The Ming Dynasty (1 juill. 1368 – 1 janv. 1644)

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The Ming Dynasty, founded by Emperor Hongwu, sought to erase all Mongol influence from the Yuan Dynasty era by building a powerful imperial state inspired by the Tang and Song Dynasties. They reimplemented the Civil Service Examination system and the bureacracy based on merit, and especially promoted Neo-confucianism because it encouraged piety and devotion to the emperor and to ruling classes. Emperor Yongle launched a series of naval expeditions led by Zheng He into the Indian Ocean basin to expand chinese influence, but this practice was discontinued by later emperors as the Ming Dynasty began to develop a policy of isolationism. Later Ming Emperors also built new fortifications like the Great Wall of China along the northern border. However, the Ming Dynasty declined as pirates and smugglers operated at will off the east coast of China with naval and coastal defenses proving ineffective. Also, the emperors began to live sheltered lives of luxury in the Forbidden City where they ignored government and imperial affairs instead choosing to rule through eunuchs to use their new positions to build power bases and allow government corruption. For example, Wanli refused to meet with any government officials and conducted business only through eunuch intermediaries. When a series of famines struck China, peasants organized rebellion. Manchu forces invaded from the North and allied with Ming forces, managing to recapture Beijing from the rebels. However, the Manchus neglected to restore Ming rule, instead moving their own capital to Beijing and starting the Qing Dynasty.

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