Dr. Vess's World Civilization Virtual Library

China in the early Modern Period:

The Ming and Ching Dynasties

objectives:

1. Be able to discuss and explain the characteristics of the Ch'in emperor, Shi Huang Ti.
2. Be able to discuss the ideals of Confucius and his notion of an ideal emperor.
3. Be able to apply #1 and #2 to the Ming and Ching dynasties.
4. Be able to describe in detail the Forbidden City.
5. Be able to list characteristics of the Ming Dynasty which were repressive.
6. Be able to list characteristics of the Ming Dynasty which were Confucian.
7. Be able to list characteristics of the Ching Dynasty which were Confucian.
8. Be able to discuss the achievements of the Ming dynasty which led historians to label it the "brilliant" dynasty.
9. Be able to discuss China's relations with the west during the Ming and Ching eras.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

China was the technological master of the world at a time when the west was struggling to recover from the demise of ancient Rome. The Chinese developed the printing press by 700 C.E., as compared to its western counterpart in 1446 C.E.. The Chinese wrote the first novels, and were a highly literature and educated society, demanding virtue and scholarship from government officials rather than hereditary standing. During the Ming and Ch'ing dynasties, there was an explosion of culture which can be likened to the Renaissance in the west. Ming porcelain was highly prized, and voluminous encyclopedias and histories were produced. Some of the greatest statesmen of all time lived in this era, exemplifying Confucian ideals. Despite voyages of exploration on a much larger scale than those of the west, the Ming and Ch'ing closed China off to western trade. The life of the last Ch'ing emperor, walled off in the Forbidden City, symbolized Chinese culture in this period. Despite the glory and grandeur of their society, China could not hold off the advancing tide of western imperialism, and in the Opium Wars, the British presence was firmly established. So began a long decline, which culminated in the communist revolution of the twentieth century. Yet China today is still strongly tied to the China of old. The Chinese have always seen progress as returning to the ways of the past, as opposed to moving toward an unknown future. The best society is the society which most closely approximates that of the ancient past. China is a living testament to the power of the past, and its continuing legacy in each of our presents.
Famous Quotations (from antiquity:

I am not one who was born in possession of knowledge; I am one who is fond of antiquity, and earnest in seeking it there. Confucius, Analects, bk. 7:19
While you are not able to serve men, how can you serve spirits? While you do not know life, how can you know about death? bk. 11:11
What the superior man seeks is in himself. What the mean man wants is in others. bk. 15:20
We look at the Tao and do not see it; Its name is the Invisible. We listen to it and do not hear it; Its name is the Inaudible. We touch it and do not find it; Its name is the Subtle. Lao Tzu, Tao te Ching 14
Abandon learning and there will be no sorrow. Tao te Ching 20
OUTLINE

I. Basic elements of Chinese Society
A. The Family
B. Confucianism
i. the Confucian ideals: the emperor as benevolent father of the empire
ii. harmony, order and balance
iii. the heavenly emperors:
Fu Hsi -- the Yin and Yang
Huang Ti's twenty five sons
Ti Yao and the worthy successor
Yu and self-sacrifice iv. merit vs. heredity
II. The Forbidden City"
A. Built during the Ming Dynasty exhibits both Confucian ideals and teh bitter repression of the Ming period
B. The beginning of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)
i. Huang-wu
C. Repressive aspects of the Ming Dynasty
i. functional division of the population ii. census
iii. Guards with the Brocade Uniforms (secret police) public abuse of officials
iv. abolition of the Imperial Secretariat v. eunuchs forbidden to read
vi. civil service examinations: the eight legged essays only Ming philosophy accepted
D. The "Brilliant Dynasty"
i. the reconstruction of the economy
a. reclaimed useless land
b. 1000 million trees planted repopulation of deserted regions
ii. silver from the New World: the single whip reform
iii. plants from the New World maize and sweet potato
iv. cultural prosperity: Confucianism in the Ming period
a. porcelain: blue on white
b. tempered musical scale: could be played on any instrument
c. Hsu Hsia Ko -- geogrpahy traced the origin of the Yangtze river
d. literature in spoken dialects
e. the Voyage to the West
E. China and the Outside World
i. China and the outside world: the Great Wall
ii. exploration in the Ming
a. the Cheng-ho expeditions b. tribute from many different peoples
iii. the West and the Jesuits
F. Decline of the Ming:
i. expenditures maintenance payments to relatives
ii. internal strife: the power of the eunuchs
iii. The Woukou invasions (Japanese)
iv. mongol attacks: the Great Wall projects
III. The Ching Dynasty (pure) 1644-1911
A. Ching were in the minority -- only 2% of the population Confucian ideals:
B. attacked corruption and the abuse of the peasantry
C. New crops:
a. two rice crops.
b. rice staple of diet
c. population explosion during the Ching era: China most populous region in the world
d. "in no country in the world is there less misery and want than in China" China as model of the mercantile system
D. promoted the arts:
i. Ku Yen-wu: philology historical criticism
ii. Chang Hsueh cheng: philosophy of history
iii. 5,000 volume encyclopedia
iv. Tai Chen: scientific proofs
v. the emperor Kang Hsi: The Ming History
vi.. the emperor Ch'ien Lung: The Four Treasures
E. China and the West:
i. westerners only in Canton
ii. Opium Wars during the Imperialist Age British defeated China in 1842