Ming China, 1368 - 1644
The Mongols had control of China for 100 years, but the dethroning of the Mongols marked the last pure Chinese dynasty. The Ming Dynasty, founded by Zhu Yuanzhang, started with the fall of the Mongols and lasted 300 years.
Zhu was a cruel man of great talents, but his son, also successor, Yongle was and even greater general.
Under Yongle China triumphed over their enemies and conquered land from Korea to Vietnam.
The Chinese government proved effective because of the large population growth during the dynastic period.
The rapid population growth lead to a need for more food, which required new area for cultivation.
New crops from the Americas, Portugal, and Ireland arrived through the trans-Pacific trade and were
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Economic Progress & Urbanization and Technology
Merchants acquired large sums of profit because China revolved around commercial activity - buying, selling, and trading.
The Ming period was a time of large populations and a significant increase in urban inhabitants.
Those who inhabited Ming China had fairly decent lifestyles and were well fed and housed. There are many speculation as to why China did not advance to an industrial revolution. One of the speculations is that China’s high regard for artists and scholars lead them to put little emphasis on accumulating materials goods.
The Ming Political System
The first Ming ruler organized China into fifteen provinces, that were broken down into many countries, and this has lasted until the present day, almost completely unchanged. The population was organized into three groups known as peasants, soldiers, and workers. These chief groups didn't not last in China because it was too large and the bread racy was to small. Eunuchs were hated and feared by many Chinese because they were completely dedicated to the emperor and acted with dictator like power.
The Forbidden City was and area filled with great palaces, offices, where high powered official resided.
The Bureaucracy
The first Ming emperor reinstated the government service exam, which was eliminated by the Mongols. Not many were successful at achieving a spot, but those who were were able to compete for spot within the central