China Limits European
Contacts
China Under the Ming Dynasty
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From 1368-1644 China rose to power under the Ming
Dynasty.
China was not going to allow outsiders from distant
lands to threaten their peace and prosperity.
In 1368 A peasant’s son, Hongwu, became the first
Ming emporer.
Hongwu used respected traditions to bring stability to
China.
He encouraged fish farming and the growing of crops
such as cotton, and sugar cane.
The Voyages of Zheng He
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A Chinese Muslim admiral named Zheng He led all
seven of the voyages.
The voyages ranged from southeast Asia to eastern
Africa.
The fleet’s crews numbered over 27,000 on some
voyages.
The fleet sailed from port to port on the Indian
Ocean.
After the seventh voyage, in 1433, China withdrew
into Isolation.
Ming Relations with Foreign
Countries
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China’s official trade policies in the 1500s
reflected isolation.
In reality trade flourished.
Profit-minded merchants smuggled cargoes of
silk, porcelain, , and other valuable goods out
of the country and into European hands.
Christian missionaries also accompanied
traders.
The Forbidden City
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TB pg 104
Japan Returns to Isolation
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In 1467, Civil War shattered Japan’s old feudal
system.
From 1467 to 1568 this was known as the
warring period.
Oda Nobunaga, defeated his rivals and ruled
his empire by force.
After Nobunga’s death, Toyotomi Hideyoshi,
his best general continued his cause.
Contact Between Europe and Japan
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1. The Japanese first encountered Europeans
when the Portuguese shipwrecked off their
coast. They began to trade many items.
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2. Christian Missionaries – In 1549 Christian
Missionaries arrived in Japan. Francis Xavier,
a Jesuit, led the first mission to Japan. By the
year 1600, other European missionaries had
converted about 300,000 of the Japanese
community.
Isolation
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In 1639, Japanese shoguns decided to go into
total isolation. They sealed the borders and
instituted a “closed country policy.” One port,
Nagasaki was open but only to the Chinese
and Dutch. For over 200 years, Japan
remained basically closed to Europeans.