China and Japan React

The Age of Exploration
Outcome: China and Japan’s Reactions

1. Setting the Stage
a. East Asia was a hot spot for luxury goods
b. Many Europeans were looking to trade with China and Japan
2. Ming & Qing China
a. The Chinese people had rebelled and driven out their
Mongol (Yuan) rulers and had established the Ming
Dynasty (1368-1644)
b. The Ming government had ruled for 200 years and was
weakening
c. Later, the Manchus, people from Manchuria, invaded
China and established the Qing Dynasty which ruled
for 260 years
3. The Ming Dynasty & The Voyages of Zheng He
a. Emperor Hongwu and son Yonglo were curious about
the outside world and launched voyages of exploration
b. Chinese Admiral Zheng He led seven voyages
c. Purpose of Voyages: Show of China’s might and power
3. The Voyages of Zheng He & The Ming Dynasty
d. Voyages ranged from Southeast Asia to eastern Africa
e. From 40 to 300 ships sailed on each voyage
f. Some ships were 400 feet long (p. 537)
3. The Voyages of Zheng He & The Ming Dynasty
g. Voyages included sailors, soldiers, carpenters,
interpreters, accountants, doctors and religious
leaders
h. After 7th voyage and Zheng He’s death, China withdrew into
isolation and destroyed the fleet
4. Ming Relations with Foreign Countries & Rules
a. China’s trade policies in the 1500s reflected isolation
b. If foreign states wanted to trade with China, they
would have to follow Chinese rules because the
Chinese did not want Europeans threatening the peace
and prosperity the Ming had brought to China.
c. China had a long history of being self-sufficient as
well
4. Ming Relations with Foreign Countries & Rules
d. Rules
a. Only the government was allowed to conduct foreign
trade
b. Trading was only allowed at certain ports
c. China expected Europe to pay tribute to Ming
leaders;
d. Tribute is a peace tax
e. Kowtow ritual: kneeling in front of the emperor and touching forehead
to ground 9 times
f. The Dutch accepted these restrictions and were allowed to trade
6. Japan
a. In 1467, civil war shattered Japan’s feudal system and the
country became chaotic
b. Warrior chieftains called daimyos became lords in a new Japanese
feudalistic system
7. Contact Between Europe and Japan
a. Europeans began coming to Japan in the 16th century and were
welcomed
b. Within a century, the aggressive Europeans had worn out their
welcome
c. The Portuguese brought clocks, eyeglasses, tobacco, and
firearms
d. By 1600, European missionaries had converted 300,000 Japanese to
Christianity
e. After peasant rebellion (most were Christian) the shoguns
ruthlessly persecuted Christians and led to the formation of an
exclusion policy
8. The Closed Country Policy

a. 1639 the shoguns sealed Japan’s borders and
excluded merchants and missionaries
b. Only port of Nagasaki remained open but only to
Dutch and Chinese traders
c. Lasted for more than 200 years
d. Why???
a. Japanese were forbidden to leave so as to not bring
back foreign ideas
b. Japan wanted to continue to develop as a self-
sufficient country
 Result: Europeans begin to explore west across the
Atlantic Ocean to the New World.
Ming and Qing Construction
Great Wall, Forbidden City, Summer Palace,
and Heavenly Temple.
• The Great Wall as we know it today was mainly built
during the Ming Dynasty
• Took over 100 Years to complete
• Main spot for tourists is around Beijing
• Was added on to because the Ming’s were trying to keep
the Yuan forces out. They spared no effort in building,
fortifying, extending, and eventually completing the
construction of the wall
Ming Dynasty Great Wall

Great Wall Dynasties
Forbidden City
• Lying at the city center of Beijing, it was the imperial palace for
twenty-four emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It
was first built throughout 14 years during the reign of Emperor
Chengzu in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Ancient
Chinese Astronomers believed that the Purple Star (Polaris) was
in the center of heaven and the Heavenly Emperor lived in the
Purple Palace. The Palace for the emperor on earth was so called
the Purple City. It was forbidden to enter without special
permission of the emperor. Hence its name 'The Purple
Forbidden City', usually 'The Forbidden City'.
Forbidden City
• It is divided into two parts. • Having been the imperial
• The southern section, or the palace for some five centuries,
Outer Court was where the it houses numerous rare
emperor exercised his treasures and curiosities.
supreme power over the Listed by UNESCO as a
nation. World Cultural Heritage Site
• The northern section, or the in 1987, the Palace Museum is
Inner Court was where he now one of the most popular
lived with his royal family.
tourist attractions world-wide.
Division
• Construction of the palace complex began in 1407, the 5th year of the Yongle reign of the
third emperor (Emperor Chengzu, Zhu Di) of the Ming dynasty. It was completed fourteen
years later in 1420, and then the capital city was moved from Nanjing to Beijing the next
year. It was said that a million workers including one hundred thousand artisans were
driven into the long-term hard labor. Stone needed was quarried from Fangshan District. It
was said a well was dug every fifty meters along the road in order to pour water onto the
road in winter to slide huge stones on ice into the city. Huge amounts of timber and other
materials were freighted from faraway provinces.
Ancient Chinese people displayed their very considerable skills in building it. Take the
grand red city wall for example. It has an 8.6 meters wide base reducing to 6.66 meters
wide at the top. The angular shape of the wall totally frustrates attempts to climb it. The
bricks were made from white lime and glutinous rice while the cement is made from
glutinous rice and egg whites. These incredible materials make the wall extraordinarily
• Since yellow is the symbol of the royal family, it is the dominant color in it. Roofs are built
with yellow glazed tiles; decorations in the palace are painted yellow; even the bricks on
the ground are made yellow by a special process.
Construction
• Each of the 9,999 rooms is decorated with statues. As
the importance of each building grows, the number of
statues increases. The most important room has a
maximum of 10 statues.
• The Forbidden City also contained the residences of
the emperor’s concubines. One emperor had over
10,000 of them, but the last emperor had only two.
Fun Facts
• Two giant lion statues, one male
and one female, guard the
entrance to the inner palace. The
male has a silk ball under his
paw that represents power, and
the female has a cub understand
her’s that represents life.
• In addition to the many gates,
there is also a moat surrounding
the palace. It used to contain
metal stakes to deter people
from trying to swim across.
Fun Facts Continued

Summer Palace
• The construction started in 1750 as a luxurious royal garden for royal
families to rest and entertain. It later became the main residence of royal
members in the end of the Qing Dynasty. However, like most of the
gardens of Beijing, it could not elude the rampages of the Anglo-French
Allied Force and was destroyed by fire.
• According to historical documents, with original name as 'Qingyi
Garden' (Garden of Clear Ripples), the Summer Palace (Yiheyuan) was
renamed after its first reconstruction in 1888. It was also recorded that
Empress Dowager Cixi embezzled navy funds to reconstruct it as a
resort in which to spend the rest of her life. In 1900, Yiheyuan suffered
another hit by the Eight-Power Allied Force and was repaired in the next
two years. In 1924, it was open to the public. It ranked amongst the
World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1998.
Construction
• The Marble Boat was built in 1755 with a base
made from huge stones. The base supported a
wooden pavilion in traditional Chinese style
imitating the sailing boats of Emperor Qianlong
(1711 - 1799).
• The boat replaced a platform belonging to Yuanjing
Temple during the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644).
• In 1860, the wooden pavilion was burned leaving
only the hull of the boat remaining.
Empress Dowager Cixi had the boat rebuilt in 1893
using a Western design. She financed the rebuilding
using funds embezzled from the navy. When the
empire was facing a military and political crisis,
Cixi embezzled more funds to rebuild the Summer
Palace under the guise of naval development. The
only concession actually made to the navy was that
they took possession of the marble boat. As
magnificent as the boat was, it was, of course, no
use to the navy. In fact, Qing's Navy was
completely vanquished in sea battled seven years
later.
Marble Boat
Temple of Heaven
• The Temple of Heaven Park is located in the Chongwen District, Beijing.
• Originally, this was the place where emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368 -
1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911) held the Heaven Worship
Ceremony.
• It is China's largest and most representative existing masterpiece among
China’s ancient sacrificial buildings. First built in 1420, the 18th year of the
reign of Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), it was
enlarged and rebuilt during the reigns of the Ming emperor Jiajing and the
Qing emperor Qianlong.
• In 1988, it was opened to the public as a park, showing ancient philosophy,
history and religion. Its grand architectural style and profound cultural
connotation give an insight into the practices of the ancient Eastern
civilization.
Temple of Heaven

China and Japan React

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China and Japan React

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The Age of Exploration

Outcome: China and Japan’s Reactions

8. The Closed Country Policy

Ming Dynasty Great Wall

Fun Facts Continued

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