THE RISE AND FALL OF THE MING DYNASTY

This research paper describes the rise and fall of the Ming dynasty in China (13681644). In anglicizing Chinese names for people and places, traditional nomenclature is used, thus Peking, not Bejing.

The long reign of the Ming dynasty bridged two periods during which China was ruled by foreign invaders, the Mongols (12711368) and the Manchus (16441912). The first Ming emperor, Chu Yuanchang, drove the Mongols from Peking in 1368. After providing China with nearly three centuries of relative peace, stability and prosperity, the Ming dynasty lost the capital city to a Manchu army in 1644.

The Mongol Empire, which in its heyday included Central Asia, most of Russia and Persia as well as China, was founded by Genghis Khan. Mongol forces conquered Northern China in 1234 and ousted the Song dynasty from Southern China in 1271. Thereafter, Kublai Khan, one of Genghis' grandsons, ruled China with a firm hand until his death in 1294. During its last seven decades, the Mongol Empire gradually disintegrated as a result of recurrent succession struggles, factionalism, favoritism in appointments, a worthless currency, high inflation and, after the flooding of the Yellow River in 1340, widespread unrest and famine in the countryside. Latourette says that "the Mongols were divided among themselves and could not present a united front to their enemies" (Latourette 215). Antiforeign feeling was fanned by v

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s period. In power terms, Ming China probably reached its peak in the early 15th century. According to Latourette, Yung Lo "vigorously maintained and [increased] Chinese prestige abroad and gave the Empire an energetic domestic administration" (Latourette 228). Architecture and many of the arts, such as drama, fiction and painting, thrived under the Mings until the mid17th century. The term Ming, which means "beautiful" or "glorious," appeared to be apt. Decline and Fall One of the first signs of incipient decay was what Kennedy calls China's decision under the weak emperors who followed Yung Lo "to turn its back on the world" (Kennedy 7). In the 15th century, China was technologically superior to Europe in many fields. In 1436 an imperial edict was issued forbidding the construction of oceangoing vessels. Foreign missions and voyages were banned. Trade and even contact with foreigners were officially discouraged. Chinese scholars and other members of the elite remained interested in Western science and products. The coastal cities continued to trade illicitly with Japan and the West. Later in the 16th century, Jesuit missionaries entered China. On the whole, China remained isolated from the rest of the world b

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