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Ming Dynasty Map

Hongwu-1 st Ming Emperor Credited for driving out the Mongols out of China, began life as a poor peasant. During his reign, he reorganized the army, reformed the land and tax system. He also abolished the post of chief minister, revised the legal code to ensure imperial power could not be challenged in court. His network of spies, secret agents, known as the Brocade Guards, purged corrupt officials.

Hongwu-His face was said to be frightening from excessive scars from battle.

Emperor Yongle Son of Hongwu, he usurped the throne in 1403 and led the Ming Dynasty to its most productive period. Credited with the Yongle Encyclopedia, it took 5 years to complete as it was filled with all the written knowledge of the ancient Chinese. Covered everything from agriculture, art, astronomy, drama, geology, history, literature, medicine, natural sciences, religion, and technology, as well as descriptions of unusual natural events.

Emperor Yongle

Reform and Innovation Under Yongle Yongle used China’s massive army to help farmers, bolstered by tax reforms that reduced taxes as low as 1.5%, state investment in water canals, water powered plows, crop rotation, and the crop surplus became the basis for China’s market economy. Commercial plantations flourished as tea, fruits, and paints made from them were produced on a massive scale. Profits were used to construct the Forbidden City complex as the capital was moved to Beijing.

The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City Today

Manufacturing Ship Building Ming Dynasty's shipbuilding yards represented the highest level in Chinese shipbuilding history. The main shipbuilding yards included the Longjiang Shipyard in Nanjing, of East China's Jiangsu Province, the Qingjiang Shipyard in Huainan of East China's Anhui Province, and the Beiqinghe Shipyard in East China's Shangdong Province, all of which boasted a large scale. There were handicrafts workshops that produced ship accessories, such as sails, ropes, and nails, to go with the shipbuilding industry, which included a rigorous management system dealing with the check, repair, and payment of ships.

Textiles, Silk, and Brocade The textile industry developed and quickly became the leading producer in China and fueled the development of trade with other regions, and Shanghai began to be used as the commercial center between the north and south. The Grand Canal, connecting the Yangtze in Shanghai and the Yellow River in the north near Beijing and Tianjin, made it the natural hub. Its own textiles were shipped both north and south providing a customer base on which to expand.

General Zheng He Between , He commanded 7 expeditions that expanded trade to 37 countries. He carried books meant to showcase China’s intellectual accomplishments It was the porcelain, brocade, and silks that had the largest appeal for foreign trade. He also captured many pirates that had plagued Chinese waters. The fleet contained 317 ships and nearly 28,000 men.

Zheng He

The Great Wall of China After Yongle’s death, a massive attack by the Mongol- speaking Oirat in 1449 prompted new Emperor Zhengtong to rashly counterattack and in an ambush at Tumu, the Oirat took the Emperor hostage. The Oirat failed to take advantage and capture Beijing, likely taking tribute or ransom for the return of the Emperor. This was a turning point in the Ming Dynasty’s goal of expansion; now the focus turned to protecting their kingdom.

Construction of The Great Wall Crude earthen walls had already been started as far back as the Qin Dynasty in 214 BC. In 1474, construction began on the brickwork of the G.W. and more than 1,500 miles long, the wall stretches from the Jiayu Pass in the west, to the Yalu River in the east. As the Ming did with their shipyards, the wall was strengthened, maintained throughout the Ming Dynasty Period.

The Great Wall Today

So large, it can actually be seen by orbiting NASA missions from outer space.

The Decline of the Ming Dynasty Despite the strong central bureaucracy in the early dynasty, imperial control combined with court interference and infighting between officials led to the decline of the empire. Weak emperors were easily manipulated by their advisors’ own personal and political ambitions. A challenge from nomadic tribes in the north organized to become the Manchu nation which eventually ended the Ming Dynasty.