Download Independence High School Global History Regents Mr. Wisell Unit 1

Independence High School
Global History Regents
Mr. Wisell
Unit 1: The First Global Age
CW 1-1: The Ming Dynasty
Between the years 1279 and 1368, the Yuan Dynasty ruled China. The emperor of the Yuan
Dynasty was Kublai Khan, the grandson on the famous Mongolian warlord Genghis Khan.
Under Mongol rule, Chinese people were not allowed to serve in the military or hold important
government positions. Kublai Khan was a capable yet demanding emperor and made some
improvements to China’s infrastructure and cities. Under his rule, trade with Europe and other
Asian nations was encouraged.
However, many Chinese people resented being governed by the Mongols because they were
foreigners. Specifically, followers of the Chinese philosopher Confucius viewed the Mongols as
barbarians. Confucian scholars believed that government positions should be awarded to
individuals based on merit. Under earlier Chinese dynasties, people wishing to obtain a
government job had to pass a rigorous civil service examination. This ensured that only the
brightest and most capable people would be given government jobs. Kublai Khan abandoned
this system and gave government positions to people he felt he could trust to be loyal.
The Yuan Dynasty declined after the death of Kublai Khan. Most Chinese despised the foreign
Mongol rulers. Confucian scholars retreated into their own world, seeing little to gain from the
barbarians. Heavy taxes, corruption, and natural disasters led to frequent uprisings. Finally,
Zhu Yuanzhang, a peasant leader, led a rebel army that toppled the Mongols and pushed them
back across the Great Wall (the line of fortifications that protects China’s northern borders
from invasion). In 1368, he founded a new Chinese Dynasty, which he called Ming, meaning
brilliant.
Early Ming rulers sought to reassert Chinese greatness after years of foreign rule. The Ming
restored the civil service exam system, and Confucian learning again became the road to
success. The civil service exams became more rigorous than ever. A board of censors watched
over the government bureaucracy, rooting our corruption and disloyalty.
Economically, Ming China was immensely productive. The fertile, well-irrigated plains of
eastern China supported a population of more than 100 million. In the Yangzi Valley, peasants
produced huge rice crops. Better methods of fertilizing helped to improve farming. In the
1500s, new crops reached China from the Americas, especially corn and sweet potatoes.
Chinese cities were home to many industries, including porcelain, paper, and tools. The Ming
repaired the extensive canal system that linked various regions and made trade easier. New
technologies increased output in manufacturing. Better methods of printing, for example, led to
the production of a flood of books.
Ming China also saw a revival of arts and literature. Ming artists developed their own styles of
landscape painting and created brilliant blue and white porcelain. Ming vases were among the
most valuable and popular Chinese products exported to the West.
Confucian scholars continued to produce classical poetry. At the same time, new forms of
popular literature, meant to be enjoyed by the common people, began to emerge. Ming
writers composed novels, including The Water Margin, about an outlaw gang that tries to end
injustice by corrupt officials. Ming writers also produced the world’s first detective stories.
Performing artists developed a popular tradition of Chinese opera that combined music,
dance, and drama.
Early Ming rulers proudly sent Chinese fleets into distant waters. The most extraordinary of
these overseas ventures were the voyages of the Chinese admiral Zheng He. In 1405, Zheng He
commanded the first of seven expeditions. He departed at the head of a fleet of 62 huge ships
and hundreds of smaller ones, carrying a crew of more than 25,000 sailors. The largest ships
measured 400 feet long. The goal of each expedition was to promote trade and collect tribute
(money or valuable resources) from lesser powers across the “western seas.”
Between 1405 and 1433, Zheng He explored the coasts of Southeast Asia and India and the
entrances to the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. He also dropped anchor and visited many ports
in East Africa. In the wake of the expeditions, Chinese merchants settled in Southeast Asian and
Indian trading centers. The voyages also showed local rulers the power and strength of Ming
Dynasty China. Many acknowledged the supremacy of the Chinese empire.
Zheng He’s voyages from China left a lasting impression on the peoples he visited. But his
return to China left and equally powerful impression on the Chinese. Wherever Zheng He
went, he collected animals to bring back to China. Back in China, they were kept in the
imperial zoo. One of these animals was known to the Chinese as a qilin, a legendary beast
whose appearance was a sign of heaven’s favor. People flocked to marvel at this bizarre
creature. It stood 15 feet tall, had the body of a deer and the tail of an ox, and it was covered
with red spots. Today, we call it a giraffe.
In 1433, the year Zheng He died, the Ming emperor suddenly banned the building of seagoing
ships. Later, ships with more than two masts were forbidden. Zheng He’s huge ships were
retired and rotted away.
Why did China, with its advanced naval technology, turn its back on overseas exploration?
Historians are not sure. However, some speculate that the fleets were expensive and did not
produce enough profit. Also, influential Confucian scholars at court had little interest in
overseas ventures. To them, Chinese civilization was the most successful in the world. They
wanted to preserve its ancient traditions, which they saw as a source of stability. In fact, rigid
loyalty to tradition would eventually weaken China and once again leave it prey to foreign
domination.
Fewer than 60 years after China halted overseas expeditions, the explorer Christopher
Columbus would sail west from Spain in search of a sea route to Asia. This voyage made Spain
a major power and had a dramatic impact on the entire world. Historians can only wonder how
the course of history might have changed if the Chinese had continued the explorations they
had begun under the Ming.
Independence High School
Global History Regents
Mr. Wisell
Unit 1: The First Global Age
CW 1-1: The Ming Dynasty
1. Describe Chinese society and government during the Yuan Dynasty. How did the Yuan
Dynasty’s governing of China lead to the rise of the Ming Dynasty?
2. Summarize the economic and cultural achievements made during the Ming Dynasty.
3. Discuss the impact that Zheng He’s voyages had both on China and on the lands he visited.