Download Technology during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644)

8/19/2016
(34) Technology during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) | Ming dynasty (1368–1644) | China | Art of Asia | Khan Academy
Technology during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
Share
Tweet
Email
Covered box with flowers, Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Reign of the
Yongle Emperor (1403–1424). China. Red lacquer with carved designs.
Courtesy of the Asian Art Museum, The Avery Brundage Collection,
B60M309.A-.B.
At the beginning of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), China
was a world leader in the use of gunpowder-based
weaponry, shipbuilding and navigation, and the
production of porcelain and various other materials
requiring technological knowledge. Many of these
developments did not continue further into Ming
rule. Confucianism did not encourage commerce, and
this — combined with a strong belief in the superiority of
their own culture — led the Ming emperors to close the
country’s doors to foreign ideas and people,
limiting access to a few port cities in the south. After the
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-asia/imperial-china/ming-dynasty/a/technology-during-the-ming-dynasty-13681644
1/2
8/19/2016
(34) Technology during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) | Ming dynasty (1368–1644) | China | Art of Asia | Khan Academy
reign of the Yongle emperor (1403–1424), there was
little geographic exploration.
Scientific investigation also lagged, and by the end of the
dynasty China was importing weaponry and weapon
technologies from Europe, where shipbuilding and
navigational skills had become more advanced.
The developments that did occur during the Ming dynasty
were largely focused on refinements in
existing technologies. Examples of these refinements can
be found in the lacquers, porcelains, and textiles.
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-asia/imperial-china/ming-dynasty/a/technology-during-the-ming-dynasty-13681644
2/2