1. Ming China
1368-1644

2. Age of Exploration Begins
1500s
• The Portuguese, led by
Vasco da Gama, were the
first Europeans to reach
the Indian Ocean by sea
in 1497
• They joined a vast,
diverse trade network
controlled by Arab
Muslim traders
• European rulers had
political & religious
reasons to want to find
an all-water route to Asia
– wanted to get around
the overland routes
controlled by the Italians
and Muslims who
charged large fees

3. Global Trade Network – 1650-1750
• Europeans lacked goods desired
by Asians, so large quantities of
silver (mostly from the New
World) were required to bring
Asian goods back to Europe
• First the Portuguese, then the
Spanish, French, Dutch, and
British found their way into the
Indian Ocean trade network
• British, French, and Dutch
established trading companies in
the East – joint-stock companies
such as the British East India
Company that were funded by
private investors
• British eventually would control
all of India
** East Asia will increasingly
get pulled into the global
marketplace despite attempts
at isolating themselves from
foreign influences and conflicts

4. Ming Dynasty China (1368-1644)
• Goal of the Ming: restore China’s power and
traditions
• How can they achieve this goal?
– By extending China’s power outside of its borders?
– By turning inward and focusing on the
preservation of China’s history and culture?

5. Ming Dynasty China (1368-1644)
• Defeated the Mongols in 1368
• Reestablished Confucian based government
• Attempted to eliminate all signs of foreign rule
and promoted a return to traditional Chinese
values and traditions
• Second emperor moved the capital to Beijing
and constructed the Forbidden City

6. Recovery in China - Overview
Ming ChinaPolitical Development
Mongols collapsed in 1368.
Hongwu Emperor,
established the Ming
Dynasty.
Erase memory of Mongol
occupation.
Confucian education and
civil service reinstated.
Private merchants traded
and manufactured porcelain,
silk, and cotton.
Ming “Brilliant” Dynasty
lasted until 1644.
Intellectual Development
Neo-Confucianism promoted
Yongle Encyclopedia
promoted Chinese traditions.
Jesuit missionaries (Mateo
Ricci) introduce European
technology and beliefs.
Wider production of printed
materials. Novels written in
Chinese.

8. Ming Ruling Principles
Confucian beliefs about the relationship
between the ruler and the ruled—everyone
must fulfill their roles and duties
Ruler seen as example of proper behavior
Ritual provides social cohesion
Government is a meritocracy (awarded for
talents and effort)
Examination system reinstated

9. Hongwu Emperor / Ming Taizu
• Demands increased respect for the emperor
• Continues to rule from Yuan capital of Nanjing
• Wants people to obey, misdeeds punished quickly
• Revised the legal code and taxes
•Established a large military but it was not efficient
•Employed eunuchs (castrated boys/men – often prisoners of war)
in the expectation that servants whose fortunes depended on the
emperors’ favor would work to advance the emperors’ interests
•Eunuchs gained political influence during the Ming due to access
to the emperor and to the women of the court
•Hongwu mistrusted many—ordered killings / purges of officials,
may have been mentally ill

10. Hongwu Emperor /
Focus on Agriculture
• Restored farming lands devastated by warfare
• Improved irrigation and rice production
• Cash crops – commercial farming of cotton and sugarcane
encouraged
• Fish farming
• Increased trade eventually brought new crops from the
Americas in the 16th century – corn, sweet potatoes, chili
peppers – effects were increased population but also soil
depletion over time

11. Zhu Di, Yongle Emperor
(ruled 1402-1424)
• Born Zhu Di—seized throne by force from his nephew
• Used terror to keep government officials in line
• Moved the capital to Beijing in north---better able to secure China’s
borders and watch for an invasion from Mongols & Manchus
• Aggressive foreign policy – militaristic & outward looking:
– attacked Mongolia in 5 campaigns and beat back the Mongols
– Conquered Vietnam in 1407 (held it for only 2 decades)
• Built Beijing’s Forbidden City to house his palace and government
buildings—closed to all commoners and foreigners
• Continued to support the extension of the Great Wall as a barrier
against the nomadic tribes in the north
• Renovated the Grand Canal – deepened and broadened it – acted as
a lifeline for the new Beijing capital supplying food

12. • Restored China after years of Mongol neglect
– Brought back civil service exams
– Restored farm land / planted New World crops
– Rebuilt canals, reservoirs, and irrigation works
– Planted a billion trees and reforested China
– Helped the economy rebound
– Saw population growth
– Began extensive maritime
expeditions & then turned inward
Ming Dynasty China (1368-1644)

13. Ming Dynasty:
Relations with the Outside
World

14. Tribute System: Foundation of Ming
Foreign Policy
• Tribute system was the centerpiece of the Chinese world order.
• Involved: The giving of gifts and the ritual of foreign ambassadors
kowtowing in front of the Chinese Emperor were part of a hierarchy that
placed the emperor at the center of the world.
• Seen as foreign acceptance of the superior status of the Chinese emperor
and thus of China itself
• China's rulers viewed trade as subordinate to tribute. Tribute missions
were presented with valuable gifts that showcased China's economic and
cultural supremacy.
• Foreign states were granted limited trading privileges with China
• Trade with China was more important to the foreigners than it was to the
Chinese rulers who prided themselves on their self-sufficiency
**Kowtowing before the emperor

15. Beijing’s Forbidden City
**Constructed by Yongle Emperor in the
15th century

16. Forbidden City: 1407-1420 constructed (hundreds of thousands of
workers involved)
Purpose: House the emperor and the government---all commoners
and foreigners are banned

17. Ming Maritime Missions
• Launched by Emperor Yongle in 1405
• Launched six expeditions in 28 years
• Largest expeditions in history up to that time
• First expedition led by Zheng He included:
– 300 boats
– 27,000 crew members
– 180 physicians
– 5 astrologers
– Carpenters, tailors, accountants, merchants, cooks,
soldiers, and sailors

18. Shipbuilding in the southern Fujian province
was well established by the time of the Ming
**Replica of Zheng
He’s ships being
constructed

19. But the real peak in Chinese maritime prowess is
symbolized in the extraordinary tale of one man:
Admiral Zheng He.
During his 28 year naval career, Admiral Zheng visited 37
countries and commanded a single fleet whose numbers
surpassed the combined fleets of all Europe. Some
scholars argue that Zheng He sailed into the Atlantic and
possibly to the Americas (Chinese map – 1418)
Painting of a
giraffe brought
back to the Ming
emperor by Zheng
He—no one in
China had seen a
giraffe before and
believed it was
related to the
mythical unicorn

22. Purpose of Chinese Expeditions
• Establish Chinese power and prestige in the world
• Zheng He knew where he was going—these were not
voyages of exploration—goal was to show the world
that the Ming had expelled the Mongols and
returned China to its former glory (also to re-
establish tribute system)
• Did not seek to:
– Conquer territory
– Spread culture
– Gain control of foreign markets

23. Goals of Zheng He’s Expeditions
1. Established tributary relations with regions
throughout the eastern hemisphere – rulers
acknowledge China’s superiority
1. Demonstrate China’s technological advances
2. Opening trade routes / increasing trade
3. Seek new medical advances / medicine
4. Use force if necessary to put down pirates and to
force submission to China

24. A stationary full-size model of a "middle-sized" treasure ship
(63.25 m long) at the Treasure Ship Shipyard site - Nanjing

25. The Sudden End of the Voyages
• 1424 -Yongle dies - his successor immediately ends expeditions –
big ships broken apart for lumber
• Confucian officials saw expeditions as a waste of money and
resources
• Disputes in the government between the conservative Confucian
officials and the eunuchs (supported voyages)
• Many believed China should focus on fortifying its northern
border against nomadic invaders
• Merchants now funded sea trade, establishing themselves in
Southeast Asia and elsewhere – so state-run voyages and tribute
system no longer necessary
• Believed China was a self-sufficient “Middle Kingdom” that
required little from the outside world – the world should come to
China

26. The Ming & the Mongols
• Northern border – easy to move in and out of China
• Some Mongols settled in China (most were in the Ming army)
–intermarriage was encouraged
• Early 15th century – the Yongle emperor led a series of
campaigns against the Mongols and pushed them back (he
died in 1424 returning from the 5th campaign)
• Mongol raids continued in the 1500s –Alta Khan seized a
million head cattle, captured or killed 200,000
• Policy – offensive attacks and trade disguised as tribute to
pacify Mongols
• Ming emperors starting with Yongle carried out the expansion
of the Great Wall to try to keep Mongols out
• Disputes in Ming government about how to deal with the
threat – appease the Mongols or refuse to negotiate?

28. GREAT WALL
• Mongols continued to represent a serious threat
to China’s stability
• Ming emperors greatly expanded the Great Wall
of China --took its final form being extended more
than 600 miles—extension built out of brick,
contained thousands of watchtowers, 35 feet
hight, 20 feet wide
• Expansion of the wall – intended to end the
disputes between officials – some wanted to
expand trade with the Mongols while others
insisted no compromises be made with them
• Large workforce and army required—untold
numbers perished

30. Great Wall: Ming built
part of the wall is about
1,500 miles long

31. MING DYNASTY: BEGINNING OF
CHINA’S ISOLATION
Foreign merchants in China closely
supervised by government
Limited access for foreign merchants to a
few specific ports
Chinese merchants were not encouraged to
trade overseas
No large ship yards allowed
 No trading corporations supported
China could not compete with Europe by the
time of the Qing Dynasty

33. Ming: Trade & Piracy Along Coasts
• Ming tried unsuccessfully to limit and regulate foreign
trade…demand for Chinese goods was high and
merchants were willing to sell on black market
• Traded with East Asian neighbors and after 1500 with
Portugal and Spain
• Portuguese occupied the island of Macau – built a trading
community there – acted as the trade middlemen
between Japan and China
• Pirates in South China Sea became very powerful
• Ming eventually ordered evacuation of coastal regions
due to the threat posed by pirates
• Grand Canal became the main means for domestic
trade--

34. The Grand Canal was a
major means for
transporting grain, salt,
and other important
commodities.
Any taxes that were paid
in kind were paid in grain,
which was shipped along
the Grand Canal to
Beijing.

35. Ming: Foreign Trade / Europeans
 Ming had the strongest economy in Asia at the time
 Used paper money early in the reign and then switched to silver as their
means of exchange (eventually too much silver will cause economic
decline)
 Confucian beliefs: agriculture is key to orderly society
 Only the government allowed to conduct foreign trade
 Merchants were seen as supporting foreigners and robbery
 Despite this manufacturing and commerce continued to grow
 China had many important markets
 Private merchants continued to support sea trade and to smuggle goods
out of country through black market

36. Ming: Foreign Trade / Europeans
 Canton became the most important port in China by the 1600s – chief port
for foreigners conducting legal trade with China
 Thousands of ships could be seen visiting Canton
 Thanks to trade, Canton was also a center for shipbuilding
 Chinese ships, called junks, did not travel as widely as European ships did
during the First Global Era because the Chinese government made long-
distance voyages illegal.
 Despite this, Cantonese trading ships often made shorter trips to the
Philippines, Java, and Sumatra.
 Europeans used New World silver to buy silk, ceramics, and exotic goods
 Ming’s isolationist policies could not keep China out of the increasingly
globalized trade networks
 Qing dynasty would continue carefully managing trade with Europeans,
but would also continue to see the growth of a more globalized trade
network and a more advanced market economy

37. Jesuit Missionaries
• Jesuit missionaries arrived in China on trading ships
to spread Christianity
• Matteo Ricci arrived in China in 1582 and arranged
for the Jesuits to become court advisors to the Ming
– Ricci was the first missionary to impact Ming China
• Ming – most were not interested in converting to
Western religion – but did want access to Western
knowledge through the scholarly Jesuits
• Missionaries shared science and technology with the
Ming – introduced the clock & telescope to China -
math, astronomy, engineering knowledge
• Other Catholic missionary orders arrived in the 17th
century – less tolerant of Chinese customs than the
Jesuits were leading to controversies and expulsion

38. • Government sponsorship of foreign trade and
exploration ended
• Chinese merchants and craftsmen continued
to settle and trade in Japan, the Philippines,
Taiwan and Southeast Asia -- economic
growth continued
• Global commerce continued to be China-
centered through the First Global Age
• What might the world have been like if China
had continued expanding its navy and had
not turned its focus inward?
Lost Opportunities?

39. MING CHINA’S DECLINE
• Imperial extravagance & neglect
• Eunuchs formed their own bureaucracy…despised by the
scholar-officials leading to government instability
• Nearly bankrupt government after 1600—partly caused by
expenses of Great Wall & of defending Korea from Japan
• Navy became ineffective---leading to piracy
• Famine strikes in the 1630s due to a “little ice age” that
brought lower temperatures---crop failures, peasants revolt
• 1640s—Yellow River flooding, small pox epidemic
• Later emperors stopped consulting government officials
• Beijing falls in 1644 to the Manchus from Manchuria
• Last Ming emperor committed ritual suicide