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China: 1400-1800 China: 1400-1800 Introduction 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 China: 1400-1800 Ming 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 China: 1400-1800 Decline 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 China: 1400-1800 Rise 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 China: 1400-1800 Rise 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 China: 1400-1800 Decline 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