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Dynasties of Asia's collection of Ming Dynasty antiques
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MING DYNASTY
The establishment of the Ming (bright or radiant ) dynasty in 1368-1644
was founded by Chu Yuan-chang, a peasant who led a successful revolt
against the Yuan Dynasty, ascended to the throne to become the Hongwu
Emperor. Hongwu was a brutal leader and had no second thoughts about
executing any of his generals or other affiliates that had designs to
overthrow him. The capital was originally located in Nanjing but was
relocated to Beijing, which took approximately 21 years to complete .
Hongwu wanted to control all aspects of government so that no other
group could gain enough power to overthrow him, resulting in the
reorganization of his own administration. Interestingly, eunuchs became
an influence to contend with, serving under the emperor and performing
the tasks of its predecessors. Families that weren't as wealthy or
influential as they would have liked, often gained power when one of the
males voluntarily became a eunuch.
While retaining the Confucian view that being a merchant is an inferior
occupation, Hongwu discarded the belief that military too was inferior
and developed a militant class that ranked higher than any civil
servant. Maintaining and having a strong military was important because,
even though the Mongols had been defeated, they were still a threat to
China. China had established sea routes that were used for trade with
Japan and south Asia.
Hungwu died in 1398 and was succeeded by his grandson, the Jianwen
emperor, who died in a palace fire, was succeeded by his uncle, The
Prince of Yen, who became the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty in 1403,
giving himself the name of Yongle (Lasting Joy). Under his rule, a
well-known grand eunuch, Zeng He headed seven naval expeditions that
went as far as the east coast of Africa. These trips followed
established routes for trade and diplomatic purposes. As a result, China
had become hegemonic in terms of the economy, the military and naval
power.
Some positive developments that occurred during this era are worth
noting. One such success was that of the novel. The novels, romantic in
nature were based from the writings of Chinese scholars, poets, and the
like. Wood-cut and block-printing of art also became more popular at
this time. Additionally, further advances in Porcelain production
including additional colors were utilized. Cloisonné enamel and
lacquered materials were mastered. Dictionaries and Encyclopedias were
expanded to contain important information from a variety of fields, such
as history, music and medicine. Textiles were being machined, including
silk and cotton looms, as well as sophisticated machines for
agriculture.
Another success was the expansion and reparation of the Great Wall, as
we see it today. All in all, 4500 miles of wall, much of it at least
thirty feet high with watchtowers built to provide smoke signals when
necessary, is one of the greatest engineering and building achievements
ever produced. It is said that over 8 million lives were lost during the
construction of this Wall.
The Ming Dynasty's economy was always in disarray because of the lack of
knowledge on how to run an effective treasury. Due to the lack of paper
money, it was replaced with coins, which eventually lost most of its
value due to counterfeiting. However, since there were not enough coins
in circulation, counterfeiting became a problem. At this point, the
provinces were required to mint their own coins. Unfortunately, some of
them added lead to the coins, which depleted their value. Due to the
abundance of counterfeit coins, their value again declined. This coin
problem was amplified by an increasing need for money due to the growth
of trade, and the threat of military campaigns that proved very costly,
in terms of monies. This led to the slow downfall of the Ming Dynasty,
which encouraged the Manchus to invade China, with the support of the
Ming Dynasty's imperial guard. By 1644, the Qing Dynasty (was actually
established in 1636) became known.
For further research and background, use these links:
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