from the end of the Yuen dynasty to the successful conquest and incorporation of modern day central Eurasia into china by the early Qing emperors, as well as the implications and legacies this conquest has in the future. This book is written in five parts in a loosely chronological order, each with a distinct theme.
The first segment, Winter, archives the earliest years of the Ming dynasty between 1368 and 1450. The social hierarchy of early Ming was based upon the ownership of land (Brook, p. 79). One way to describe the increasing power ...
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15 Yang Mingjie, “Sailing on a Harmonious Sea: A Chinese Perspective,” China US Focus, May 26, 2011, http://www.chinausfocus.com/peace-security/sailing-on-a-harmonious-sea-a-chinese-perspective/ (accessed on January 20, 2012).
Edward L. Dreyer. Zheng He: China and the Oceans in the Early Ming Dynasty, 1405-1433.
The Chinese empire had once been one of the greatest and most powerful empires in the world. Before the 19th century, China had a large population and was ruled by families or dynasties. It was considered technologically advanced as China had a history of many miraculous inventions, such as: writing, magnetic compasses, movable sails, porcelain, abacus and paper money. Although China was isolated from the rest of the world, it coped well on its own, and saw no need to begin trading with the west, (as Lord McCartney proposed in 1793), since it was a self-sufficient nation. At that particular time, the Chinese empire was still able to exclude the ‘barbarians’, thus forcing them to only trade at one port. However, China soon took a turn for the worst as important ...
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The imperial realms of East Asia before the 19th century were largely based on the theory that Asian countries were far better than their neighbors in the West. The nonchalant manner portrayed by East Asian countries towards western technology and culture led China to become unknowledgeable of the Western empires. As a result, China was astonishingly impacted by imperialism from Great Britain during the 1800’s. During the 18th century Great Britain had set up trade off the coast of the Chinese borders to trade British silver for China’s soft silks, fine porcelain, and strong teas. During this period Qing officials overlooked the foreign brokers. By the early 1800’s, however, Great Britain b...
The Warring States is the subject and title of Griffith’s third chapter, which gives an enlightening look at the life and times in China after the defeat of the rule of Chin at Ching Yang in 453. (p. 20) The country was divided into eight individual warring sects (with the exception of Yen...
Mark, Chi-Kwan. China and the World since 1945: An International History. London: New York, 2012. Print.
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China is one of the main viable candidates as this century’s new world power. Today, it maintains a strong economic stance within the international market, and is expanding at a rapid pace. The United States cannot maintain its position as hegemon for the rest of humanity; just as how ...