ADDITIONAL MING NOTES
-Hongwu was suspicious of the scholar-gentry at first but then appt. them
to high offices
-
he reinstated the examination system (was used in a greater fashion
than any other dynasty in the past)
o became more difficult
o held in compounds over several days
o county exams given 2 out of 3 years
o Imperial exams held at capital every 3 yrs
-
Hongwu abolished the position of chief minister
Hongwu introduced public beatings for bureaucrats found guilty of
corruption or incompetence
-
Hongwu’s wives needed to come from humble origins
Hongwu limited the number of eunuchs in the Forbidden City
Hongwu exiled all rivals and forbid them to get involved in politics
Thought control by removing sections of Mencius’ writings from the
exams
-
Hongwu promoted public works projects
o Dikes
o Irrigation system extentions
o Brought new lands into cultivation
-
unoccupied lands were tax-exempt if land was cleared and cultivated
lowered forced labor requirements of peasants
promoted silk and cotton production
-
Gentry’s power began to grow if they were in gov’t they didn’t have to
pay land taxes
Gentry began to live in bigger and more comfortable housing
-
-
Strong teaching of subordination of youth to elders and women to men
Stronger neo-confucianism!
Upper class women were taught to read and write (composed poetry,
painted and played instruments
Women became entertainers
-
Europeans were allowed to trade at the port of Canton
Business men had to pay high taxes and bribes to scholar-gentry
EXPANSION
-Zhenghe set out on seven expeditions beginning in1405
- Mainly to S.E. Asia and then to Persia, Southern Arabia, East coast of
Africa
- Zenghe brought back animals from Africa for the Imperial Zoo
-Ended because Scholar-gentry said they were too expensive and they
needed to repair the Great Wall of China because the Mongols were
bothering them again.
DECLINE
-incompetent leaders
- corruption
-isolated rulers
- Eunuchs dominated the Forbidden City
- public works fell into disrepair
-floods, drought, famine (ate tree bark again)
-open rebellion
-Japanese pirates
-1644 Jurchens attack (see map below for earlier location of Jurchens or
Jin