China Objective; understabnd the remarkable voyages of Yong Le Ch. #16 sec1 China Objective; understabnd the remarkable voyages of Yong Le

China opened its doors to the Europeans, but then decided to close it when they realized the negative effect the had on their society

Ming Dynasty 明朝 Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 The Ming was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic Hans (the main Chinese ethnic group) Ming capital was Beijing Falling to the rebellion led in by Li Zicheng, it was replaced by the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty.

Forbidden City; Beijing

Military Ming rule saw the construction of a vast navy and a standing army of 1,000,000 troops China extended its rule into Mongolia, central Asia and briefly into Vietnam

Navy Between 1405 and 1433, the Ming government sponsored a series of seven naval expeditions. Emperor Yong le designed them to establish a Chinese presence, impose imperial control over trade Indian Ocean basin.

Zheng He In 1405, the Emperor entrusted his Zheng He as the naval admiral for a new fleet of ships designated for international missions. 7 different tributary voyages abroad, the Nanjing shipyards constructed two thousand vessels from 1403 to 1419 These missions were discontinued after the death of Zheng He

Zheng He; Treasure Ships His ships, were impressive examples of naval engineering. His treasure ships (which brought back to China such things a giraffes from Africa) were 440 feet long.

Yong le had conquered Vietnam in 1407, but Ming troops were pushed out in 1428 with significant costs to the Ming treasury In 1431 Vietnam was recognized as an independent tribute state

Vietnam

Bureaucracy There was a revival of the examination system Which ensure that Chinese scholarship was of the highest caliber, and that merit played a role in advancement. Members of the scholar-gentry were again appointed to the highest posts in the government

Ming Dynasty Achievements Effective government using central bureaucracy with officials chosen by the examination system. Extended rule into Mongolia and briefly Vietnam Strengthened Great Wall and made peace with nomadic tribes along northern borders Set up nationwide school system Increased production of manufactured goods; introduced new crops Completed Grand Canal Construction of new Imperial City in Beijing Conducted voyages of exploration