Download Asian History Part III

Medieval Asia
Part III
The Yuan Dynasty
Rock, Khan, Roll
• Kublai Khan (1215 – 1294)
– Genghis Khan’s grandson
– Raised by a Buddhist nurse
• Brought victory in
conquering the Song
Dynasty
• After a civil war between
Mongols, established
himself as Great Khan in
1260
“Rocking Son of Dschinghis Khan” – Dschinghis Khan
Yuan on One
• The Yuan Dynasty (1279 –
1368)
– “Great Beginnings”
• Founded by Kublai Khan
– Applied the same
administration system as
the earlier dynasties
• (Han, Shang, Qin)
• Given the Mandate of
Heaven by Chinese
historians
“Clouds”
Under the Khan
• Kublai became an
Absolute Monarch
• Reformed the tax
system of China for
better revenue to the
government
• Promoted international
trade for revenue
“Welcome to the Pleasuredome” – Frankie Goes to Hollywood
…Did Kublai Khan, A Pleasure Dome
Erect…
• Rebuilt the Grand Canal
since the Sui Dynasty (600
CE)
– Increased Trade
• Built Granaries
– Stored food to avoid future
famines
• City and National parks
created
– Xanadu
Culture Clash
• Kublai’s court was
international
– Many Buddhist and Turkish
officials
• Policies made against
Chinese
– Mongols above Chinese law
– Controlled major trading
companies
• Chinese shocked by the
freedom Mongolian women
had
Mongol Money
• Kublai re-introduces
paper currency
• Collects all the gold and
silver in China
• Established one of the
first Fiat economies
– Currency cannot be
exchanged for gold or
silver
– Money value based off the
backing of the government
It’s a Holiday in Mongolia
• Kublai supported culture
(or else)
• Craftsmen and the
educated were forced to
live in the capital
• Mongols created a
cosmopolitan city
– China enters….say it
together now!
“Everybody Have Fun Tonight” – Wang Chung
Mongol Toll
• Mongol control made
trading roads safe to
travel
• Religious tolerance for
most religions convinced
people to migrate into
China
– Forbids the Jewish
practices of sacrifice
– Muslim astrology comes to
China
– Crop rotation comes from
the Middle East
“High Mountains Flowing Water”
Khan Jong-Il
• Invaded Korea (Goryeo)
in 1260 and 1273
• Became an official Yuan
vassal state
• Access to Korea’s navy
and ports for a
Japanese invasion
“Chu Shang”
Surf’s Up
• The Japanese Invasions
(1274 and 1281)
• Both times fleet was
caught in a Tsunami storm
– Kamikaze “divine wind”
– 150,000 killed combined
• Last time Japan would be
attacked until World War
II
“Wipeout” – The Surfaris
Wave of Sickness
• Constant commerce always
brought the sharing of
disease
• A plague hit China in 1331
– Reoccurring as it was not
taken care of
• Spread throughout the
empire, killing tens of
millions
– Would spread to Europe as
the Black Plague
– Mongols lost most of their
empire; Yuan Dynasty falls to
the Ming
“Sick Again” – Led Zeppelin
The Merchants of Venice
• Niccolo and Maffeo Polo
– Traders from Venice
• Established trading with
Kublai in 1266
• Kublai welcomes them
and invites Christians to
stay in China
– Europe now has unlimited
access to Chinese products
“I’m Gonne Be” – The Proclaimers
How Lo Can You Po
• Marco Polo (1254 – 1324)
– Son of Niccolo
• Followed father to China at
17 and stayed for 24 years
– Established trade contracts
with Asian markets
• The Travels of Marco Polo
– Book containing maps of the
Silk Roads
– Descriptions of Mongol China
– Culture of India and Japan
“Marco Polo” – Ennio Morricone