The Ming Dynasty: The Last Great Dynasty of China - Research Paper Example

The Ming Dynasty: The Last Great Dynasty of China Teacher’s The Ming Dynasty: The Last Great Dynasty of China China’s long and rich history is divided into several dynasties in the span of several thousands of years, most of which lasted for three hundred years. One of the nation’s last dynasties to have brought great expansion and vibrant development to its people was the Ming Dynasty. It lasted for more than two hundred and fifty years under the rule and reign of several emperors who played a great role in making this period of time where China experienced one of the greatest developments and prosperity in almost all aspects of life, from its economy to cultural traditions and customary practices. Although it also saw a lot of problems and setbacks, the Ming Dynasty is considered to be one of the greatest eras of solidity and affluence in the history of China. Based on historical evidence, although there were other contributing factors to the success of the dynasty, this time of great progress and flourishing of the life in the country can be largely attributed to the effective governance and prudent reforms of its numerous emperors. The Mongols were the ones held power before the formation of the Ming Dynasty. It was the first emperor of the Ming, Emperor Taizu, who led the rebellion against the foreign rulers and overthrew the Mongolian power in China, leaving the locals to rule their own country. Immediately after the establishment of the new empire, he set out to make reforms that changed all aspects of Chinese life for hundreds of years. Also known as the Hongwu Emperor, he began a great feat to reform China and he did so successfully, starting with the revival of the economy. Great efforts were made to improve the yield of the fields and farms, such as the reconstruction of ditches and watercourses, which were managed poorly and disregarded during the previous dynasty. Many neglected lands were also brought back to life by restarting cultivation and agriculture there. Many other agricultural attempts to restore stability and progress in terms of agriculture were made. This included tree-planting programs all over the provinces. As a result, the agricultural yield in the entire nation steadily tripled in only less than a decade. (Twichett et al, 264) Hongwu also made these reforms not only to increase the agricultural production of the country, but to also make efforts that would benefit those who were suffering in poverty at the time. In order to allow the peasants to gain opportunities to better their lives, he made many migrate to other areas, and also tried to equalize the distribution of property to many commoners. This consequently paved the way for many peasants to own their own land, to keep the property without any demand of tax, and to further the cultivation of land. Aside from agriculture, Hongwu changed the way the government functioned and operated. He made sure that there was enough military soldiers that would always be ready would always be able to protect the people if the Mongols ever returned to attack, or from any other possible danger or threat that might enter the territory. Through developing a large and well-trained army, he ensured peace and stability in the land. Several years after his rule came another great emperor known as Yongle or Zhu Di that brought the Ming Dynasty to its height. Compared to the success and progress that was experienced during the reign of Hongwu, his grandson’s time in the throne saw even greater success and progress. He was the emperor that ruled the Ming Dynasty during its peak, where the people saw the greatest success in the economy, the government and in the social and cultural aspects as well. He was able to successfully protect his land and territory against several Mongolian attacks, maintaining the peace and order within his kingdom during his time. It can be said that he dedicated his entire lifetime to protect China from the attacks and threats that came from the Mongolians who remained persistent in entering the borders of the kingdom. These Mongolians were remnant soldiers from the Yuan dynasty and although Yongle’s army experienced a number of losses during several battles, he was still able to protect the entire kin from their unrelenting attacks against the people. As written in the article “Resources Beijing and Nanjing China,” aside from that, he also moved the capital of China from Nanjing to the present-day capital of Beijing, and built the now famous Forbidden City. Additionally, he established and led the construction of the Grand Canal or the Imperial Canal, the most efficient and the quickest mode of transportation that all led to the capital city. It also connected the major waterways and rivers around the area, both the Yangtze and the Yellow rivers. Because of this great efficiency, which made travelling around much easier and quicker, this reconstruction and rebuilding was a success as the new system of transportation brought about a substantial increase in commerce and trade in the North. Before the reconstruction, trading was only possible in two ways and both were neither an easy nor quick way of transporting goods and products to the capital. With the restoration, even trading that came from all the corners of the world occurred in that very transportation system that he reopened for everybody. This made the economy prosper even more and helped greatly with interaction of the Chinese with the people and culture of other nations. (Murphey 195) Like his grandfather, Yongle also focused his time and attention on the expansion and the improvement of the Chinese economy though agricultural advancement as well as textile progression. He reclaimed many properties and also maximized the use of the already large labor force that existed. Yongle further improved the operation and condition of the government by removing administrative officials who were corrupt and unfit. He ensured that the government stayed effective in ruling the kingdom with the best officials who would not pose a threat in the stability of the nation, which Yongle aimed for. According to the article written for the Museum of Chinese Art and Ethnography, it was also during the reign of Yongle where the culture and the arts in China flourished greatly. He established and cemented the traditions of China. He bolstered Confucianism within his kingdom and continued to support and back up its beliefs and traditional customs. He also kept the ritual ceremonies. Furthermore, during his reign, there was a significant increase in trading and commerce of many different products that reflected the Chinese way of life, tradition and customary practices. Many people engaged in craftsmanship, pottery, writing, which enriched the already rich and diverse culture of China. He commissioned the great anthology of all the books and literary work of all the Chinese. He did this with the sole purpose of keeping the writing tradition and literary culture of China alive and well preserved for the many generations that would follow him. The compilation, which is today known as the Yongle Encyclopedia, is one of the most well-known and amazing achievements that has ever been done by any human in the history of time. No one has ever been able to successfully attempt this kind of endeavor ever since, and it is still used today in many scholarly writings and studies about the history and culture of China. Because Yongle was an emperor that tolerated other kinds of philosophies and religions that he personally did not believe in, the belief systems in the country did not stop growing. Although he personally believed in Confucianism, he treated other religions such as Taoism and Buddhism in an equal manner. It is because of this tolerance that he showed that played a great role in today’s diverse ideologies that can be seen in many of those living in China today. After the death of Yongle in 1424, several other emperors succeeded him. Some maintained the policies that he created during his time in power, but others created their own ones to replace his. The economy experienced both ups and downs during the succeeding years, but at the end of the day, the Chinese economy remained stable for the most part of the Ming Dynasty. Religion and philosophy also further developed during the later years of the period. Because some of the succeeding emperors were Taoists, they supported and promoted the ritual practices and customs of Taoism, which continued to develop the Taoist belief system that was already being practiced during Yongle’s reign. Many temples and other sacred places of worship and religious practices were built which are today great monuments and physical landmarks that signify the varied culture of the nation. Aside from that, the culture and the arts of the Chinese also continued to flourish during the reign of the succeeding emperors. Their products continue to be popular even until today, thousands of years since. The famous porcelain ceramic of the Chinese that are seen today being sold in antique shops and even in malls come from and are inspired by the ceramics created during the Ming Dynasty. The succeeding emperors also continued to develop ties with other nations, and trading and commerce with them continued to grow and develop. This strengthened the ties between China and other countries, and also allowed for the exchange and interaction of ideas and cultures between the nations. Because of this, the culture of China not only further developed and was enriched through the influences of others, the culture of China also spread all throughout the nations, and many people were able to know and discover the rich and diverse culture of China even more. After several years of experiencing great progress and development in almost all aspects of life in China, the Ming Dynasty, like any other dynasty, started to experience a decline. Many natural disasters and catastrophes started to occur within the kingdom, which marked the beginning of the end of the great Golden Age. These disasters, as the people believed, were perceived as signs that the kingdom has lost the Mandate of Heaven, a political idea that natural disasters signified heaven’s disapproval of the dynasty. Once it is lost, the kingdom would inevitably experience a near decline and eventually, an end. (Jiang 84) Around this time, earthquakes were becoming more frequent. What is considered to be the worst earthquake in this history of mankind happened during this period and wiped out nearly a third of all the people in the capital of Xi’an. Famine and drought also occurred at the same time, and in other places, large floods destroyed infrastructure and the lives of many people. And with the onset of invasions coming from Japan and epidemics arising everywhere in the land, the situation of the kingdom was gradually worsening. These disasters destroyed the flourishing economy and political stability of the kingdom. One decline led to another, and with the onset of several wars again which further caused the decline in the political stability of the kingdom, the entire land was starting to become chaotic and heavily unstable. Inevitably, all of these problems that were happening all together then led the decline in the economy, and everything else followed and so thus the end of the great Ming dynasty, the last great dynasty of China. Although the Ming Dynasty experienced great turmoil in its final years, it experienced one of the greatest developments compared to the other dynasties that were before it. Indeed, the dynasty’s great rulers were the main thrust that pushed for the success and greatness of China’s Golden Age. Works Cited Twitchett, Denis Crispin, and Frederick W. Mote. The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644. Cambridge England: Cambridge University Press, 1988. Print. Jiang, Yonglin. The Mandate of Heaven and the Great Ming Code. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2011. Print. Murphey, Rhoads. A History of Asia. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1992. Print. "Resources Beijing and Nanjing China." China360 Online. China Institute, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. . "Ming Dynasty." Museum of Chinese Art and Ethnography. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. . Read More