The Ming and Qing Dynasties
E. Napp
Objective: To describe significant changes during the Ming and Qing dynasties
Do Now: Multiple-choice questions from previous lessons
1. In China, the development of civil service examinations and a belief in filial piety reflect the influence of(1) Shinto
(2) Jainism
(3) Confucianism
(4) Buddhism
2. Which achievements are most closely associated with the Tang and Song dynasties of China?
(1) wheel and stirrup
(2) chinampas and calendar
(3) gunpowder and movable wooden type
(4) mosaics and domes
3.China’s image of itself as the Middle Kingdom is associated with
(1) welcoming foreign ideas and influences
(2) mixing Western religions with traditional Chinese philosophies
(3) controlling how contact occurs with other cultures
(4) building the Grand Canal to expand trade within China / 4. The Code of Hammurabi and Chinese legalism both rely on the idea that
(1) governments must provide their people with rights
(2) harsh laws are needed to control society
(3) all subjects are equal under the law
(4) religion and government must be brought
5. Confucianism had a strong impact on the development of China mainly because this philosophy
(1) established a basic structure for military rule
(2) provided a basis for social order
(3) contained the framework for a communist government
(4) stressed the importance of the individual
6. Which belief is most closely associated with the philosophy of Confucianism?
(1) nirvana
(2) reincarnation
(3) prayer
(4) filial piety
Cornell Notes Outline: The Ming and Qing Dynasties (Add Key Words and Summaries)
The Key Words: / The Notes:1)During the Ming Dynasty, China enjoyed nearly three hundred years of stability and prosperity.
2)The Ming constructed a magnificent Imperial Palace in Beijing, known as the Forbidden City, which became home to all later Chinese emperors.
3)Chinese literature and art flourished.
4)Early Ming rulers even sponsored great naval expeditions, such as the voyages of Zheng Ho to India and Arabia.
5)However, the Chinese looked down upon Europeans as barbarians, lacking the civilized ways of the “Middle Kingdom”-China…this ethnocentric attitude eventually led to a policy of isolationism.
6)Population pressure led to peasant uprisings.
7)In 1644, the Manchus invaded and conquered China.
8)They founded the Qing or Manchu dynasty.
9)They adopted many Chinese ways.
10)Initially, they brought peace to China, built new roads, and cleared additional land for farming but European technology began to surpass China.
The Summaries:
Please read the passage below and answer the questions:
In 1368, the Mongol dynasty fell and the Ming emperors gained power. During the Ming dynasty, China enjoyed nearly three hundred years of stability and prosperity. Ming emperors expanded the Chinese empire to include Korea, Burma, and Vietnam. The Ming constructed a magnificent Imperial palace in Beijing, known as the Forbidden City, which became home to all later Chinese emperors. In addition, art and literature flourished in Ming China. Trade prospered. The Ming even sponsored great naval expeditions, such as the voyages of Zheng He to India, Arabia, and Africa in the early 1400s. However, the Chinese elite looked down upon Europeans and other foreigners. They believed that foreigners lacked the civilized ways of the “Middle Kingdom” or China. This belief in one’s own cultural superiority is known as ethnocentrism. In the 1500s, the Ming emperors began to isolate China from other countries. They decided to keep foreigners out and the Chinese in. Isolation kept the Chinese from learning exciting new things happening elsewhere. During the 1500s, the Chinese did little traveling of trading. China began to change. It had been ahead of other civilizations, but isolation caused it to fall behind. Towards the end of the Ming Dynasty, corruption among public officials weakened the dynasty. Eventually, the Ming lost the Mandate of Heaven or right to rule.
1-What were the accomplishments of the Ming emperors? ______
2-Who was Zheng He and why was he important? ______
3-What is ethnocentrism and why were the Chinese ethnocentric? ______
4-Why did the Ming emperors begin to isolate China? ______
5-How did isolationism harm China? ______
In 1644, the Manchus, a people from northeast Asia, invaded and conquered China. The Manchu conquerors founded the Qing (Ch’ing) or Manchu dynasty. Like the Mongols centuries earlier, the Manchus adopted Chinese ways to rule their new empire. They continued the traditional civil service examinations and governed through local officials. They also became strong patrons of Chinese literature, art, and music. However, the Manchus did introduce changes to China. They forced Chinese men to wear their hair in pigtails as a symbol that they had submitted to Manchu rule.
Like the Ming, the Manchu initially brought a period of peace and prosperity to China for the first 150 years of the dynasty. They built new roads and canals, cleared additional land for agriculture, and built store houses for grain. They even promoted scholarship and education while reducing taxes. However, European technology eventually surpassed China. China’s isolation from the West and the imperial government’s resistance to change prevented China from keeping pace with Western advances in industry and science. Eventually, the Europeans began to challenge China’s independence. The Manchu dynasty was China’s last dynasty.
1-Who were the Manchus and what did they do? ______
2-What were the accomplishments of the Qing or Ch’ing dynasty? ______
3-What did the Manchus insist Chinese men wear? Why? ______
4-What eventually threatened the Qing or Ch’ing dynasty? Why? ______
Word Bank:
Mandate of Heaven, Ethnocentrism, Qing, Middle Kingdom, Isolation, Technology, Dynasty, Forbidden City, Manchus, Zheng He, Ming, Pigtail