Chapter 13: Asian Empires
SECTION 2: MONGOL & MING EMPIRES
CH. 13.2 MONGOL & MING EMPIRES
Do Now
Take out Homework
Copy Objectives:
SWBAT compare and contrast East Asian
societies, politics and economies, under
the rule of various Mongolian and Ming
emperors.
MONGOL EMPIRE (12OOS )
 Who
were the Mongolians?
 Warriors,
horsemen, nomads
 Tribes fight each other
 Tribes united by Genghis Khan
 Mongol Empire included China, Central Asia, and
extended into Eastern Europe
1. GENGHIS KHAN: MONGOL CONQUEROR
United warring Mongol
tribes
 Conquered China,
Central Asia
 Military discipline
 Used cannon warfare
to conquer walled
cities of China

GENGHIS KHAN’S MONGOL EMPIRE (1206-1227)
GENGHIS KHAN
GENGHI KHAN’S POLITICS: HOW DOES HE RULE?
NOT oppressive to conquered people
 Ended the civil servant system
 Made states pay a tribute.
 DQ: What do we call such states? Think of the
Tang dynasty.
 Rules with toleration, justice
 DQ: Why?
 Answer: Pax Mongolica (peace)
 Political peace = Economic growth
 DQ: How could war destabilize the empire’s
economy? Do wars today destabilize economies?

GENGHIS KHAN: ECONOMY

Trade: Silk Road
 Trade
route joining Europe, Middle East and Asia
 Movement of tools, food, ideas
 Cultural Exchanges (cultural diffusion)
 China
windmills, gunpowder, porcelain, playing cards to Europe
 Papermaking technology to the Middle East in return for
crops and trees

2. KUBLAI KHAN








POLITICS: HOW DOES HE RULE?
Conquests south China (1279) –
Vietnam
Yuan Dynasty
Rules from Cambulac (Beijing)
Military and high government jobs
reserved for Mongolians
DQ: Why?
Tolerant toward other religions & visitors
Welcomes visitors
Marco Polo



Italian merchant, lives there 17 years
Writes a book about Asia’s wealth
Europeans become interested in China
WHY?
KUBLAI KHAN’S MONGOL EMPIRE
YUAN DYNASTY
KUBLAI KHAN: ECONOMY
Extended the Grand Canal to Beijing
 Trade with Europe, Middle East
 Economy is thriving
 Problems: large empire = large costs

3. ZHU YUANZHANG:
POLITICS
Chinese peasant leader who
organized an army
 Takes China back from Mongols
 Ming Dynasty
 Pushes Mongols past the Great
Wall
 Restored the civil service system
 Restored Confucianism –
emphasis on duty, honesty,
loyalty

MING EMPIRE
3. ZHU YUANZHANG:
ECONOMY
Economy thrives
 Improved farming: surplus of
rice
 Farm crops from Europe and
America (corn, sweet
potatoes)
 Cities: artisans make
porcelain, tools, paper
 Technology: print books
 Art: blue-white porcelain
vases, literature, world’s 1st
detective stories, poetry,
opera

4. ZHENG HE (1405)
Promoted China’s power overseas (Middle East,
Africa)
 Sailed with 162 ships
 Collected tributes from other states
 Confucian scholars criticize Zheng He

 See
no reason for exploration
 Say it is too costly
 Want to preserve ancient traditions and do not
want foreign influences in China.
CLOSING : REVIEW






Who were the four emperors we learned about?
Which ones were Mongolians?
Describe the empire under their rule.
Which ones were Chinese?
Who established the Ming dynasty?
Describe China during the Ming dynasty.
JOURNAL:
Which of these 4 emperors do you think
was the most successful?
Use examples to support your answer.