1. China and Japan’s Reaction to Western Exploration

2. The Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644)
1368 Hongwu became the first Chinese emperor of the Ming Dynasty
He had many goals including:
Restoring agricultural land
Increasing China’s prosperity
Erasing traces of the Mongols
His reforms included:
Increased the imperial administration by restoring merit-based civil service exams
Used respected traditions and institutions to promote stability, such as the return to Confucianism
He became a tyrant
Power struggle after his death

3. Yonglo (Hongwu’s son)
Very curious about the world and in 1405 he begins exploring the world with all voyages led by Zheng He, a Chinese Muslim admiral
He showed Chinese superiority everywhere he went by distributing gifts, which led other nations to pay tribute to the Chinese
1433, after 7th expedition, the Chinese withdraw into isolation

4. Ming Relations with Foreign Countries
Official trade policies of the 1500s reflected isolation with the government controlling all trade through a few official ports
BUT merchants traded anyway as European demand for silk and ceramics was very high
Manufacturing and commerce increased but China did not industrialize
Commerce was against Confucian beliefs
Chinese policies favored agriculture

5. The Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911) Manchus (people of Manchuria)
1644 Manchus invade a weakened China and take the Chinese name Qing
Kangxi ( )
1661- he became ruler and ruled for about 60 years
He supported the intellectuals and lowered taxes
Quian- long ( )
China reached its greatest size and prosperity under him

6. Trade with China
All Europeans wanted to trade with China but they had to comply with China’s demands
Dutch
Accepted China’s rules of paying tribute and doing a kowtow
British
Wanted to trade but wouldn’t comply with all the restrictions

7. Daily Life in Ming and Qing China
Development of agriculture pays off and rice production increases leading to a population boom (by 1800 the population is about 300 million!)
Most families farmed land
Sons were favored over daughters leading to increase in infant mortality
Men dominated the household
Footbinding continued because of women’s inferior status

8. Japan
1467 civil war shatters Japan’s feudal system and the country drives deeper into chaos
Central rule ended taking power away from the shoguns and to territorial lords
Sengoku or Warring States period
Powerful Samurai, known as daimyo, took control of old feudal estates and the daimyo became lords of a new type of feudalism in Japan

9. Japanese Leaders Oda Nobunaga Defeated rivals and seized Kyoto in 1568
Unable to unify Japan
Committed suicide in 1582
Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Nobunaga’s best general)
Wanted to destroy the rest of the daimyo that remained hostile
By 1590 controlled most of the country
1592 invaded Korea
1598 died and troops withdraw from Korea

10. Tokugawa Ieyasu Completes the unification of Japan
1600 defeated rivals in the battle of Sekigahara and becomes sole ruler three years later
Moved capital to Edo (later renamed Tokyo)
Alternate attendance policy
Tokugawa Shogunate
Would continue through 1867 and Japan would experience more than two centuries of stability, prosperity, and isolationism

11. Contact between Europe and Japan
1543 Portuguese sailors wash up on shore and want to get in on Japan’s trade with China and Southeast Asia
Europeans introduce firearms to the Japanese
1549 Christian missionaries begin arriving in Japan
1612- Japan bans Christianity and focused on ridding the country of foreigners
1637 peasants rebellion in the south, which led to persecution of all Christians and push to rid entire Japan of Christians
Closed Country Policy
1639 Japan’s borders are sealed
For almost 200 years Japan developed a self- sufficient country, free from European attempts to colonize or to establish their presence

12. Discussion Question
How was the treatment of Europeans different in Japan and China?
How was it similar?