Download The Ming Dynasty

The Ming Dynasty
Daily Lesson and Discussion Notes: 4-4
Objectives:


Discuss how Ming rulers made China
stronger, wealthier, and more peaceful
Explain why China sent a fleet to
explore Asia and East Africa.
Objective: 2

Discuss how Ming rulers made China
stronger, wealthier, and more peaceful
I. The Rise of the Ming
(pages 282-283)
A. After Kublai
Khan’s death in 1294,
the Yuan dynasty
began to lose
control. Mongol
groups in Mongolia
broke away. Chinese
groups wanted their
own dynasty.
Rebellions drove the
Mongols out of
power.
B. In 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang
led a successful rebellion
and became emperor of
China. He renamed himself
Hong Wu. He established
Nanjing as the capital and
founded the Ming dynasty.
Hong Wu was a cruel leader
who killed many officials for
treason, or disloyalty to the
government.
C. Yong Le was Hong
Wu’s son who became
emperor after Hong
Wu’s death. Yong Le
moved the capital to
Beijing, where he built
an area of palaces and
government buildings
known as the Imperial
City. The Forbidden
City was in the center
of the Imperial City.
Only top officials could
enter the Forbidden
City.
D. The Ming government restored the civil
service examinations and occasionally
carried out a census, or a count of people,
so they could collect taxes accurately.
E. China’s economy grew under the
leadership of the early Ming emperors,
increasing farming and trade. The Ming
emperors supported artisans and
merchants. Writers produced novels, or
long fictional stories, and Chinese people
watched dramas on stage.
Objective 1:
Discuss how Ming rulers
made China stronger, wealthier, and more
peaceful

China became more peaceful once the
Ming rulers drove out the Mongols.
They restored the civil service
examinations and used a census in
order to collect taxes more accurately.
The farms and canals destroyed by the
Mongols were rebuilt, the Grand Canal
repaired and expanded. More crops
were grown, including new types of
rice.
Objective: 2

Explain why China sent a fleet to
explore Asia and East Africa
II. China Explores the World
(pages 284-287)
A. Ming
emperors
built a
large
fleet of
ships to
discover
areas
outside
of China.
B. Emperor Yong Le sent the
fleet on seven oversea voyages
from 1405 to 1431. Zheng He, a
Muslim and court official, led
these expeditions. He took his
fleet of ships to Southeast Asia,
India, Arabia and East Africa,
where he traded goods with
other peoples.
C. Chinese officials
complained about the cost of
the trips. They disapproved
of new ideas brought from the
outside world and the growing
wealth of merchants involved
in trade. The merchants
contradicted Confucius’s
teaching by placing their
loyalty to themselves above
that of society. The voyages
ended after Zheng He’s death.
D. In 1514, a fleet from Portugal arrived in
China. It carried the first Europeans to sail
to China and provided the first direct
contact between China and Europe since
Marco Polo.
E. The Portuguese wanted to trade with
the Chinese, and they wanted the Chinese
to become Christians. The Chinese
thought the Europeans were barbarians, or
uncivilized people.
F. The Chinese eventually
let the Europeans set up a
trading post in China, and
European ideas were
introduced to the Chinese.
Jesuit missionaries, a
special group of Roman
Catholic priests, arrived in
China to convince the
Chinese to become
Christians.
G. The Ming dynasty fell after rulers
weakened. The Manchus attacked in
northern China and captured Beijing.
Objective 2:
Explain why China sent a
fleet to explore Asia and East Africa

Emperor Yong Le wanted to trade with
other kingdoms, show off China’s
power, and demand tribute from
weaker kingdoms