Ming+Recovery+(579-580)

= = =**Ming Recovery (579-580)**=

RECOVERY IN CHINA: THE MING DYNASTY

1. Due to financial mismanagement, by the mid-fourteenth century the Mongol's Yaun dynasty was experiencing difficulties related to the economy and political conflicts led to assassinations and factional fighting among the Mongols themselves. In 1368, because to the bubonic plague, the dynasty collapsed and the Mongol's left China to return to the steppes. Increased birth rate ultimately provided political and demographic rebound for China after the Mongol departure. 2. When the Yuan dynasty fell, the governance of China returned to Chinese hands. In 1368 Emperor Hongwu, a previously poor orphan, established the Ming ("brilliant") dynasty which lasted until 1644. 3. Hongwu worked to diminish any trace of Mongol rule and establish a system of government on the model of traditional Chinese dynasties by reestablishing Confucian education and civil service system, but he moved to centralize authority more tightly then ever seen in the region before. In 1380, Hongwu suspected his chief minister of treason and therefore, executed him. From then on, Ming emperors ruled directly without the aid of chief ministers, and they closely supervised imperial affairs. 4. The Ming emperors insisted on absolute obedience to the policies and initiatives of the central government and relied heavily on the mandarins, a special class of powerful officials sent out as emissaries of the central government to ensure that local officials implemented imperial policy. The Ming emperors also turned to eunuchs for governmental services since they could not generate families and build power bases that might challenge ruling houses. 5. The employment of mandarins and eunuchs enhanced authority of the central government which allowed the dynasty to last for 500 years. In 1644, the dynasty fell to Manchu invaders, who founded the Qin dynasty. The Manchus retained the administrative framework of the Ming state, but the dynasty collapsed in 1911. 6. The Ming dynasty worked to wards economic recovery from nomadic rule and epidemic disease. They rebuilt irrigation system and promoted the manufacture of porcelain, lacquer-ware, and fine silk and textiles, but they did not actively promote trade with other lands. 7. Emperor Hongwu tried to eradicate all signs of the recent nomadic occupation by discouraging Mongol names and the wearing of Mongol dress. Yongle, Hongwu's successor, created a vast encyclopedia that compiled all significant works relating to Chinese history, philosophy, and literature. The Youngle Encyclopedia was a remarkable anthology, and it signaled the Ming rulers' interest in supporting native Chinese cultural traditions.