China Limits European Contacts

Slide 1:

1. China became a dominant power in Asia under the Ming Dynasty.
2. vassal states from Korea to other southeastern asian states paid tribute, peace money, to China.
3. They expected Europeans to do the same.
4. Ming rulers were not going to allow outsiders to threaten peace and prosperity the ming built.

Slide 2:

1. Hongwu, who was the son of a peasant, commanded the rebel army that drove the mongols out of China in 1368
2. He also became the first Ming Emperor.
3. Ruled from the Yuan Capital of Nanjing in the south.
4. Began reforms to restore agricultural lands
5. Erase traces of the mongol past
6. Promote china’s power and prosperity

Slide 3:

1. Reformed agriculture by increasing rice production and irrigation techniques
2. Grew commercial crops like cotton and sugar cane
3. Also promoted fishing

Slide 4:

1. Believed in going back to confucian moral standards
2. Restored merit based civil service examination system
3. Would also conduct purges of the government, killing thousands of officials.

Slide 5:

1. After Hongwu died in 1398 it led to a power struggle.
2. His son Yonglo (yung-lu) emerged victorious
3. Continued many of his father's policies but moved the royal court to beijing
4. Also was curious about the outside world.
5. In 1405, before europeans sailed beyond their borders, he launched the first of seven voyages of exploration.
6. Hoped to impress the world with the power and splendor of ming china.

Slide 6:

1. A Chinese muslim admiral named (Jung-huh) Zheng He led all seven of the voyages.
2. Everything about them was big. number of ships, distance traveled, and the ships themselves.
3. Voyages ranged from southeast Asia to eastern Africa
4. From 40 to 400 ships sailed in each expedition
5. Among them were fighting ships, storage vessels and huge treasure ships

Slide 7:

1.  Measured 400 ft long.
2. Crews numbered over 27,000 on some voyages: this included sailors, soldiers, carpenters, Interpreters, accounts, doctors and religious leaders.
3. It was a huge floating city.

Slide 8:

1. Everywhere Zheng He went he distributed gifts including silver and silk to show off chinese superiority.
2. 16 countries sent tribute to the ming court
3. Chinese scholar officials complained that the voyages wasted valuable resources that could be used to defend against barbarians attacks on the northern frontier.
4. After the seventh voyage in 1433, China withdrew into isolation.

Slide 9:

1. China’s trade policy changed in the 1500s. Only the government could conduct foreign trade
2. And only through three coastal ports
3. Canton, Macao and Ningbo
4. Trade still flourished up and down the coast.
5. Merchants smuggled cargoes of silk, porcelain and other valuable goods out of the country and into European merchants hands
6. Usually Europeans bought these items with silver mined in the Americas

Slide 10:

1. Demand for Chinese goods had an effect on the economy. silk making and ceramics grew rapidly
2. Manufacturing and commerce increased.
3. China did not become highly industrialized through for two reasons
4. 1. idea of commerce offended China’s confucian beliefs
5. 2.Chinese economic policies traditionally favored agriculture
6. Taxes on agriculture stayed low. taxes on manufacturing and trade skyrocketed.

Slide 11:

1. Christian missionaries accompanied European traders into China
2. They brought christianity and knowledge of European science and technology (like the clock)
3. First missionary to have an impact was italian jesuit named Matteo Ricci
4. He gained favor in the ming court because he was intelligent and spoke fluent chinese.
5. Most resented outsider influence.

Slide 12:

1. Ming ruled for 200 years before ineffective rulers, corrupt official and a government out of money did it in.
2. Higher taxes and bad harvests pushed millions of peasants toward starvation.
3. Civil strife and rebellion followed

Slide 13:

1. To the northeast of the great wall lies Manchuria.
2. The people that lived there were the Manchus and invaded China.
3. Manchus seized Beijing and their leader became China’s new emperor.
4. Mongols took a Chinese name for their dynasty, the Qing (Ching)
5. Ruled for 260 years and expanded China's boundaries to include Taiwan Chinese central Asia, Mongolia and Tibet

Slide 14:

1. Many Chinese resisted their rule and rebellions flared for decades
2. Manchus slowly earned the peoples respect by holding traditional Confucian beliefs and social structures.
3. Made the countries frontiers safe and restored China prosperity

Slide 15:

1. (Kahng-shee) became emperor in 1661 and ruled for 60 years
2. Reduced government expenses and lowered taxes
3. Gained the support of intellectuals by offering them government positions
4. Enjoyed the company of Jesuits at court. told him about development in science, medicine and mathematics in Europe.

Slide 16:

1. His grandson (Chyahn-lung) ruled from 1736-1795.
2. Reached its greatest size and prosperity under him
3. Industrious emperor who rose early to work on problems such as the armed nomads on its borders and expanding presence of Europeans .

Slide 17: 

1. Chinese called their country middle kingdom, it was the cultural center of the universe for 2,000 years
2. If foreign states wished to trade with China, they would have to follow chinese rules
3. Rules included trading only at special ports and paying tribute

Slide 18:

1. Dutch accepted the restrictions.
2. Diplomats paid tribute to the emperor through gifts and performing the kowtow ritual
3. Ritual involved kneeling in front of the emperor and touching one’s head to the ground nine times
4. The result is the chinese accepted the dutch as trading partners
5. They returned home with porcelain and silk, along with a new item: tea. Which made up 80% of the shipments to Europe

Slide 19:

1. Great Britain wanted to trade with China but did not like their restrictions
2. Lord George Macartney delivered a letter from King George III to Qian-long
3. It asked for a better trade arrangement including the acceptance of british manufactured goods
4. Mccartney also refused to kowtow.
5. They denied their request saying
6. “There is nothing we lack, as your principal envoy and others have themselves observed. We have never set much store on strange or ingenious objects, nor do we need any more of your country’s manufactures”
7. Qian Long

Slide 20:

1. Before they came to power in China, the Manchus conquered Korea and made it a vassal state
2. Korea long existed in China’s shadow.
3. Koreans organized their government according to confucian principles
4. Adopted China’s technology
5. Culture
6. And policy of isolation

Slide 21:

1. When the manchus established the Qing dynasty, Korea’s political relationship with China did not change
2. Koreans feelings did though. Manchu invasions combined with a japanese attack in 1590 provoked strong feelings of nationalism in the korean people
3. Evident in their art
4. Instead of traditional chinese subject, many artists chose to show popular korean scenes .

Slide 22:

1. Introduction of irrigation and fertilizer, along with new crops from europe such as corn and sweet potatoes improved nutrition and families expanded
2. Population boom would soon follow
3. Chinese favored sons over daughters
4. Only a son was allowed to perform vital religious rituals
5. Son would also raise his family under his parents roof to help with farming

Slide 23:

1. Females were not really valued.
2. Many infant females were killed
3. Men dominated the household and their wives had significant responsibilities
4. Aside working in the fields, they also surprised the kids education, and managed the family's finances
5. Most remained secluded in their homes but some found outside jobs as midwives or textile workers .

Slide 24:

1. Culture of early modern china was based on mainly traditional forms
2. Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Zhan examines upper class Manchu society in the 1700s
3. Most artists painted in traditional styles, which valued technique over creativity

Slide 25:

1. In pottery technical skill, as well as experimentation led to the production of high quality ceramics including porcelain.
2. Drama was a popular entertainment, especially in rural china where literacy rates were low
3. Plays presented chinese history and cultural heroes entertained and also helped unify chinese society by creating a national culture.