Hist 101 World Civilization II

1. Hist 101World Civilization II China: 1400-1800

2. China: 1400-1800Introduction • In 1400, China could justly claim to be the most advanced and ancient civilization on Earth • It had been a continuous civilization back to the Bronze Age • It had invented gunpowder, printing, and people the world over sought its goods—silk especially • It had absorbed many invaders • It also had a coherent social philosophy—Confucianism—that was 2000 years old and copied throughout Asia • Hence, the Chinese image of themselves, the “Middle Kingdom,” had a strong basis in reality • So why was China poised in 1400 on the precipice of a great decline in international power and prestige? Zheng He

3. China: 1400-1800Ming Dynasty • In 1400, China was ruled by the Ming Dynasty • In 1368, the Chinese had overthrown the rule of the hated Mongols • Hong Wu • The first Ming emperor • Strengthened the peasantry through land reform, but made occupations hereditary • Helped restore China’s status, but the socio-economic order he established set the stage for stagnation and decline • There was a brief period under Yongle when China embarked on period of asserting its power abroad through diplomatic and trade missions Hong Wu (1368-1398) Yongle (1402-1424) The Ming emperor that sponsored Zheng He’s voyages

4. China: 1400-1800Decline of the Ming Dynasty • The Ming emperors that followed Hong Wu and Yongle were not as forceful or competent • They were increasingly inclined to wallow in the luxury of the Forbidden City, the emperor’s compound in Beijing • The emperor increasingly a pawn of two rival groups of courtiers, who fought between themselves for power (eunuchs eventually won) • With the court distracted, Ming China went into decline • Corruption became rampant • Ming soldiers went unpaid and turned outlaw • Crop failures led to widespread famine Mandarins: imperial bureaucrats Court eunuchs: manage the Forbidden City

5. China: 1400-1800Rise of the Qing (1) • The collapse of the Ming Dynasty was an opportunity for the Manchu • Manchu were last of a long series of northern barbarians to invade and takeover China • Like all previous invaders, they eventually were absorbed into Han Chinese culture, although most Han Chinese never totally accepted their legitimacy • Mongol connection • The early Qing emperors saw themselves as the successors to the Mongol rulers of China • They emphasized this source of legitimacy by marrying Mongol princesses Manchu archer

6. China: 1400-1800Rise of the Qing (2) • Yet the Qing, still had to reckon with the much more numerous Han Chinese in order to solidify their rule • They reinforced their legitimacy by not only increasingly adopting the Chinese language and culture, but also by appealing to long-standing Han Chinese notions and institutions • The Mandate of Heaven • The notion that the emperor has divine authority to rule as long as his rule is wise and just • Qing propaganda suggested the Ming had lost this mandate by their weak rule and corruption • The Qing also reconstituted restored the Mandarins to their traditional place in the government

7. China: 1400-1800Decline of the Qing • Although the Qing Dynasty would survive until the establishment of the Chinese Republic in 1912, by restoring the Mandarins they sowed the seeds of their eventual destruction • Although the Mandarins were a great force for stability they clung to their Confucian ideology while the nations of Europe began an overseas expansion which would eventually threaten China itself • China under the Qing, stubbornly clung to the notion of their own superiority • No ministry of foreign affairs • Foreigners who wished to trade had to visit China, kowtow, and pay for their purchases in silver