Objective 1: Describe how the Ming struggled with their quest for stability
By; Aarya Rao
After the Yuan dynasty, which was formed under the control of the Mongols, the Ming dynasty was established. The Ming emperors who succeeded it had goals to restore traditional Chinese ways, and rid China of any Mongol influence. The emperors took many steps to prevent problems like invasions, such as by building the Great Wall of China. However the collapse of the Ming eventually came due to famines, pirates and smugglers attacking on the coast of China, and an inept imperial government.
The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)
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Ming Decline and Collapse
- Many problems faced the Ming dynasty after the mid sixteenth century
- Pirates and smugglers who worked along the coast of China had conflicts with Chinese that often led to the destruction of regions
- The imperial government became more inept, and emperors abandoned their government affairs to live lavish lives in the Forbidden city
- All of the government business was conducted by eunuchs, who started living lavishly as well, which led to corruption which weakened the Ming state
- In the early seventeenth century, famines struck China and the government was unable to set up any effective relief efforts, which led to revolts from peasants who had to eat grass and tree bark
- Many rebel groups joined together with the outside Manchu invaders, and they were able to take control of most of China
- The rebels led the emperor and his family to commit suicide which brought the end of the Ming dynasty
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Objective 2: Describe the rule of Qing rulers
By: Aarya Rao
The Qing dynasty was formed by the Manchus after the collapse of the Ming dynasty. The Manchus extended their rule throughout China, but they promoted Chinese beliefs and hoped to restore China back to it's traditional ways. Two of the most important rulers of this dynasty were Kangxi, and his grandson Qianlong, who marked the height of this dynasty. Although Manchus were typically appointed in the higher political posts, civil service examinations were still used to decide the ruler, just like they were in the Ming dynasty, and they were still very rigorous and time consuming.
The Qing Dynasty (1612-1911)
- After the collapse of the Ming dynasty many Manchus came into China and started a dynasty known as the Qing
- The Manchus were either pastoral nomads or farmers that used to live in the southern farmlands of Manchuria
- They were unified by a chieftain named Nurhaci in 1616 into a centralized state with a powerful army, who would then later take over the Ming dynasty
- After first seizing Beijing, they continued to take over the entire region of China
- Finally in 1680 they managed to consolidate their claim over the whole region, and created the Qing dynasty
- The establishment of the Qing was easy because many Chinese were supporters of the Manchus and gave them more respect than the emperor of the Ming state
- The Manchus preserved their own culture and forbade intermarriage between Chinese and Manchus, and did not allow Chinese to travel to Manchuria or learn the language
Kangxi (1661-1722)
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Qianlong (1736-1795)
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The Son of Heaven
- Although the emperors were not considered gods, they were said to be the "Sons of Heaven"
- They were designated by heavenly powers to keep order on earth
- The emperors would lead a lavish lifestyle in the Forbidden city
- They would have hundreds of concubines, and eunuchs to provide their desires for them
- The patterns and clothes that they wore couldn't be imitated by anyone
- The name of the emperor would be written throughout the realm and were very common
- Anyone who met him would have to perform the kowtow, which was three kneelings and nine head knockings
- Even minor offenses could lead to severe punishment such as death
The Scholar Bureaucrats
- This class of people did most of the governing on a day to day basis
- Most men in this class came from highly educated and literate classes known as the scholar gentry
- They dominated political and social life after passing the tedious civil service examinations
- Most men started preparing for these exams from their childhood, and it was taught in schools and through tutors
- By the time a boy was twelve he would know over a thousand characters of Confucian's writing
- They also studied calligraphy, poetry, essay writing, commentaries, histories and literary works to prepare
- The tests were provided at levels, the highest being metropolitan, and governmental positions would only be given to those who passed metropolitan level exams
- Quotas were used to restrict the number of people that could be successful in each round of examination
- Writing the exams was a painful process that included a three day and two night stay in each candidate's own room, and while there they would write eight-legged essays
- During the exams there was no communication or interruptions, and if someone died they would be thrown out of the building wrapped in straw
- If you only passed the district level of examination, you were most likely to be a teacher
- The idea of having the luxuries of a scholar-bureaucrats led to a lot of competitiveness
- Because of the competition, the system was sometimes compromised by cheating and corrupt examiners
- The exams promoted education, upward social mobility, and Confucianism
- Concentrated on the core values Confucianism, which guaranteed that Confucianism would be very important in China
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