Download Yuan-and-Ming

Two Important Dynasties
The Yuan and The Ming
The Yuan Dynasty
1260-1368 AD
How did this dynasty rise to power?
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Dynasty founded by Kublai Khan, grandson
of Genghis Khan.
Kublai Khan fought the Song for 40 years
before founding China’s only foreign-ruled
dynasty.
How did this dynasty rule China?
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Civil service system maintained, staffed by
Persians and Turks
Strict hierarchy of social service classes
developed
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1st tax-free Mongols
2nd non-Chinese servants
3rd Northern Chinese
4th Southern Chinese
What belief systems did this dynasty
encourage? Discourage?
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Kublai Khan retained shamanism
Chinese belief systems largely unaffected by
Yuan
Under Kublai Khan’s encouragement the
number of Buddhist monasteries increased
How did this dynasty effect daily life?
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Yuan dynasty’s bloody wars of conquest led
to the destruction of farmland
Millions of people were killed by war and
famine
Kublai Khan maintained China’s roads and
canals, but later Yuan let them deteriorate.
Two ways this dynasty helped unite
China.
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Retained civil service (but staffed it with
foreigners)
Allowed Chinese belief systems to co-exist
with Mongol shamanism
Ming Dynasty
1368-1644 AD
How did this dynasty rise to power?
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Chinese took advantage of chaos of late
Yuan rule to rebel against Mongols
Rebel leader and founder of Ming dynasty,
Hong Wu, named his dynasty “brilliant”
How did this dynasty govern China?
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Reintroduced the civil service exam
Emperors extremely powerful (dictators w/o
cabinets)
Brief period of overseas exploration although
later Ming emperors prohibited foreign trade
What belief systems did this dynasty
encourage? Discourage?
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Rebirth of adherence to Confucianism
Many Chinese combined belief in Daoism,
Confucianism and Buddhism
How did this dynasty effect daily life in
China?
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Rebuilt bridges, canals, roads, temples,
shrines and the walls of 500 cities
Heavy taxation and wasteful government
produced peasant rebellion and civil war
Two ways this dynasty helped unite
China
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Secured borders of China to prevent foreign
invasion
Rebuilt bridges, canals, roads, temples, and
shrines