Ming politics
Zhu Yuanzhang was a poor farmer's son who joined the rebels against the Mongol Yuan. In 1368 he founded the Ming at Nanjing and ruled as the Hongwu emperor.
- One-man rule: in 1380 he removed the chancellor, so six ministries (Personnel, Revenue, Rites, War, Justice, Works) answered directly to him. Later emperors set up a Grand Secretariat to help with the paperwork.
- Yongle (1402 to 1424): after a civil war with his nephew, the Prince of Yan took the throne. He moved the capital to Beijing, built the Forbidden City and ordered a huge encyclopedia. The Great Wall was rebuilt in brick.
- Weak spots: eunuchs (palace servants) sometimes held great power, and in 1449 Mongols captured an emperor at Tumu.
Zheng He voyages
Zheng He was a Muslim admiral at Yongle's court. Between 1405 and 1433 he led seven voyages.
- Fleet: the first voyage had over 60 large "treasure ships" and about 27,000 people, much bigger than the ships of Europe at that time.
- Route: the China coast, Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka, India (Calicut), and in later voyages Hormuz and the coast of East Africa.
- Purpose: to show Ming power, to take silk, porcelain and gifts to rulers and to bring envoys and rare goods back. It was tribute and trade, not conquest.
- End: after 1433 the court stopped it. The cost was high, and the north and the Great Wall needed money.
About 60 years later, Vasco da Gama reached India with a few small ships.
Late Ming crisis
By the 1500s and 1600s the Ming was in trouble.
- Distant court: the Wanli emperor (1573 to 1620) did not meet his ministers for years and officials quarrelled in groups. Zhang Juzheng's reform (1581) of a single tax in silver helped for a while.
- Costly wars: the war in Korea (1592 to 98) and fights on the northern border drained the treasury.
- Nature: a cold spell brought drought and famine in the 1620s and 1640s.
- Taxes and revolts: taxes rose, soldiers went unpaid and hungry peasants revolted. Li Zicheng took Beijing in April 1644 and the last Ming emperor, Chongzhen, died.
Early Qing: in the north-east Nurhaci united the Jurchen (later called Manchu) in 1616, and Hong Taiji named the state Qing in 1636. General Wu Sangui opened the Shanhai Pass to the Manchu, and the Qing army entered Beijing in 1644, drove out Li Zicheng and began its rule, led by the child Shunzhi emperor.
Try it: be the admiral
1. In step 3 move the voyage number from 1 to 7 and write which port each voyage reached.
2. In step 4 count the five pressures. Which would you fix first, and why?
3. At home: on paper draw a straight sea line with five ports and mark the 1st and 7th voyage ends.
Key formulas and definitions
- Key terms: Hongwu = Zhu Yuanzhang; Yongle moved the capital to Beijing
- Ming 1368 to 1644; chancellor removed 1380; Forbidden City 1421
- Zheng He: 7 voyages, 1405 to 1433
- Late Ming: court, wars, famine, taxes, revolts
- Qing: Nurhaci 1616; name Qing 1636; Beijing 1644
Worked examples
1. How many years did the seven voyages of Zheng He take from the first start to the last end?
Step 1: first start = 1405, last end = 1433. Step 2: 1433 - 1405 = 28. Answer: 28 years.
2. Why did removing the chancellor make the Ming emperor busier?
Step 1: the chancellor used to manage the ministries. Step 2: after 1380 six ministries sent all matters to the emperor. Step 3: one man could not read everything, so secretaries were needed.
3. Put in order: Qing named, Nurhaci unites Jurchen, rebels take Beijing, Korea war begins.
Years: Korea war 1592, Nurhaci 1616, Qing named 1636, Beijing taken 1644. Order: Korea war, Nurhaci, Qing named, rebels take Beijing.
Common mistakes
- Saying Zheng He wanted to conquer lands. His voyages were for show of power, tribute and trade.
- Thinking the Qing defeated the Ming army in battle at Beijing. Rebels took Beijing first, and Wu Sangui let the Qing in.
- Mixing Hongwu and Yongle. Hongwu founded the Ming (Nanjing); Yongle moved the capital to Beijing.
- Blaming only one cause for the fall. It was many pressures together.