19.
2 – China Limits
European Contacts
Learning Target:
• how China itself started to
expand and explore under the Ming Dynasty
• 1st Ming Emperor and his reforms
• Zheng He’s 7 voyages.
• Turn China into a dominant
Ming Dynasty
power
• Established vassal states in (1368-1644),
Korea & SE Asia = tributes
• 1368: Hongwu drives the
Mongols out of China = 1st
Ming ruler
• His reforms:
1. Restores lands devastated by
war
increased rice production and
improved irrigation
2. Promotes fish farming, &
growth of commercial crops for
trade (cotton and sugar cane)
3. Erases Mongol influences
• Hongwu encouraged
Ming (cont.) return to Confucian
standards
• To improve imperial
administration he returns
government to merit-
based civil exam
• Becomes a tyrant late in
his rule
• 1398: Yonglo (son) takes
power
– Moves court to Beijing
– Strived to reach the
outside world = 7 voyages
to show off China’s power
Voyages of Zheng He
• Chinese Muslim Admiral
• Leads all of Yonglo’s
expeditions
– Range from SE Asia to E
Africa
– Massive fleets w/ treasure
ships (400 feet long-
27.000 crews)
• Distributes gifts to
peoples = Chinese power
• Gains vast amounts of
tribute for China
Learning Target
• The factors that led to
the downfall of the This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC
Ming dynasty
• How China lost interest
in contacts from abroad
Foreign Relations • China practiced
isolation
• Foreign trade only by
government
• Trade remains
profitable = smugglers
• China doesn’t
industrialize
– 1) Offends Confucian
beliefs
– 2) Favor agriculture
• Christian missionaries
bring European culture
• 1644: Manchus invade Qing Dynasty
China = Qing Dynasty
• Qing not Chinese =
rebellions
• Keep Confucian beliefs &
social structure
• Restore prosperity &
defend/expand borders
Learning Target
• How the Manchus
continue Chinese This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC
Isolation
• Korea under the
Manchus
Manchu rulers
Kangxi Qiang-long
• Reduced government • Placed armed nomads to
expenses protect its borders
• Lowered taxes • Expanded European
• Offered governmental presence of missionaries
positions to intellectuals and merchants in China
• Enjoyed the company of
Jesuits at court
• China = Cultural Center of
Isolation the Universe
• Foreigners could only
trade at special ports &
paid tribute
– Accepted the Dutch as
trade partners
– WHY???
– They accepted China’s
restrictions
– They paid tribute
– Performed the “kowtow”
ritual
• Traded with Britain, but
Isolation faced problems over
tribute/respect
• Lord George Macartney
refuses to kowtow
In the 1800s, the British,
Dutch, and others would
attempt to chip
away(remove) at
China’s trade restrictions
until the empire itself
began to crack.
• 1636: Manchus conquer Manchu Korea
Korea = vassal state
• Government organized
by Confucian principles
• Adopt Chinese tech,
culture, and isolation
• Nationalist ideals
develop from Manchu
invasion & Japanese
attacks
– Want for sovereignty
• 1600-1700s: Peace &
Life in China prosperity
• Irrigation & fertilizer
increases
• Grow more & new crops
brought by Europe =
population explosion
– Corn, potatoes, etc.
Life in China • Chinese families favored
SONS over DAUGHTERS
• Females not valued in
China, males favored
– Often infants are killed
– Working in fields
– Supervised kids’ education
– Managed family money
– Working in textile industry
or midwives
Cultural Developments
• Ming & Qing culture follow old
traditions
• Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao
Zhan
• Painting
• Pottery
• Drama:
-plays presented Chinese history
- Helped them unify
