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• The Ming dynasty began in 1368, and lasted until 1644 A.D.
• Its founder was a peasant, the third of only three peasants ever to become an emperor in China.
• He kept the land tax for the peasants low.
• Kept the granaries stocked to guard against famine.
• He also maintained the dikes on the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers.
• However, economically he lacked the vision to push trade.
• He saw trade as shameful and parasitic.
• He held the typically Confucian viewpoint.
• He felt agriculture should be the country's source of wealth.
However, Hongwu did not believe that the military too was inferior.
He helped develop
a militant class.
• The Ming Dynasty witnessed a great cultural development including the novel
• Some of the best known novels of the Ming Dynasty are still read today.
• Wood-cut and block-printing of art also became more popular at this time.
• New porcelain experimentation and production techniques were developed.
• New encyclopedias and dictionaries were also written.
• Including one that reduced the number of signs for Chinese characters from 540
to 214.
• Another great accomplishment of the Ming was the building of the Great Wall.
• Most of what is seen today was either built or repaired by the Ming.
• The brick and granite work was enlarged.
• The watch towers were redesigned.
• Cannons were placed along the wall.
• Hongwu was forced to rely on eunuchs for more administration purposes.
• Poor families often gained power when one of the males voluntarily became a eunuch.
• Admiral Zheng He was such a eunuch.
• The Emperor ordered
him to oversee the construction of a Fleet
to explore the seas surrounding China.
• He was the first eunuch appointed to such a high military position in China.
• Starting in 1405 A.D., he began a series of seven expeditions that went around India and as far as the east coast of Africa.
• He traveled to the West seven times. For 28 years.
• He traveled more than 31,000 miles.
• He visited over 30 countries, including Singapore.
• The first Treasure Fleet consisted of 62 ships.
• Four were huge wood boats, some of the largest ever built in history.
• They were approximately 400 feet long and 160 feet wide.
• In the fall of 1405 the fleet was ready to embark with 27,800 men.
• Merchants and trade in general were still looked down upon.
• But Cheng He had established sea routes that were used for trade with Japan and south Asia.
• By 1433 A.D. China was far ahead of the rest of the world in naval capabilities.
• The fleet utilized the compass, invented
in China, for navigation.