The Ming Dynasty is mostly remembered for its trade expending to the outside world that established cultural ties with the West as well as its also remembered for its drama, literature and world-renowned porcelain.
Rise of the Ming Dynasty:
Taizu or Zhu Yuanzhang was the founder of Ming Dynasty. Being born into poverty he spent part of his youth wandering the country when following a series of natural disasters centered around the Yellow River his parents died.
He spent several years for living in a Buddhist monastery as well as several more for begging there, but finally when a militia burned it down to quell a rebellion that life came to an end.
A rebel group related to the White Lotus Society was joined by Taizu in 1352 A.D. and rapidly rose up through the ranks, eventually on the city of Nanjing he led an invasion successfully, later he used it as a base to lash out at regional warlords.
The Mongolian rulers of the Yuan empire was Taizu's ultimate quarry. Taizu destroying the palaces after capturing Beijing in 1368 and after sending the Mongolian rulers fleeing he announced the Ming Dynasty.
Taizu:
Emperor Taizu’s empire was one of military discipline with a fierce sense of justice and a respect of authority. He would have them beaten if his officials did not kneel before him.
Taizu who transformed his palace guard into a form of secret police to root out betrayals and conspiracies was considered a suspicious ruler. In 1380 A.D., he brought about 30,000 executions after he began an internal investigation that lasted 14 years.
So he conducted two more such efforts going deep with his paranoia resulting in another 70,000 killings of government workers, ranging from guards and servants to high government officials.
Ming Dynasty Trade:
Taizu was succeeded by his 15-year-old grandson, but Chengzu who was one of Taizu’s sons, ignited a civil war to take the throne.
From 1405 to 1433, to expand the Chinese tribute system to other countries Chengzu launched ambitious flotillas. As he sent ships to India, the Persian Gulf and the east coast of Africa, pre-dating European efforts of similar scope.
Maritime trade which saw China exporting silk and allowing a European presence in the empire replaced the tribute system by 1557. Expansion of cuisine happened during this period, as food like sweet potatoes and peanuts entered China for the first time.
Significant emigration outside of the empire were brought during this period for the merchant class.
Ming Porcelain:
Porcelain was one of the best-loved exports of the Ming Dynasty. The technique was developed during the Tang Dynasty which included grinding china-stone, mixing it with china-clay and then baking until translucent, but it got perfected in the Ming era.
In 1368 an imperial porcelain factory was created in Jingdezhen to produce wares for the imperial court. The classic Ming porcelain was white and blue although various colors might be featured on a piece.
The source of porcelain exports that were extremely popular in Europe was the Jingdezhen factory, which hoped to replicate the form.
Great Wall of China:
Throughout the history of China maintenance of the Great Wall of China was not consistent, and it required significant repair work by the time of the Ming Dynasty.
The citizens of the Ming Dynasty were constantly threatened by the Mongols, and the most effective defense against invasion was considered to be the Great Wall. The Mongols captured Emperor Zhengtong in 1449 after several clashes.
Rather than paying a ransom the Ming government chose to replace the emperor with his half-brother. Restoring the Great Wall to its full glory and power was the best use of their money as the government decided which would effectively protect the Ming empire.
Zhengtong under the name Tianshun eventually sat on the throne again after getting released.
Matteo Ricci:
Providing the world with the first glimpses of life in China as Christian missionaries from Europe began to enter the country.
Matteo Ricci who started the first Catholic mission in China in 1583, was a Jesuit priest from Italy. Ricci learned Chinese and wrote a series of books about the country translating Chinese classic literature into Latin.
Books by Euclid were also translated into Chinese by Ricci, and those proved to be very popular. Ricci often dressed in silk robes and gone by the name Li Matou was known for embracing Chinese ways.
Ming Dynasty Literature:
With an avalanche of affordable books being produced for commoners, the Ming Dynasty saw a publishing boom in China. Reference books were popular, as well as Confucian literature and civil service examination guides even some religious tracts and school primers were popular too.
For stories written in colloquial language there was a sizable market for fiction. A popular series of humorous short stories that featured palace figures and ghosts written by Feng Menglong had sold well among merchants and educated women.
Play scripts were also sold successfully. Tang Xianzu was one well-regarded playwright, he specialized in social satire and romance. Full-length novels began to grow in popularity during the Ming Dynasty. Many ancient story cycles that had been part of oral traditions for centuries were adapted in these novels.
Many unknown authors wrote many of the best-known Ming era novels using a pseudonym, as with the erotic work Jin Ping Mei, both The Plum in the Golden Vase and The Golden Lotus were translated and written by someone using the pen name Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng, or “The Scoffing Scholar of Lanling.”
With printing methods allowing for artists to carve their illustrations on wood blocks for easily reproducible images book illustration also thrived during this period.
One publisher would make their books distinct from others Using illustrations as it became the new way of being innovative, since there was an overlap of written content from publisher to publisher.
Fall of the Ming Dynasty:
Enormous fiscal problems that resulted in a calamitous collapse was partly undone by the Ming rule. Financial troubles got more deeper with several factors. Paying all the clan’s members became a severe burden as the Imperial clan became overstuffed.
Efforts in Korea and Japan did the worst damage as military campaigns had also became a significant drain on the empire’s purse, as well as the constant costs of defending against insurgents, particularly the Mongols.
The result of the lowest temperatures of the Little Ice Age sparked as agricultural disaster which also helped deplete funds. Earlier freezes, shortened growing seasons and production of pitiful harvests resulted in with a drop in average temperature.
Starving soldiers deserted their posts and formed marauding gangs ravaging the countrysides due to these circumstances which lead to famine.
The Imperial military proved incapable of stopping the Ganga who were moving easy by 1632. The country was further decimated by drought, disease, flooding and locusts. Soon after, rebellion and riots became commonplace.
In 1642, a group of rebels unleashed flooding that killed hundreds of thousands of people as well as destroyed the dikes of the Yellow River.
Two competing rebel leaders, Li Zicheng and Zhang, took control of separate parts of the country as the social order broke down and smallpox spread and both declared new dynasties.
Chóngzhēn who was the left Ming emperor committed suicide in 1644. The semi-nomadic Manchu people later that year, prevailed over the chaos and became the ruling Qing Dynasty.
Written by: Gourav Chowdhury
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