Yuan vs. Ming
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Who were the leaders?
What were the strengths?
What were the weaknesses?
What happened to these empires?
Yuan Dynasty
• The Yuan dynasty was different than the ones before it
because the leaders weren’t Chinese- they were
Mongols
• The Mongols were a tribe of nomads from the north
• These nomads were fierce and they terrorized people
throughout Asia
Yuan Leaders
• Genghis Khan- a brutal leader
who conquered northern
China, wrecking towns, killing
people and ruining farmland
• Kublai Khan- Genghis’
grandson, he conquered the
rest of China and made himself
emperor
• His dynasty is called the Yuan
dynasty
Yuan Talents
• The Yuan dynasty was known
for
– Conquering other people with
their powerful and brutal army
– Trading: soldiers kept trade
routes safe for merchants,
welcomed foreign traders
into China
– Public works: used taxes to
improve the Grand Canal, fix
roads, create a postal system
Yuan Weaknesses
• Too much
conquering!
Mongols tried to
take over Japan
and were defeated
• Weak economy:
expensive public
projects weakened
the empire
Outcome
• The Yuan dynasty fell when Chinese got
fed up with Mongol rule and overthrew
the dynasty
• The weakened Mongol rulers couldn’t stop
the rebellion
Japanese
Samurai
defeat
Mongols
Ming Dynasty
• Leader: Zhu Yuanzhang
• He was a former monk
who took charge of a
rebel army and defeated
the Mongols in China
• Created a stable and
prosperous dynasty
Ming Talents
• The Ming dynasty was known for:
– Building: built the Forbidden City- a city with
hundreds of buildings that only the rich and
powerful could go in. Also restored the Great
Wall
– Sailing: Zheng He sailed around Asia, to
Africa, had a huge fleet with 25,000 sailors
and 300 ft. long boats
– Protecting power: Ming emperors kept power
to themselves
Forbidden City satellite view
Zheng He’s voyages
Ming Weaknesses
• Isolationism- a
policy of avoiding
contact with
other countries
– During the Ming
dynasty, China
banned foreign
trade and stopped
sailing to foreign
lands
Outcome
• Due to isolationism, China’s glory
faded as the Western world made huge
technological advances without them
Now we know…
• Who was Genghis Khan?
Now we know…
• How did the Mongols gain control of
China?
Now we know…
• Who was Zheng He? What did he do?
Now we know…
• What is isolationism?
Now we know…
•
Trade and other contact with peoples far
from China stopped under which
dynasty?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Yuan
Song
Ming
Sui
Now we know…
• What was the name of the palace complex
with hundreds of structures built during the
Ming dynasty?