1. The Ming Dynasty  (1368 AD- 1644 AD)

2.  Natural disasters, rebellions and civil war led to the fall of Yuan Dynasty.

3. Hongwu: (1368 AD- 1398AD)  Poor peasant who led a rebellion against the Mongols  Established himself as emperor- Ming Hung Wu  Ming=brilliant

4. Yongle:  Moved imperial capital to Beijing  Ordered construction of the Forbidden City  Home to China’s emperors  Commissioned 7 voyages of exploration to assert dominance of Ming Chinese power

5. Forbidden City

6. Zheng He:  Chinese Muslim Admiral who led all sea voyages under Yonglo  Sailed on voyages from southeast Asia and eastern Africa  Distributed gifts of silver and silk to show Chinese superiority  16 countries sent tribute back to Ming Court

8.  For reasons unknown, the Ming Dynasty turned to isolationism.  Citizens were forbidden from traveling outside of the country and foreigners were prohibited.

9. The Qing Dynasty (1644- 1911 AD)  Coming from Manchuria, the Manchu armies moved south and conquered China in 1644  Dynasty Qing= pure

10. Kangxi (1654- 1722 Ad)  First emperor of the Qing  Ruled for over 60 years  Offered intellectuals positions in government  Learned about technological developments in Europe through Jesuits at court

11. Qian-Long (1736- 1795 AD)  Brought Qing to the height of power and prosperity  Expanded China’s borders to include Taiwan, parts of central Asia, Mongolia and Tibet

12.  Maintained isolationist policy of the Ming until pressure from western nations came in the 1800s