Ming

=**The Ming Dynasty**=

**Melanie Vasina, Emilie Luckett, Chris Williams**
__Introduction__   The Ming dynasty was the biggest and longest dynasty to rule all of China, lasting almost three centuries from 1368 to 1644. This empire followed the collapse of the Yuan dynasty, lead by the Mongols. This empire brought restoration to artistic creativity, as well as the restoration of many traditional Chinese practices and institutions. The Ming also brought many new things, such as the construction of the Gegeong palace, or the Forbidden city. They also repaired and restored parts of the Great wall of China and the Grand Canal, which leads down a good portion of China's east coast. The Ming formed a strong, vast Navy as well as a standing army of one million troops. The Empire collapsed in 1644 and the following dynasty, the Qing, was formed.

__Poitical__

 The Ming dynasty was the time of many great rulers. Before the Ming, he Mongols had taken over China. A man named Hongwu led a successful revolt against the Mongols to reclaim their land. In 1368, Hongwu founded the Ming and became the first ruler of the dynasty. This dynasty would be very successful and last for almost three centuries.

 Hongwu was a good ruler and respected and understood the peasant’s needs. He kept their land taxes low to help them out. He also built dikes to help control the river from flooding and made graineries so there was a reserve of food during a famine. He died in 1398. In 1402, the Yongle Emperor took over. Yongle moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijing, where he constructed the Gegong palace, or what is known today as the forbidden city. A ruler named Zhengtong took over in 1435 at the age of 8, becoming the first child ruler of the Ming. He was captured by Mongols in 1449 and replaced by his brother, Jingtai (1449-1457). When Zhengtong was released a year later, he was placed under house arrest by his brother. When Jingtai died in 1457, Zhengtong took over again and renamed his dynasty the Tianshun.


 * [[image:http://www.rtoddking.com/images/chinaspr2005/05032418.jpg width="202" height="156" align="center" caption="Jingshan Hill"]] || An Emperor named Hongzhi took power in 1487. He was a wise and peace loving ruler, modeled after Confucian ideolegy. He lowered taxes and reduced government spending. Hongzhi was considered to be one of the most brilliant Ming emperors. Jiajing ruled the Ming from 1521 to 1567. He was a cruel and selfish ruler and didn't care about state affairs. His cruel ways led to an assassination attempt by a group of young girls. The attempt failed and they were executed. The last emperor of the Ming was Chongzhen. The fall of the Ming Started by riots and uprisings. These could not be put down by the Ming armies, because they were focused on the Manchu threat from the north. When rebels plotted to take the Ming capital Beijing, Chongzhen Set up a feast rather that planning defense. He invited all of the imperial family except for his sons and killed all of them. Afterwards he fled to Jingshan hill where he hanged himself. The Empire lasted no longer than a year before it totally disintegrated .  ||

__Economic__

 The ming people had A lot of things to trade such as silver and weapons. They did this with India, East Africa and East Indonesia. The amount of silver in the Ming dynasty through trade and made up to 300 taels of silver (120,000 grams). They traded by using canals, roads and bridges that the government major routes they had. By them trading very well the development went up by them starting to trade with japan and Europe.

 Trade brought in A lot of money, brought them closer to other countries, and brought up their economic structure. This made them the largest dynasty in China. The major trade route that they had was the sea. Their major source of finance was hand crafting industries. Emperor Shizorg and Emperor Shenzong made large amount of silk, tobacco, crops, vegetable and fruits.

__Social__    During the Ming dynasty, life was very simple. The women would stay at home and take care of their children. The men were far more powerful, and women had to listen to and respect the men. Women never got to choose who they got to marry, and they had little say in anything. The eldest male would control their family, and decide what they would do from day to day. The men would do all the work, and supply the family. Other than the extreme gender roles, the Ming’s daily lives were not too different then ours today. They had family functions to go to, and they’d work hard all day. Religion was also very important to them.    The Mings basic religions were Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. They believed strongly in the ying and yang, and would build temples around their towns so they could bless the towns, and it was easy to go worship their many dieties. Their religion was extremely important to them, and it was a big part of their everyday life. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 120%; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 120%; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> The roles of the high classes in the Ming Dynasty were very different from the roles of the low class. The nobles/kings, or “gentries” didn’t have to pay land taxes and enjoyed special privileges like being able to be carried in sedan chairs, and to use fans and umbrellas. Many families engaged in money lending, and some ran gambling dens. They lived in very large, nice homes that were decorated in expensive furniture. Peasant life was far different. They usually had little choice but to become tenants of large landowners, or to become landless laborers that moved around looking for work. They would work all day and night for land that wasn’t even theirs. Most peasants lived in small huts made out of mud or bamboo. The merchants during the Ming Dynasty did a little better economic wise, but they didn’t do much better than the peasants. During the population boom though, the merchants began to be able to pay for their own land. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 120%; vertical-align: baseline;">