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Ming Dynasty

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The Rise of the Ming Dynasty The Ming Dynasty lasted about 300 years, since 1368 until 1644. Zhu Yuanzhang, its first emperor, was of very humble origins, having encountered several challenges while growing up, with his family dying of famine. After this, he decided to enter a Buddhist monastery, where he learned to read and write, and later joined a local rebellion against the Yuan dynasty, distinguishing himself as a great military leader and quickly becoming second-in-command. Meanwhile, Zhu and his army conquered numerous cities, which allowed them to increase the number of supporters, including educated men from the Yangtze River. From these men, he learned the rudiments of the Chinese language, the country’s history, the Confucian classics …show more content…

The purple connection was related to the night sky, and the purpose of this city was to emulate the purplish constellation with the North Start at its center. The imperial capital was transferred from Nanjing to the location of the current city of Beijing, and it was called “The Forbidden City”. The new capital was surrounded by a wall 15 miles long and 40 feet high, and composed by more than 90 palace compounds. The access was exclusive to the members of the imperial family and those serving or having business with them. In fact, 24 emperors of the Ming and Ching dynasties ruled the country from this city and its construction took almost 20 years. Moreover its design reflected the order that the Emperor was meant to bestow on his empire. The city reflected the Confucian ideology, for instance the respect for hierarchy. Moreover, it took inspiration from Chinese folk beliefs and it is an example of art built upon the conception of Feng Shui, the Chinese geomancy, which means divination or foresight by the earth. This city embodies the Chinese life and philosophy, characterized by an essential unity between the universe, humanity and nature. Some of the palaces of the Forbidden City are closely related to the Book of Changes, which it is connected with male and female energy, safety, …show more content…

The intrinsic reasons for this fall were analyzed in depth, and some believe that it was a consequence of an authority and power fully centralized in the emperor, with competences diminishing “from emperor to emperor”. Therefore, the first stage of the declining process was the succession of emperors lacking virtue and expertise, which risen political instability, because these “mediocre” emperors were raised in a luxurious life, not having the motivation and concern of governing their country. This would contrast with the first emperor, Yuanzhang, accustomed to a poor and difficult life. As a consequence, financial troubles arose, due to several fiscal problems, namely the impossibility of paying to the imperial court members and the large military costs associated with the defense of the country against the

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