The Ming Dynasty

China suffered tremendously in the aftermath of the Mongol invasion. Their Confucian and Daoist philosophy, artistic achievements, and economy were diminished after the Mongol reign. However, from the ashes rose the Ming Dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty is a significant period in China because it represents the Chinese rebirth or significant rise in culture. Certain traditional customs that the Mongols had established were thrown out like the clothing, names, and promoting Confucian learning practices. Emperor Yongle is one of the most significant rulers during the Ming Dynasty because he gathered two thousand scholars to work on the great Encyclopedia, which consisted of all of the writing collections on the history, government, geography, etc. As the European Renaissance involved Europeans reexamining the past works of the Greeks and Romans, the Chinese also reexamined the past traditions. Many people, including me, only think that the Renaissance was confined to one area, but in fact, there was a global renaissance that involved China, the Islamic Empires, and Europe.

The Ming Dynasty also had the government restructured so that the emperor had the central authority. Under the emperor's leadership, eunuchs or castrated men, were loyal servants to the emperor and acted as personal advisors, which garnered them some political power. The emperors of the Ming Dynasty had great work projects that mirrored the New Deal programs in the Great Depression. The Chinese rebuilt canals, reservoirs, and irrigation systems, while re-cultivating millions of acres of agriculture and planting trees. The most significant event that Strayer mentions is the commissioning of three hundred ships that set sail on expeditions in 1405. The ships sailed to parts of Indonesia, East Africa and Arabia, bringing back tributes from the distant rulers. However, the expeditions were abruptly halted after 1433 and the ships were docked in port for the remainder of their lifespan.

One thing that the book did not mention of the Ming Dynasty was the beautiful porcelain. The Ming Dynasty had produced the best quality of porcelain and it is still seen as significant art today. Many of the Ming porcelain pottery sells for millions of dollars, but the price is not the focal point. The porcelain had been made with different colors, but one of the emperors introduced a cobalt method that gave the ceramics a blue underglaze decoration. The Ming Dynasty referred back to traditional ways of thinking and is seen as one example in the global renaissance during the 15th century.