Economic+and+Social+Change;+Patriarchs+and+Population+Growth+(731-735)

=**Economic and Social Change; Patriarchs and Population Growth (731-735)** =

The Ming and Qing emperors succeeded in restoring and maintaining traditional ways in Chima by modeling their governmental structure on the centralized imperial states of the earlier chinese dynasties. The emperors promoted conservative political and social policies. China experienced economic and social changes. Agriculture production increased and lead to the rapid population growth. Global trade brought China wealth. (MB)


 * **The Patriarchal Family**
 * Moralists thought of Chinese people as one big family. (MB)
 * They also said the Chinese extended family values to the larger society. (MW)
 * Filial peity implied not only duties of children towards their dads but also loyalty of subjects toward the emperor. (MB)
 * Like the imperial government, the Chinese family was hierarchal, patriarchal, and authoritarian. (MW)
 * Filial peity was the cornerstone of family values. (MB)
 * The father was the head of the household and he passed the family leadership to his eldest son. (MB)
 * Kids looked after their parents well being and supported them in their old age. (MB)
 * Some Kids heard stories of sons cutting off parts of their bodies to make sure that their parents had enough to eat. (MW)
 * The social assumption of Chinese families extended into patrilineal descent groups like the clan. (MB)
 * Clans had responsibilities that exceeded the capacities of the nuclear family. (MB)
 * Clans were sometimes numbering into the thousands, members came from all social classes. (MW)
 * Confucian principles subjected women to the authority of men. (MB)
 * Parents preferred boys over girls. (MB)
 * Footbinding became popular. (MB)
 * Footbinding constrained and deformed feet by using linen strips so feet couldn't grow naturally and wouldn't support the weight of an adult women.(MB)
 * Footbinding originated in the Song Dynasty, and become more popular in the late Ming and Qing dynasties. (MW)
 * Footbinding was most popular in wealthy classes. (MB)
 * Commoners sometimes bound the feet of really pretty girls in hopes they woud have a good marriage and enhance the family's social standing. (MB)
 * Marriage was a contractual affair whose principal purpose was to continue the male line of descent. (MW)
 * Bride became member of husband's family. (MB)
 * As soon as the bride got to her husband's home on the wedding day, she performed ritual acts that demonstrated subservience to her husband and her new family. (MB)
 * If a woman's husband were to die, it was frowned upon for her to remarry.(JP)
 * It was not uncommon for a woman to commit suicide after her husband's death so that they could go to the grave together. (JP)
 * Chinese society underwent a significant change between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. (JP)


 * **Population Growth and Economic Development**
 * The Emperor acknowledged the importance of agriculture by plowing the first furrow of the season. (MB)
 * Begginging mid 17th century Spanish merchants introduced American food crops to China. (MB)
 * American maize, sweet potatoes, and peanuts permitted Chinese farmers to take advantage of soils that previously had not been cultivated. (MW)
 * Chinas population rose from 100 million in 1500 to 160 million in 1600, but by 1750 it was up to 225 million people. (MW)
 * Growing population placed pressure on Chinese resources. (MB)
 * Only a small percentage of Chinese land was suitable for agriculture. (JP)
 * Chinese farmers relied on a garden-style of farming. (JP)
 * Global trade brought prospriety to China especially during the early Qing dynasty. (MB)
 * Silk, porcelain, lacquerware, and tea were traded with those in the Indean Ocean vasin, central Asia, and Europe. (JP)
 * During the early 15th century Ming emperor Yongle sought to establish a Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean basin. He sponsered a series of 7 massive maritime expeditions. (MB)
 * On his expeditions he fought pirates in SE Asian waters, intervened in local conflicts in Sumatra and Ceylon, and he intimidated the local authorities in Arabia and Monadishu with shows of force, all to establish a presence throughout the Indian Ocean Basin. (MW)
 * After his reign Ming government withdrew its support for maritime expeditions and tried to prevent Chinese subjects from dealing with foreign peoples. (MB)
 * Chinas economic expansion took place largely because of the absence to technological innovation. (MB)
 * China was the worlds leader in technology. (MW)
 * Imperial armed forces used European cannons and firearms of their own. (MW)
 * Despite epidemic diseases Chinese population rose from 100 million to 160 million betheen 1500 and 1600. This was due largely to the introduction of new crops. (JP)
 * Food production was not able to keep up with such a rapid population growth, but this did not cause a major problem until the 19th century. (JP)
 * Entrepreneurial Chinese Merchants went to the Philippines, Borneo, Sumatra, Malaya, and Thailand to find and exotic tropical product for chinese consumption. (MW)
 * Durint the early 15th century, the Ming emperor, Yongle, wanted to establish a Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean basin. He had seven maritime expeditions led by Zeng He. (JP)
 * These expeditions had as many as 300 ships and 28,000 men. They were used as a large intimidation factor in this region. (JP)
 * However after Yongle's reign, Ming officials stoped these expeditions. (JP)