Era Information 

Time: 1368-1644 

Location of Capital: Beijing City 

Replaced by: Qing Dynasty

Introduction

The Yuan dynasty was collapsed in the rivalry among the Mongo imperial heirs, natural disasters, and numerous peasants uprising. The Ming dynasty (1368-1644) was established by Zhu Yuanzhang, who was a Han Chinese peasant and former Buddhist monk turned rebel army leader.

With its capital first at Nanjing which means Southern Capital) and later at Beijing (or Northern Capital), the Ming reached the zenith of power during the first quarter of the fifteenth century.

Annam, which was called northern Vietnam, was conquered by Chinese armies. The fleets of China also sailed to the Indian Ocean and cruised to the east coast of Africa.

The maritime Asian nations sent envoys with tribute for the Chinese emperor. Internally, the Grand Canal was expanded to its farthest limits and proved to be a stimulus to domestic trade.

The Ming maritime expeditions stopped rather suddenly after 1433, the date of the last voyage. Historians have given as one of the reasons the great expense of large-scale expeditions at a time of preoccupation with northern defenses against the Mongols.

Opposition at court also may have been a contributing factor, as conservative officials found the concept of expansion and commercial ventures alien to Chinese ideas of government.

Pressure from the powerful Neo-Confucian bureaucracy led to a revival of strict agrarian-centered society.

The stability of the Ming dynasty, which was without major disruptions of the population (then around 100 million), economy, arts, society, or politics, promoted a belief among the Chinese that they had achieved the most satisfactory civilization on earth and that nothing foreign was needed or welcome.

Long wars with the Mongols, incursions by the Japanese into Korea, and harassment of Chinese coastal cities by the Japanese in the sixteenth century weakened Ming rule, which became, as earlier Chinese dynasties had, ripe for an alien takeover.

In 1644 the Manchus took Beijing from the north and became masters of north China, establishing the last imperial dynasty, the Qing (1644-1911).

Economic of Ming Dynasty

The Ming reached their zenith of power during the first quarter of the fifteenth century. The territory they controlled was smaller than that of the Yuan.

However, at the height of their power, they controlled the Mongols in the north, captured the Western Region in the west, conquered the Jurchen (also Nuzhen) in the northeast, governed Tibet in the southwest and established the Jiaozhi Prefecture in the south.

 During the Ming period, Zheng He's long voyages to Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean made the Ming much more influential abroad than the Tang and no less influential than the later Qing

The Ming period seems to have been one of China's most prosperous. Pressure from the Neo-Confucian bureaucrats led to an agrarian-centered based society.

This was a stable period and the population numbered some 100 million. The incredible advances in the sciences and arts that were achieved under Ming rule led them to believe that they had created the most perfect civilization on earth

It was also during these centuries that the great potential of south China came to be fully exploited. New crops such as maize, cotton, and sweet potato were widely cultivated, and industries such as those producing porcelain and textiles flourished

Another accomplishment of the Ming was the final and lasting construction of the Great Wall. While the Great Wall had been built in earlier times, most of what is seen today was either built or repaired by the Ming. The brick and granite work was enlarged, the watch towers were redesigned and cannons were placed along its length.

Not least, the Ming Dynasty is also noted for its sea explorations but a failure to consolidate any gains from this effort resulted in no permanent value being derived from it.

The dynasty is best known for its strong and complex central government, which unified and controlled the empire. Ironically, it was this same complexity that later prevented the Ming government from being able to adapt to changes in society and eventually led to its decline

In the closing years of the Ming, due to the long wars with the Mongols, repeated attacks on Korea by the Japanese, and even Japanese attacks on Chinese coastal cities greatly hurt the economy of the Ming.

Worse still, owing to their inability to meet the high tax demands, many peasants abandoned their lands. This led to an economic crisis for the dynasty. Unfortunately, the situation was worsened by a peasant uprising in 1627.

In 1644, troops led by Li Zicheng, the most prominent rebel leader, captured Beijing. While he was negotiating terms of a military surrender with Wu Sangui, commander of the last of the Ming army, Wu cast in his lot with the invading Manchu army leader, Dorgon. These people from the north succeeded in defeating the rebels. This then left the way clear for the Manchu to complete their invasion of China.

The Ming Dynasty lasted for 276 years with 16 emperors occupying the throne. After it collapsed, the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911), another ethnic group regime, began its reign in China.

The navigation of Zheng He to west countries

The Ming reached their zenith of power during the first quarter of the fifteenth century. The territory they controlled was smaller than that of the Yuan.

However, at the height of their power, they controlled the Mongols in the north, captured the Western Region in the west, conquered the Jurchen (also Nuzhen) in the northeast, governed Tibet in the southwest and established the Jiaozhi Prefecture in the south.

 During the Ming period, Zheng He's long voyages to Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean made the Ming much more influential abroad than the Tang and no less influential than the later Qing

The Ming period seems to have been one of China's most prosperous. Pressure from the Neo-Confucian bureaucrats led to an agrarian-centered based society.

This was a stable period and the population numbered some 100 million. The incredible advances in the sciences and arts that were achieved under Ming rule led them to believe that they had created the most perfect civilization on earth

It was also during these centuries that the great potential of south China came to be fully exploited. New crops such as maize, cotton, and sweet potato were widely cultivated, and industries such as those producing porcelain and textiles flourished

Another accomplishment of the Ming was the final and lasting construction of the Great Wall. While the Great Wall had been built in earlier times, most of what is seen today was either built or repaired by the Ming. The brick and granite work was enlarged, the watch towers were redesigned and cannons were placed along its length.

Not least, the Ming Dynasty is also noted for its sea explorations but a failure to consolidate any gains from this effort resulted in no permanent value being derived from it.

The dynasty is best known for its strong and complex central government, which unified and controlled the empire. Ironically, it was this same complexity that later prevented the Ming government from being able to adapt to changes in society and eventually led to its decline

In the closing years of the Ming, due to the long wars with the Mongols, repeated attacks on Korea by the Japanese, and even Japanese attacks on Chinese coastal cities greatly hurt the economy of the Ming.

Worse still, owing to their inability to meet the high tax demands, many peasants abandoned their lands. This led to an economic crisis for the dynasty. Unfortunately, the situation was worsened by a peasant uprising in 1627.

In 1644, troops led by Li Zicheng, the most prominent rebel leader, captured Beijing. While he was negotiating terms of a military surrender with Wu Sangui, commander of the last of the Ming army, Wu cast in his lot with the invading Manchu army leader, Dorgon. These people from the north succeeded in defeating the rebels. This then left the way clear for the Manchu to complete their invasion of China.

The Ming Dynasty lasted for 276 years with 16 emperors occupying the throne. After it collapsed, the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911), another ethnic group regime, began its reign in China.