MING DYNASTY

The World from 1600

INTRODUCTION
▪ The Ming dynasty (1368–1644) arose following a series of natural disasters that hit China during the early and
middle 1300s, adding to the misery of a people under the harsh rule of the Mongol Yuan dynasty (1279–1368).
In 1368 rebel armies—led by Zhu Yuanzhang (1328–1398)—overthrew the Yuan, and Zhu established a
dynasty he named Da Ming (“Great Brightness”). The only emperor in China’s long history to have been born
to a peasant family, Zhu had been orphaned early in life. From these humble beginnings rose a dynasty that was
to be ruled by seventeen emperors over a period of 276 years (more than half a century longer than the United
States has been an independent nation).
▪ From Nanjing, the first Ming capital (see map above), Zhu Yuanzhang reigned as the Hongwu emperor for
thirty years (1368–1398). His priorities—consolidating his power, building an imperial capital, and setting up a
system of government—were shared by his fourth son, Zhu Di, who, following a power struggle of nearly four
years, usurped the throne from his nephew and ruled as the Yongle emperor from 1403 to 1424. During the
Yongle reign, the seat of the Ming dynasty was moved to Beijing (see map). This was a time of exploration,
with imperial expeditions sent as far away as the east coast of Africa.
▪ Court arts of these early reigns reflect the emperors’ desires to display the power and glory of their dynasty.
Subsequent Ming emperors were not as strong, and by the end of the dynasty much of the power and glory of
the imperial family had faded.
THE MING CAPITALS
▪ When Ming troops overthrew the Mongols of the Yuan dynasty (1368), the establishment of a capital city with
an appropriate imperial presence became a high priority. The first Ming emperor settled in Nanjing, on the
lower reaches of the Yangzi River, an area that was China’s wealthiest and home to many members of its
educated elite. Nanjing (literally, “Southern Capital”) was the primary Ming capital until 1420, when the
Yongle emperor (reigned 1403–1424) moved the capital to Beijing (“Northern Capital”). For the remainder of
the dynasty Nanjing served as the secondary capital, with diminishing administrative significance. The
construction of each of these capitals was an enormous undertaking, requiring the mobilization of massive labor
forces and the amassing of great quantities of materials.
▪ The city of Beijing changed considerably during the 224 years it served as the Ming capital. The
emphasis during the early years was on creating an imperial capital that reflected the power and glory of the
Ming court. By the 1500s this phase of building had been completed: Transportation systems and other
infrastructures were in place, and the imperial compounds had come to include large numbers of
warehouses, workshops, and places to house members of the court as well as support staff. By the end of the
dynasty, Beijing’s inhabitants included an enormous population serving the needs of the imperial family and the
official bureaucracy. Some estimates put the number of imperial family members supported by the state by
the end of the dynasty as high as sixty thousand, and the total population of Beijing as high as one million.
TECHNOLOGY DURING THE
MING DYNASTY

▪ Covered box with flowers, Ming dynasty

(1368–1644), Reign of the Yongle
Emperor (1403–1424).(Opens in a new
window) China. Red lacquer with carved
designs. Courtesy of the Asian Art
Museum, The Avery Brundage Collection,
B60M309.A-.B.
CONT.
▪ At the beginning of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), China was a world leader in the use of
gunpowder-based weaponry, shipbuilding and navigation, and the production of porcelain and
various other materials requiring technological knowledge. Many of these developments did
not continue further into Ming rule. Confucianism did not encourage commerce, and this —
combined with a strong belief in the superiority of their own culture — led the Ming emperors
to close the country’s doors to foreign ideas and people, limiting access to a few port cities in
the south. After the reign of the Yongle emperor (1403–1424), there was
little geographic exploration.
▪ Scientific investigation also lagged, and by the end of the dynasty China was importing
weaponry and weapon technologies from Europe, where shipbuilding and navigational
skills had become more advanced.
▪ The developments that did occur during the Ming dynasty were largely focused on refinements
in existing technologies. Examples of these refinements can be found in the lacquers,
porcelains, and textiles.
SPIRIT PATH TO THE TOMB OF
THE FIRST EMPEROR

▪ Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, the tomb of

the Hongwu Emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang
https://youtu.be/1Kps9xhLs2M (the first Ming emperor), Nanjing, begun
1381 A conversation with Dr. Kristen
Brennan and Dr. Beth Harris. Created
by Smarthistory.
THE FORBIDDEN CITY

▪ Northwest corner tower of the Forbidden

City and moat, Beijing, China
(photo: A_peach, CC BY 2.0
CONT.

The Forbidden City, built by the Ming Dynasty's Emperor in 1420, served as China's political
center for over 500 years. Housing 24 Emperors, this grand palace complex, now a museum,
symbolizes China's glorious past. Its intricate design, from building location to color symbolism,
reflects the order the Emperor bestowed on his empire. Created by Asian Art Museum.
CONT.
▪ The Forbidden City is a large precinct of red
walls and yellow glazed roof tiles located in
the heart of China’s capital, Beijing. As its
name suggests, the precinct is a micro-city in
its own right.
▪ Measuring 961 meters in length and 753
meters in width, the Forbidden City is
composed of more than 90 palace compounds
including 98 buildings and surrounded by a
moat as wide as 52 meters.

Aerial view of the Forbidden City, Beijing (©

Google Earth 2021)
CONSTRUCTION AND
LAYOUT
▪ The construction of the Forbidden City was
the result of a scandalous coup d’état plotted
by Zhu Di, the fourth son of the Ming
dynasty’s founder Zhu Yuanzhang, that made
him the Chengzu emperor (his official title) in
1402.
▪ In order to solidify his power, the Chengzu
emperor moved the capital, as well as his own
army, from Nanjing in southeastern China
to Beijing and began building a new heart of
the empire, the Forbidden City.

Drawn plan of the Forbidden City, Beijing

CONT
▪ The establishment of the Qing dynasty in 1644 did not lessen the Forbidden City’s pivotal
status, as the Manchu imperial family continued to live and rule there. While no major change
has been made since its completion, the precinct has undergone various renovations and minor
constructions well into the twentieth-first century.
▪ Since the Forbidden City is a ceremonial, ritual and living space, the architects who designed
its layout followed the ideal cosmic order in Confucian ideology that had held Chinese social
structure together for centuries.
▪ This layout ensured that all activities within this micro-city were conducted in the manner
appropriate to the participants’ social and familial roles. All activities, such as imperial court
ceremonies or life-cycle rituals, would take place in sophisticated palaces depending on the
events’ characteristics. Similarly, the court determined the occupants of the Forbidden City
strictly according to their positions in the imperial family.
CONT.
▪ The architectural style also reflects a sense
of hierarchy. Each structure was designed
in accordance with the Treatise on
Architectural Methods or State Building
Standards (Yingzao fashi), an
eleventh-century manual that specified
particular designs for buildings of different
ranks in Chinese social structure.
NView of the Meridian Gate from outside
the Forbidden City (Imperial Palace
Museum) (photo: Morio, CC BY-SA 4.0)
PUBLIC AND PRIVATE LIFE
▪ Public and domestic spheres are clearly
divided in the Forbidden City. The southern
half, or the outer court, contains spectacular
palace compounds of supra-human scale.
▪ This outer court belonged to the realm of
state affairs, and only men had access to its
spaces. It included the emperor’s formal
reception halls, places for religious rituals and
state ceremonies, and also the Meridian Gate
(Wumen) located at the south end of the
central axis that served as the main entrance.
Looking to the Meridian Gate from the north
(Imperial Palace Museum) (photo: inkelv112,
CC BY-NC 2.0)
CONT.
▪ Upon passing the Meridian Gate, one immediately enters an
immense courtyard paved with white marble stones in front
of the Hall of Supreme Harmony (Taihedian). Since the Ming
dynasty, officials gathered in front of the Meridian Gate
before 3 a.m., waiting for the emperor’s reception to start at 5
a.m.
▪ While the outer court is reserved for men, the inner court is
the domestic space, dedicated to the imperial family. The
inner court includes the palaces in the northern part of the
Forbidden City.
▪ Here, three of the most important palaces align with the city's
central axis: the emperor’s residence known as the Palace of
Heavenly Purity (Qianqinggong) is located to the south while
the empress’s residence, the Palace of Earthly Tranquility
(Kunninggong), is to the north. The Hall of Celestial and
Terrestrial Union (Jiaotaidian), a smaller square building for
imperial weddings and familial ceremonies, is sandwiched in
between.
CONT.
▪ Although the Palace of Heavenly Purity
was a grand palace building symbolizing
the emperor’s supreme status, it was too
large for conducting private activities
comfortably.
▪ Therefore, after the early 18th century
Qing emperor, Yongzheng, moved his
residence to the smaller Hall of Mental
Cultivation (Yangxindian) to the west of
the main axis, the Palace of Heavenly
Purity became a space for ceremonial use
and all subsequent emperors resided in the
Hall of Mental Cultivation.