Essay Example on Ming Dynasty: China's First Encounter with Europeans

The Ming dynasty was the last Chinese-led dynasty and lasted between 1368 and 1644. After the decline and fall of the Ming dynasty, the Qing dynasty took over. The Qing dynasty was Manchurian-led and lasted between 1644 and 1911. Several elements constituted of the Ming dynasty couple of 'firsts.' One of their couple of first was that they were the first to deal with the ever-increasing number of Europeans in China during the pre-modern period.

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The Chinese knew it was time for a change in their country through the discovery of the one-eyed statue by a group of laborers. The statue had an inscription on it, warning individuals not to despise it for being one-eyed because it was going to be the center of rebellion throughout the Chinese empire. Shortly after the discovery of the one-eyed statue, other signs such as floods and landslides were experienced, which, together with the statue, were a sure sign that the heavens had abandoned the Mongol dynasty and that it was time for a change through a revolution.

One of the significant methods in which Hong Wu Emperor improved China after the fall of the previous dynasty was through the consolidation of the rule into an absolute rule by the emperor. Secondly, Hong improved china by abolishing the office of the chief minister, which was mainly a representative of the Chinese administration. The third way in which Hong developed China was by ordering several censuses and surveys in all regions in China, which eventually helped his government to regulate taxation. As a preventative measure to prevent social mobility, Hong made all occupations hereditary, and all members were grouped into several hereditary classes. The fourth strategy that was employed by Hong Wu to improve China was to revive scholarships and philosophies that had fallen during the Mongol dynasty.

The Chinese began to explore as a result of Yung Le's desire to expand China's trade to other countries in order to fulfill his exquisite taste in exotic and imported goods. Zheng He was a significant admiral in China who successfully led most of the voyages to the foreign lands. The Chinese stopped sailing when the emperor was convinced by the court scholars to reduce the rapid expansion in commercial and maritime because of his exquisite taste in exotic and imported goods would signal a decline in the dynasty.

China experienced its economic revolution through the expansion of trade to other countries. China engaged in an exchange trade with Japan and Portugal among other countries where they acquired silver as they gave out porcelain and silk. Additionally, the Ming exchanged their cotton, silk, and porcelain with firearms, tobacco, sugar, and silver from different countries all over the world. The extensive trade between China and other countries helped to revolutionize their economy and eventually became one of the leading manufacturing economies.

The Ming dynasty fell primarily because of the massive wave of rebellion that struck in all parts of the country, where people rebelled against the burden of taxes on the ordinary people. The Ming Dynasty also fell as a result of the decline incompetency of the emperors who took over. Moreover, the Manchu were rapidly expanding their military capability, and this undermined the authority of Ming's dynasty.

The Qing had a similar government structure like that of the Ming but had a dual representation from both the Manchu and Chinese in every position. However, the Manchu were more potent than the Chinese. The Qing military was loyal to the emperor and was owned by him. The military troops were strategically organized in separate units. The Qing ruled China through maintaining their own identity in ways such as illegalizing intermarriages, keeping their Manchuria homeland, which was not open to Chinese, and they continued to use their own language. The Qing also ruled China by ensuring that Chinese and Manchu military troops had separate duties with the Manchu troops taking superior responsibilities.

The Qing changed the Chinese culture by insisting that the Chinese had to change their dress codes where men were required to wear the Manchu type of clothes and shave their heads. Women were, however, not required to change their dressing were needed not to bind their legs. The Qing dynasty helped to improve China by ensuring that growth was initiated and enhanced. The Qing ensured that the public works were repaired and well maintained, taxes were significantly reduced, international trade was strengthened, and learning and arts were revived. One of the significant achievements of the Qing government is that it allowed for the expansion of the Chinese borders to a great extent.

Conclusion

The British impacted China through its export of opium to China. Many Chinese people became addicted to the use of opium and even converted land that was previously used for food production for the production of opium. Moreover, China was spending a significant amount of its money in settling opium arrears. Some of the factors that weakened the Qing dynasty include internal rebellion, especially from the T'ai P'ing. The Qing dynasty fell as a result of the young age of the emperors who took over. The emperors did not have the capacity to rule, and therefore, decision making was left for the advisors and empresses, who made irrational decisions and led to the fall of the Qing dynasty.