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The ming dynasty essay introduction
Ming Dynasty in China essay
The ming dynasty essay introduction
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The life of a merchant changes depending on the period in which someone describes them. If the Emperor in power felt strongly about trade and foreign affairs, then they would have of course been in a good situation. In the Ming dynasty, we can see that merchants had an easy time in the beginning. This dynasty was considered Chinas Golden Age and contacts were setup for trade in the East and West. In 1405, Chengzu instructed Zheng He, one of his most trusted Muslim eunuchs, to begin his maritime expeditions, which would lead them to far distant lands that housed many fruitful commodities.
In the Ming dynasty, international trade was at its highest when Zhu Di took power over his nephew Jianwen. There were vibrant markets and trade was booming with Africa, India, and the Middle East with an influx of goods and different types of
cultures. However, the government soon started to intervene in foreign trade under the reigns
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of Hongwu, Jiajing, and Yongle. They successfully made trade between private merchants illegal and forced many merchants to begin illegal trades behind their backs. In the end, Hongwu lifted some of the restrictions that the government slapped on merchants, but not all of them. In the previous dynasty, dubbed the Yuan, trading was steady but some merchants were treated differently than others.
The introduction of paper money guaranteed money to citizens from the state and not from private merchants or bankers. In this dynasty, one can see that trade with the Middle East picked up drastically and many of the merchants who came from these areas permanently immigrated to China. The Chinese also saw an influx of Europeans during the Mongol occupation, but had an opposite reaction. Ebrey states, “During the Mongol occupation, China was tied into a Eurasian empire, and foreigners from the west Asia and Europe visited China in unprecedented numbers. These cross-cultural contacts whetted the appetite of Europeans for increased contact with distant lands but had the opposite effect on the Chinese.” The Mongols were open to trade relations between other states, but the invention of paper money led to the complete down fall of this dynasty. Nonetheless, in the late Ming dynasty would soon turn their attention to the
Europeans. On the local level, commercial activities consisted of mainly cash crops and specialized industry was being established. One can see as well, in the Ming dynasty that agriculture was a focus point for China. In many cases, the state willingly provided aid for farmers and gave them agricultural equipment. There was also the revival of heavy industry such as coal and ironwork. This could be found predominantly in the Southern end of China. The social status of a merchant is expansive and ever fluctuating. In most cases, they will have money because of their trade ties and when doing private business a person makes more money. However, if the government chooses to put a hold on private merchants then they will obviously be less fortunate because they are regulated by the state. Therefore, their social standing would depend on how the Emperor feels about trade. In China, money did not matter that much and would more than likely not guarantee a high social ranking. A high social rank would depend on if the person attend school or was intellectually inclined. In pre-modern Chinese history we can see that many merchants had there ups and downs. Nonetheless, the trade routes set up by the Chinese were ingenious and their ability to accept other cultures is and was marvelous. In our modern times we could learn a thing or two from there merchants and trade decisions. They were open-minded and because of this, the sky was the limit for their economy.
From 100 CE to 600 CE the Chinese had many cultural and political life changes and continuities. A political change was in the end of the Classical Chinese period when the Han Dynasty fell. A cultural change during 100 CE to 600 CE was the paper invention that led to passing down cultural rituals. Not only were there changes but there was also continuities in the Chinese political and cultural life. An example of a cultural continuity is the increasing power of Buddhism. A political continuity is the ruler of the Chinese wanting the people to be protected with for instance The Great Wall of China.
In 1500 the attitudes towards trade and more specifically merchants, varied greatly. One’s religion was a major contributor to how individuals viewed merchants. Christians and Islamic people shared many similarities in their views (Documents 1, 4, and 5). For example, they believed that trade leads to unvirtuous lives, also believed that merchants were often corrupt. On the other hand, Muslims and Christians had opposing views in terms of merchants and their objectives (Documents 6 and 7). Some Christians believed that merchants are an important part of economic well being and they benefited the society and many artisans. Opposingly, the Islams believed that merchants only benefited themselves and rid other people of products. Throughout the
In this case of the Ming Dynasty, it was a peasant named Zhu Yuanzhang and his rebel army that successfully developed a strong Dynasty for 300 years. Zhu along with his army overthrew the last emperor of the Mongols in 1368. Over the years, the Ming Dynasty took control of Korea, Mongolia and certain areas of Central and Southeast Asia (Wineburg 510). The Safavid Dynasty also dated around the same time. This Dynasty was founded by a religious group named the Safavids in the 1500’s. In the 15th century the religious group strengthened their military. The mindset of the group changed as it became more military based. When the Islamic holy war occurred, the uprising caused the Safavids to proclaim freedom and independence. The Safavid Dynasty lasted nearly 220 years (BBC Web).
Today we can look around ourselves and see thousands of technical innovations that make life easier; But if we take a step back and ask ourselves “How?” we will soon realize that most often, these technological advancements did not just “poof” into existence, but are usually the outcome of building upon yesterday’s technology. If we follow this cycle back into time, we can attribute almost any modern day invention to an ancient civilization during its golden age. China was no exception. China’s Song and Tang dynasties fostered scientific advances comparable to Rome’s during its Pax Romana. The most significant and impacting of these were the development of primitive gunpowder and porcelain of the Tang and paper money, and the magnetic compass of the Song Dynasties. Although these may seem very far off, if you look hard enough, you can see traces of their impacts in society today because most of the advancements today we owe to them.
Accompanied by 27,000 men on 62 large and 255 small ships, the Chinese eunuch Zheng He, led 7 naval expeditions to Southeast Asia, Middle East and east coast of Africa in the span of 28 years during the Ming Dynasty. The scale of Zheng He’s fleet was unprecedented in world history. The large treasure ships used during the expeditions were purported to be 440 feet long and 180 feet wide (Dreyer, p. 102). Throughout his travels, Zheng He brought Chinese tea, porcelain and silk products to foreign countries and also brought back exotic goods to the Ming court such as spices, plants and leather. Although his voyages fostered commercial trades and cultural exchange between China and foreign countries, the goal of his expeditions stemmed from the political motivation to maintain the tributary system and his voyages had important political implication of causing Neo-Confucian opposition and suspension of the expedition.
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 ...
After many years of conquests in China, the Mongols slowly established their own culture and structure in the Chinese Empire, though they were met with opposition. Initially, Kubilai passed laws to differentiate between the Mongols and Chinese. The Chinese scholars had to learn the Mongol alphabet and writing in order to keep formal records for the government. The Mongols ould not intermarry with the Chinese, and even mutual relationships between the two cultures was frown...
Li Si The "Historical Records," written by Sima Qian, is a historical account which showcases how the corrupted legalist system of the Qin Dynasty led to the loss of the Mandate of Heaven and the fall of the Empire. Qian, who lived during the Han Dynasty, used the example of Li Si, the Chief Minister of the Emperors of the Qin Dynasty, to emphasis the newly accepted Confucian values. It was the shortcomings of Li Si which led to the fall of the Qin Dynasty as well as his own death. However, Qian is careful to note that prior to his downfall, Li Si followed many Confucian values which allowed him to rise up from a commoner to his eventual position as Chief Minister.
Major changes in political structure, social and economic life define the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties. Each period laid the foundation for the next, with changes and improvements to create a new order.
Most often, all in life eventually comes to an end, which additionally brings the Han Dynasty and Roman Empire to mind, who have also collapsed and came to an end. The Han Dynasty was one of China’s largest dynasties, while the Roman Empire was the most expansive political and social structure in their civilization. Both Roman Empire and Han Dynasty have fallen but several pundits believe that the United States may be in the same crisis like the others who have went through a state of decline.
Trade is the exchange of supplies with two or more people. Not only does trade bring resources that an empire cannot provide for itself and security, but it also brings different ideas, technologies, and philosophies that the empire can adopt to further strengthen itself. Furthermore, trade encourages communication and the merging of diverse cultures, therefore creating good relations with other empires. Overall, trade brings an empire more allies and less bloodshed. Because of all these additional, positive aspects of trade, trade is one of the dominant, key factors to the peaks of civilizations such as the Ghana Empire in West Africa, the Tang dynasty in East Asia, the Holy Roman Empire in Western Europe, the Gupta Empire in India, and the Abbasid Empire in the Middle East.
The trading has been conventional between the countries since several thousand years ago, however, the people were not enlightened regarding the distinct cultures and backgrounds. The
D’Addese 1 The Qing Dynasty prospered well into the 20th century despite the numerous problems the administration faced. However, during the early days of the 20th century, civil disorders continued to grow in such unmanageable factions that the administration was pushed to do something about it. The high living standards of the previous century had contributed to a sharp increase in China’s population, there was approximately 400 million people living in China around the nineteenth century. This spike increased population density, it also created a surplus of labour shortages, land shortages, inadequate food production and several famines. As an attempt for a solution, Empress Dowager Cixi proclaimed a call for proposals for reform from the generals and governors.
With deserts and the Himalayas running along most of the border, it was extremely difficult to cross over one of the most dangerous mountain ranges in the world and a few other scorching deserts with the little transport they had during that time. The only way merchants could come into the country was the southeastern coast of China, where most of the prosperous cities resided. What led China to become conceited was because they had an abundance of goods that most of the world wanted. In the 1760-1830s, China was famous for its porcelain (rich Europeans loved it), silk, and of course, tea. Since this Eastern Powerhouse’s goods were so popular, therefore, there were only a few things that interested them to trade with.
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.