The Mongol Interlude in Chinese History
- Kubilai Khan worked on the invasion of China during the Song dynasty.
- He changed his Mongol regime to a Chinese-language dynastic title, Yuan dynasty.
- Passed laws for distinction between Mongols and Chinese. E.g. forbade Chinese to learn
Mongol script and forbade relationships between women and men.
- Kubilai Khan admired the Chinese customs + traditions; introduced their rituals and music.
- Rejected Confucian advisors’ advise to bring back civil examinations.
- New social structure: Mongols at top, nomads + Muslims next, north Chinese, and finally, the
minority people.
MI: When Kubilai Khan invaded and conquered China, he did not want the customs of the
conquered people to fully overpower their own Mongol customs, though, he did admire their
traditions.
- Adopted Confucian advisors, but rejected their idea to bring back civil examinations for
the bureaucratic system.
- Adopted their music + rituals, including human sacrifice.
- Forbade relationships and learning of the Mongol script for the Chinese.
- Chinese were generally lower class and could not exercise top political power; best they
could be were advisors to the people of the top.
Gender Roles and the Convergence of Mongol and Chinese Culture
- Mongol women refused footbinding. Retained independent rights; control of household, being
able to go out.
- Mongol women could go out and hunt with their husbands.
- Chabi was one of Kubilai Khan’s confidants; she exercised political influence over him and
helped develop policies to spread Buddhism and to make the Chinese people happy so that they
would become easier to rule.
MI: Mongol women demonstrated a sense of independence and freedom different from those of
the Chinese women.
- Mongol women refused footbinding, and retained their abilities to have influence or
control over the household and be able to go out.
- They could even participate in fighting activities, such as hunting, alongside their
husbands.
- Some women, like Chabi, also had political influence over the people holding the top
political positions.
Mongol Influence and Foreign Cultural Influence
- Chabi and Kubilai encouraged artisans, artists, scholars, and office-seekers to come to the Yuan
court, wherever they may have came or originated from.
- Muslims helped design Kubilai’s imperial city, proposed a new system for tax collection, and
improved the medical field.
- Persians improved astrology, even correcting the Chinese calendar.
- Kubilai insisted on religious tolerance for every religion.
MI: Kubilai encouraged the joining of scholars, artisans, and artists so that they could collaborate
together to improve upon his Mongol society and enrich its cultural and intellectual aspects.
- To encourage cooperation, Kubilai developed a policy where all religions would be
accepted; this would decrease the amounts of conflicts over beliefs.
- Muslims worked together to improve the medical field by translating medical texts, and
even helped develop a new system for tax collections.
- Persians developed new tools for looking at the stars; they corrected the Chinese
calendar as a result of new findings from their tools.
Social Policies and Scholar-Gentry Resistance
- Southern Chinese did not accept Mongol rule; viewed them as barbarians who showed
favoritism to other Mongols and refused Confucianist people to take higher political positions.
- Improved social power of merchants and artisans, people whom the southern Chinese looked
negatively upon.
- Urbanization began to grow as more conquering occurred.
- Actors and actresses grew in status; they were no longer regarded as mean people and had
celebrity status.
- Kubilai also improved the status and well-being of the peasants, including setting up an
educational system, one of the only social class improvements that did not anger the scholargentry class.
MI: Many of the policies that Kubilai enacted to help improve the social statuses of many classes
angered the scholar-gentry class because it did not fit their ideal image of a perfect social
hierarchy.
- Merchants and artisans grew in power for their abilities to help improve trade and help
in warfare.
- Actors and actresses grew in power as well due to the Mongols’ emphasis on the
creative arts.
- Peasants began to grow in power as well, from being protected and being taxed less.
This was one of the few changes where the scholar-gentry class approved of.
- The scholar-gentry class disliked how the Mongols rejected their plans of bringing back
civil examinations.
The Fall of the House of Yuan
- Song loyalists raised revolts and expressed hostility towards the Mongol rule.
- Successors of Kubilai were corrupt and greedy. They lacked his leadership and ability to rule.
- Peasants were angered by increased taxes and mandatory labor, which the scholar-gentry used
to incite revolts.
- Banditry and piracy began to spread.
- White Lotus Society was a religious sect (one of many) dedicated to overthrowing the empire.
- Local leaders quarreled with each other, causing internal strife/conflicts.
MI: After Kubilai Khan died, his successors did not do a good job at managing his dynasty.
Their selfish desires led to the unification of the people who had opposed their rule.
- Peasants banded together, convinced by the scholar-gentry class, to revolt against their
local leaders.
- Local leaders bickered amongst themselves, causing disorganization and lack of unity.
- Bandits and pirates were widespread, adding more into the mix of chaos.
- Religious sects such as the White Lotus Society further unified the opposition and
dedicated themselves to overthrowing the dynasty.
Aftershock: The Brief Ride of Timur
- Nomadic Turks plunged central Asia into another time of despair, led by leader Timur-I Lang.
- Timur-I Lang was more brutal than the Mongols were; he built pyramids with the skulls of
those he has slain.
- He spared artisans and scientists however, due to his similar interest in the arts and science.
- His rule did not bring peace or increased trade, unlike the Mongols.
MI: The Turks took over once the Mongols were out of the picture; they ruled through harsh
force and brutality, though the Turks did value intellectual people.
- Pyramids of skulls of people who were killed were built by Timur-I Lang.
- Artisans and scientists were spared from the killing due to their skills.
- Peace was not created by the Turks unlike the Mongols did, and increased interactions
and trade were not a result either.