By Sunnie Lee The Yuan Empire

The Empire (Yuan VS Song)

Yuan Basics 1279-1368 Founded by Kublai Khan (spelled in textbook as Khubilai Khan) Founded after Mongols conquered Jin and Southern Song in China First foreign dynasty to rule all of China Beijing made capital Shortest Dynasty in Mongol history

Government Mongols did not just copy Song –> adopted practices from other places and brought in immigrant professionals Didn’t trust locals Brought in large numbers of Muslims Class structure Kublai reformed China and made himself an absolute monarch Confucians were politically discriminated against Mongols reserved all central posts

Economy Based largely off agriculture Paper currency –> better central control Trade with foreign countries –> open policy Silk Road trade gave Kublai power Invigorated sea trade routes Merchants were privileged Marco Polo - served as Kublai's official for about 17 years. Helped to shape the thinking of Europeans about China Kublai Khan first met Marco Polo's father named Nicolo Polo and Maffeo Polo Kublai had a great interest in Western Europe and Catholicism, and he gave the Polo’s a letter to take to the Pope (invited the Pope to send 100 priests in 1271)

Technology Finished Grand Canal Massive mud walls of rammed earth Wider streets Linked lakes Artificial islands Paper money Magnetic compass Guns Wine making Opera Porcelain Astronomical innovations (Il- Khans imported scholars from China) Advancements in mathematics (promoted integration of Chinese skill and Middle East ideas) Anatomy/pharmacology/opt hamology (Islamic doctors and Persian medical texts)

Religion Mongols –> Shamanism – a practice that involves a practitioner (a shaman) reaching altered states of consciousness in order to interact with the spirit world Also favored Daoism and Buddhism Yuan had religious freedom Kublai had Muslim officials –> made Islam a minority religion

Life of Farmers in Yuan Overall bad for farmers and residents of rural villages 90% population lived in countryside – cottage industries linked to urban economies advanced Village technology included: Cultivation of mulberry trees (silk) Cotton fields Construction of new irrigation systems Dams Water wheels Villagers worshipped technological innovators, such as Huang Dao Po (who brought special knowledge of cotton growing, spinning, and weaving from her native Hainan Island), like local gods

Art Sculptures, painting and calligraphy Courts had artists Dancing, singing and instrumentals Emperors loved art and encouraged it Well known artists: Huan Gongwang, Wang Meng, Ni Zan and Wu Zhen

Bye-bye Mongols 1340’s – power contests among Mongol princes Local rebellions Zhu Yuanzhang set up Ming in 1368 Many Mongols stayed in China, but most moved to Mongolia (“Northern Yuan”) Not the end of Mongol rule in Eurasia, held off Mongolia and Turkestan Manchuria – Mongol’s stepping stone to Korea

Brief Ming Zhu Yuanzhang overthrew Yuan and ruled as Hongwu “Distinct, highly centralized, militarily formidable empire.” Sought to reject Mongols Drastic changes led to fall and eventually return to Mongol ways