Download AP Review Assignment: Mongol through Qing China

AP Review Assignment: Mongol through Qing China
Souvik Banerjee
Introduction:
The Yuan dynasty was formed when Kublai Khan invaded China in 1279. Similar Mongol conquests had happened in the Middle East and in Russia during this time peri
The Yuan fell shortly after Kublai Khan’s death. Causes of this are Kublai’s dissolute lifestyle caused by the death of his wife and favorite son, Chinese loyalists raising
revolts in the south, and military failures. The Ming dynasty took over in 1368 with the rise of ethnic Han Chinese groups like the Red Turbans, who were affiliated with
the secret White Lotus Society. The Ming lasted longer than the Yuan, but were conquered by the Manchus in 1644 who established the Qing dynasty. This was the last
Chinese dynasty.
Theme 1: Interaction between Humans and the Environment
Yuan dynasty:
Chinese technology like saltpeter, porcelain, and playing cards began to be exported to Europe. European thin glass
and cloisonné became popular in China. The first evidence of mechanical clocks in China can be traced to this dynasty.
The Mongol invasion of China facilitated the transfer of diseases across Asia. The Mongol administration brought in
Persians for the more advanced Middle Eastern technology and to correct the Chinese calendar. Rats on Mongolian
trade routes are believed to have transferred the bubonic plague to the Middle East, Europe, and China.
Ming dynasty:
The Ming used the Yuanjingshuo (telescope) in their astronomy. The calendar was reformed according to Western
standards. Song Yingxing documented a variety of new metallurgical and industrial processes, like new processes for
sericulture (silk farming), snorkeling technology for divers, new gunpowder compositions, and two­color woodblock
printing. Restoration of the Great Canal was underway during this time period. Census figures from 1381 show the
population was at 59,873,305.
Qing dynasty:
The migration of Chinese people to other nations was most prevalent during this dynasty. So many Chinese had immigrated to the United States during the Gold Rush th
the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed in 1880 to suspend Chinese immigration. The population doubled in the early years of this dynasty.
Theme 2:Development and Interaction of Cultures
Yuan dynasty:
Like Chinggis Khan, Kublai Khan was very tolerant of other cultures. Islam began to come into China during Yuan rule, since Muslims were included in the second highe
social grouping, just under the Mongols. Buddhists, Nestorian Christians, Daoists, and Latin Christians were all welcome in the Mongol court. Marco Polo of Venice visite
the Yuan court. Yuan architecture was relatively simple. The scholar­gentry were marginalized under the Mongols.
Ming dynasty:
The scholar­gentry had been revived under the Ming. The examination system was made more complicated and routinized than before. Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of
the Ming, eliminated all aspects of Mongol culture, from Mongol names to Mongol dress to even Mongol palaces and administrative buildings. Three of the four most
important pieces of Chinese literature come from this period (Journey to the West, Outlaws of the Marsh, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms). Jesuits from Europe
came to this dynasty and were welcome in the Chinese court, not for their religious teachings but for their knowledge
of Western technology.
Qing dynasty:
The Qing had a great interest in recordkeeping. The Imperial Collection of Four was created and collected to
summarize all writing that had ever been published. They promoted knowledge and writing.
Ethnic conflict
occurred between the alien Manchus and the native Han Chinese.
Theme 3: State building, Expansion and Conflict
The Chinese had a dynastic cycle that continued into the period between the Yuan and Qing. These dynasties were
ruled by an emperor.
Yuan dynasty: The imperial examination was suspended. Mongols occupied the higher ranks, while Chinese were
permitted to have local rule. This dynasty was fairly peaceful because of the Pax Mongolica (Mongol Peace which
was a result of the stabilization of economies and cultures in Mongol­conquered Eurasia). The Yuan dynasty stretched
through China to present­day Russia and Mongolia, as well as Korea.
Ming dynasty: The Muslim explorer Zheng He started expeditions to showcase the greatness and military might of
China in the Indian Ocean. Confucian philosophy was prevalent, like in all other Chinese dynasties except for the Yuan. Public officials who were corrupt or incompetent
were beaten publicly. Neo­Confucianism increased its influence and censorship was prevalent.
Qing dynasty: The Qing were the first to interact with other nations on a large scale. Trade occurred between Europe and China through the port of Canton and later
Amoy, Foochowfoo, Ningpo, and Shanghai. The Opium War between Britain and China opened up those last four ports. This war was caused by an imbalance of trade,
leading Britain to sell more potent Indian opium which had a stranglehold on Chinese markets. A result of this war was the British acquirement of Hong Kong. At the end
of this dynasty, nationalistic views held by Sun Yat­Sen and other revolutionaries began to rise. Foreign spheres of influence were drawn up in China after 1900 which
granted the controlling nation extraterritoriality. These things hastened the fall of the Qing.
Theme 4: Creation, Expansion, and Interaction of Economic Systems
Yuan dynasty: As a result of Mongol invasion, trade between Europe, the Middle East, and
China increased dramatically. The Four­Class system was like a labor system combined with a
social system; this system placed certain classes like the Mongols and Muslims on top of the
ethnic Chinese. Elements of industrialization came about here before anywhere else in the
world through steel furnaces with water power.
Ming dynasty: The Ming dynasty is considered a golden age of Chinese commerce, similar to
that of the Han. The economy of the Ming was one of the largest in the world during that time
period. This was because of the increasing power of the merchants, decreasing power of the
ruling class, and advanced in technology. Key features of the Ming economy were privatization
and wage labor. Agriculture was encouraged under the Hongwu emperor. Zheng He’s
expeditions expanded trade.
Qing dynasty: The Qing had a farming economy and trade in tea, silk, and porcelain brought in large quantities of
silver, which was the basis of the Chinese economy. International trade was especially profitable. The Opium War
which ended in the Treaty of Nanking (1842) opened more ports to European merchants.
Theme 5: Development and Transformation of Social Structures
In all of the three dynasties in this time period, societies were patriarchal and women had little say. However, some dynasties gave more
freedoms to women than others. Social and ethnic classes existed and the Confucian philosophy of filial piety was still
influential.
Yuan dynasty: Mongol women refused to adopt the the practice of footbinding. Mongol women were also treated with
higher regard than Chinese women, and could sometimes gain influence in the court. They were allowed to roam freely in
public, unlike Chinese women. The Yuan dynasty had four distinct classes:Mongols, Semuren, Northern Chinese, and
Southern Chinese (the subjects of the former Song dynasty). The Semuren were Central Asians and were mostly Muslim,
and the Northern Chinese could gain regional rule. The Mongols were not very effective administrators, but they were great
conquerors.
Ming dynasty: The gentry class formed the backbone of the social order, as was preached in Confucianism. They helped to
collect taxes and raised funds for public works like building and repairing dikes and roads. Occupations could be chosen or
inherited from a father’s career. The socioeconomic classes were blurred during this dynasty; artisans sometimes worked
on farms and farmers often commuted to urban areas in search of work.
Qing dynasty: The extended family remained the core of the social order. Social classes ranged from the imperial line to the
“mean people” (aboriginal peoples, actors, prostitutes, musicians, servants, and local government underlings). Qing laws
forbade intermarriage between the commoners (good people) and the mean people. Servitude was common in Qing society.
Social mobility, or the idea that one can travel between social classes, increased. Virtuousness was rewarded and
encouraged through “morality books”.
Sources:
http://wps.ablongman.com/long_stearns_wcap_3/0,8222,1005788­,00.html
http://polaris.gseis.ucla.edu/yanglu/ECC_HISTORY_YUAN%20DYNASTY.htm
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/383846/Ming­dynasty
http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/zhenhe/132288.htm
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/110832/Qianlong#toc1318
http://polaris.gseis.ucla.edu/yanglu/ECC_HISTORY_QING%20DYNASTY.htm