His first trip alone involved 28,000 troops. The mariner Zheng He led these expeditions. From 1405 to 1433, they sponsored seven massive naval expeditions in order to reinforce Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean, impose imperial control over trade, and impress foreign peoples with the authority of the Ming Dynasty. Chinese Empire: ExplorationĪfter reestablishing authority over China, the Ming decided to refurbish their country’s large navy. While the Jesuit goal of converting the Chinese population to Catholicism proved unsuccessful, Ricci’s syncretic approach, accepting ancestor veneration while also using Confucian values to “translate” Christian doctrine, demonstrates how religious belief systems adapt to spread between regions. Jesuit missionaries such as Matteo Ricci arrived in China, introducing European science and technology. Its opening lines summarize a repeating pattern in Chinese political history: “The world under heaven, after a long period of division, tends to unite after a long period of union, tends to divide. The story opens with the Yellow Turban Rebellion at the twilight of the Han Dynasty, and it follows a sprawling cast during the Three King- doms period as they battle over whose faction will reunite China. Perhaps the most widely read novel in both late imperial and modern China, and culturally influential throughout East Asia, Romance of the Three Kingdoms is an 800,000-word epic. The Ming Dynasty saw three of the “Four Great Classical Novels” of Chinese literature published: The Water Margin, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and Journey to the West. The Ming Dynasty strongly promoted Chinese cultural traditions and established Neo-Confucian schools which stressed Confucian values such as self-discipline, filial piety, and obedience to rulers. In the seventeenth century, the Ming finally faced troop defections and rebellions over the state’s inability to pay its own soldiers. This approach facilitated trade but left the Ming state vulnerable to economic disruptions. Where the Yuan Dynasty had imposed high taxes to support Mongol military efforts, the Ming favored a policy of minimal taxation. Though the Ming did not actively promote trade, private merchants traded manufactured porcelain, silk, and cotton. They also conscripted laborers to rebuild irrigation systems as a result, agricultural production increased. The Ming relied on mandarins, a class of powerful officials, to implement their policies on the local level. Hongwu reinstated the Confucian education system and civil service exam and tightened central authority. In 1368, the Mongol Yuan Dynasty collapsed and Emperor Hongwu started the Ming Dynasty. Read on for key events and periods in Chinese history, and check out our Civilizations of Asia post for info about other ancient Asian civilizations. China has been a world power for centuries, and having a strong knowledge of the history of the Chinese Empire is essential for success on the AP World History: Modern Exam.
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