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Period: Oct 25, 1368 to
Ming Dynasty
This was a time of great change in the world, China was a big infulence as well. This is a display of some of the event that helped the world evolve into a more civilized place. -
Nov 9, 1368
Hongwu
The Hongwu era starts and Zhu Yuanzhang leads his army into beijing to conquer China. he was rased in a buddist monastery to lead a rebel band against the mongols. He then created the Ming empire. -
Period: Nov 9, 1368 to Nov 9, 1414
Land, People and Taxes
The land and population increases under the Hongwu and Yongle emperors. The population reaches 60 million and the land expands to 129 million acres of cultivation. -
Period: Oct 1, 1403 to Oct 28, 1424
The Chengzu Era
Chengzu was the third Emperor of the MIng Dynasty. He dramatically seized power and made sure there were no other opponents in his way of the throne. Chengzu was also a great military strategist and personally lead expeditions against the mongol armies. -
Nov 9, 1404
School
The Hanlin Academy was established and then three years later the Encuclopedia of the Yongle Period was published. -
Period: Nov 9, 1405 to Nov 9, 1433
Maritime Expiditions
These expidtions were led by a court eunuch named Zheng. He set out in order to find new trade treaties with countries like India. He was very sucessful and made these trades even before the Portugese sailed around Africa. -
Period: Oct 28, 1472 to Oct 28, 1528
Confucianism
Wang Wangming was a famous sholar to attempt to rewirte Confucianism. He pronouced that guidence did not come from external sources but from one's interior perceptions and instincts. Wang's influence spread all over China and even to Korea and Japan. -
Period: Dec 7, 1488 to Dec 7, 1521
Literature Movement
The "Former Seven Scholars" Headed by Li Mengyang and He Jingming in the reigns of Hongzhi and Zhengde. -
Oct 25, 1500
The Literati
The literati were powerful in the kingdom. With great knowledge of many subjects these high class men were the back bone for the emperor. Even though it seems that most emperors were a bit suspicious of them they were the perfect ideal unholders of Confuciamism. This beliefe system was that men and woman honor their elders over everything else, serious enough some woman even killed themselves in order to display that honor. -
Period: Dec 7, 1507 to
Novelist Wu Cheng'en
He was born in Jiangsu province where Ming economic and cultural devlopment was particularly evident. Wu became fairly well known even in his early years, as a descriptive poet who wrote about scenery and behavior of animals. He never obtained any important postion in society in his lifetime. He wrote the novel Journey to the West which was looked down upon and his name was not attached. -
Period: Oct 28, 1518 to
Wang Shizhen's Therapy
Wang Shizhen was a medical scienctist who published a book of therapies, properties, and dangers of almost 1,000 drugs derived from plants, animals and minerals. He discussed treatments, sickness and diseases. Long known in china, opium was also announced to be analgesic and anesthetic. -
Period: Dec 7, 1522 to Dec 7, 1572
2nd Literature Movement
The later movement was called "The Later Seven Scholars" headed by Wang Shizhen and Li Panlong. -
Period: Nov 9, 1550 to
Troubles with Japan
When Japanese pirates were raiding the coasts of China, the chinese government decided to prohibit maritime trade with China. Once the Chinese learned of Japans plan to invade China through Korea, it was decided that the Ming needed to honor it"s obligation to protect Korea. The fight was centered on Korean soil untill the chinese were able to negoitiate a Japanese retreat. -
Period: Nov 9, 1573 to
Wan-li Reign
The Wan-li emperor showed very little interest in teh affairs of state. He mainly let the eunuchs and other officals make the decisions for him while he entertained himself with trivial things. He rarely attended court, and let the treasury dimished by the greedy officals. By the end of his reign, China was in a state of poverty and chaos. -
Silk
The Chinese government were a very highly wanted product of the wealthy classes in this time. International trade was big with china, she produced such delicate and exquisite goods that the west and other countries paid alot for them. Tea also became a wanted product, the westerners like England were almost in chaos over it. -
Period: to
Gu Yanwu
The scholar Gu Yanwu discovered that almost 50% of the imperial income derived from the high taxes collected from the costal merchants, seeing that they were coveting rich and lustrious tade. So much these merchants were forced to protect them from pirating because the government refused to support them. -
Period: to
Donglin Party
The party was made of ex-confucain scholars/officals and were eager to return china to the traditional principles of Confcian. Blending of Confucian, Taoism, and Buddhism, they stressed importance of moral integrirty, and denounced corrupt officals and grand secritaries. The Donglin party became powerful but in time were wiped out because of court officals rebeling against their accusations. -
Roit!
Eighteen years before the end of the Ming dynasty the chinese government was forced to quell a roit. This was aroused when the higher, wealthier classes formed and allience against the governments policies. They were focused on the court house, where a scholar and offical was being held under arrest. The mob was attempting to free him and attacked and killed three of the imerial guard. -
Period: to
Rise of the Rebellion
Severe famine, corrupt government lead the rebel, Li Zicheng to rise against and create a whole army and government that raided northwest china. He soon conquered Beijing and distubed good food to the starving, punished greed landlord and officals, even making the former emperor to kill himself.
