A Return to Chinese Rule

Rise of the Ming Empire After Kublai Khan’s death in 1294, Mongol rule slowly weakened. In 1368, a rebel army overthrew the Mongol Emperor. The rebel leader started the Ming Dynasty became its first emperor with the name Hongwu. Hongwu helped Confucianism return and also brought back the state exams. To prevent further invasions, he rebuilt and extended the Great Wall. He also lowered taxes and provided farmers with more land.

After Hongwu Hongwu also did a lot of questionable things as emperor. He personally took over all government offices, and made all decisions by himself. He also set up a secret spy service, and had tens of thousands of people arrested and killed for treason (helping an enemy hurt your country). When Hongwu died, there was a power struggle. After nearly five years of fighting, his son Yongle declared himself emperor in 1403. Under Yongle, the Ming Dynasty was its most powerful. Yongle increased the size of the capital city, Beijing, and created a complex in the middle with 30 foot walls all the way around. This was called the Forbidden City, and commoners and foreigners were not allowed to enter.

Oversea Voyages Yongle wanted the world to know China’s power. In the early 1400s, he sent a several maritime expeditions to explore other civilizations. Maritime means “related to the sea”. He wanted to win tribute from other countries, so he sent Zheng He, a Chinese Muslim, to lead his ships. Zheng He traveled over 100,000 miles and visited over 30 different countries in parts of Africa, India, and the Arabian Peninsula. He traded Chinese goods like silk and porcelain for spices, gems, and exotic animals like zebras and ostriches. China’s foreign trade and reputation grew, and also taught the imperial court about other countries.

A Change of Emperors and Policy By the 1430s, both Yongle and Zheng He had died. China debated whether or not it should still send out boats on voyages. Some said it would make China too commercial, and wanted China to focus on farming. Other leaders wanted the money it cost to be used on defense instead. Some even said that since China was already the wealthiest and most powerful country in the world that they didn’t need to trade with others. Eventually, the ships were destroyed and the big maritime journeys no longer happened.

The Last Dynasty The Ming Dynasty was in power for almost 300 years. After some bad rulers and high taxes, the people rebelled, and leaders from an area in northern China known as Manchuria took over. These people, called Manchus, started the Qing Dynasty. Like the Ming rulers, the Manchus allowed some trade. However, they tried to limit how much foreign contact China had with the world. Their efforts failed. Foreigners were eager to trade with China, and people from places like Britain, Russia and Japan forced their way into the markets and controlled the economy. The foreign powers weakened the Qing Dynasty, and in 1911 a revolution overthrew the emperor. They held an election, and created a republic. Since that election, there hasn’t been another dynasty.