MAIN IDEAS

Government Chinese rebels overthrew Mongol rule and started the Ming Dynasty.

Economics At first, Ming emperors encouraged trade and exploration, but they later became less interested in maintaining relations with the outside world.

Government The Qing Dynasty ruled for almost 300 years. It was China’s last dynasty.

TAKING NOTES

Reading Skills:Forming and Supporting Opinions After reading this lesson, you will be asked to form and support an opinion about China’s ocean voyages. To prepare, use a web diagram like the one shown below to record information about the voyages.

Lesson

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Skillbuilder Handbook, page R22

▲ Emperor’s Robe This robe was worn by a Qing emperor for special events. Its golden color and dragon designs were symbols of the emperor’s power.

Ocean Voyages

238 • Chapter 7

7.3 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the civilizations of China in the Middle Ages.

7.3.4 Understand the importance of both overland trade and maritime expeditions between China and other civilizations in the Mongol Ascendancy and Ming Dynasty.

7.3.5 Trace the historic influence of such discoveries as tea, the manufacture of paper, wood-block printing, the compass, and gunpowder.

TERMS & NAMES

Forbidden City

maritime

tribute

Zheng He

Manchus

A Return to Chinese Rule Build on What You Know The Chinese were a proud people with a long history of great achievements. Many did not like being ruled by the Mongols.

Overthrowing the Mongols ESSENTIAL QUESTION How was the Ming Dynasty established?

After Kublai Khan’s death in 1294, Mongol rule slowly weakened. In 1368 a rebel army led by Zhu Yuanzhang (joo yoo•ahn•jahng) overthrew the Mongol emperor.

The First Ming Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty and became its first emperor under the name Hongwu (hung•woo). He encouraged Confucianism and brought back the state exams. To help trade, he rebuilt roads and canals. In addition, he rebuilt and extended the Great Wall to improve China’s defenses. Hongwu also helped farmers by lowering taxes and providing them with land.

In addition to these positive steps, Hongwu began to increase his personal power. He did away with the position of prime minister and took control of all government offices. He made all decisions himself without consulting his advisers. He also set up a secret service to spy on his people. And he had tens of thousands of people arrested for treason and killed.

Connect to Today

Forbidden City The Forbidden City, built mostly during the Ming Dynasty, is one of China’s leading tourist attractions. ▼

239

The Voyages of Zheng He, A.D. 1405–1433

Mecca

Aden

CalicutBangkok

Hormuz

Mombasa

Mogadishu

Guangzhou

Nanjing

HI M

A L A Y A S

SouthChinaSeaBay of

Bengal

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I N D I A N O C E A N

Strait ofMalacca

20°N

80°E60°E40°E 100°E

0°

Equator

Tropic of Cancer

MaldiveIslands

Java

Ceylon

Borneo

Sumatra

Malay Peninsula

FUJIANPROVINCE

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A R A B I A

I N D I A

C H I N A

A S I A 0

0 500 1000 kilometers

500 1000 miles

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Voyages of Zheng He

MapQuest.Com, Inc.

McDougal-Littell, 7th grade World History Programwh7-04-07-04-01m

Voyages of Zheng He2nd proof date: 4/6/04

Yongle’s Rule Hongwu died in 1398. He had chosen his grandson to succeed him. Not everyone supported this decision, however. A struggle for power began. After nearly five years of fighting, Yongle (yung•law)—one of Hongwu’s sons—won victory. He declared himself emperor in 1403.

Yongle, like his father, was a strong, capable leader. Under his leadership, the Ming Dynasty reached the height of its power. One of his greatest achievements was the enlarging of the capital city at Beijing. A great complex of palaces and temples, surrounded by 35-foot-high walls, stood at the center of the city. In time, this collection of buildings became known as the Forbidden City because commoners and foreigners were not allowed to enter it. (See the photograph on the previous page.) The Forbidden City symbolized Yongle’s, and China’s, power and might.

Yongle wanted not just China but also the rest of the world to know of his greatness. This desire led to another of his great achievements.

What improvements did the Ming emperors make in China?

GEOGRAPHY SKILLBUILDERINTERPRETING MAPSMovement About how far would Zheng He travel on a journey from Calicut to Hormuz?

1 In the Strait of Malacca, Zheng He fought a deadly battle with pirates. The Chinese won, burning ten pirate ships and capturing seven others.

2 The sultan of Aden gave the Chinese lions, zebras, ostriches, and a giraffe. He also gave them gold belts and a gold hat covered with jewels.

3 Near Mogadishu, the Chinese used gunpowder explosives to force a town to surrender. Local rulers feared the Chinese would conquer the African coast.

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240 • Chapter 7

Trade and Overseas Voyages ESSENTIAL QUESTION How did China’s relations with the outside world change under the Ming emperors?

In the early 1400s, Yongle sent a series of maritime expeditions to other civilizations. Maritime means “related to the sea.”

The Voyages of Zheng He Yongle wanted to extend Chinese influence and win tribute from other countries. Tribute is a payment made by one country to another as a sign of respect. To achieve this goal, Yongle built a great fleet of ships for exploration.

China completed seven long voyages between 1405 and 1433. Admiral Zheng He (juhng huh) led the fleet. He had as many as 300 ships and nearly 28,000 crew members. Zheng He sailed around Southeast Asia to India, Arabia, and Africa. (See the map opposite.) He returned with tribute that included gold and jewels. China’s foreign trade and reputation grew because of his voyages.

A Change of Policy By the 1430s, Yongle and Zheng He had died. Most Confucian officials thought the government gained little from trade and contact with foreigners. They were more concerned with threats of invasion from Central Asia. So the Ming government ended the maritime voyages and banned the building of seagoing ships.

China did not remain isolated, however. Chinese merchants expanded trade with the rest of Southeast Asia. In addition, European ships were traveling to China by the early 1500s. The Chinese traded silk, tea, and porcelain for a variety of Western goods, including silver.

How did China’s policies change after the 1430s?

Zheng He’s Voyages Columbus’ Voyages

Date Zheng He began his voyages in 1405.

Columbus began his voyages in 1492.

Ship Zheng He’s largest ships were more than 400 feet long.

Columbus’ largest ship, the Santa Maria, was about 100 feet long.

Crew One of Zheng He’s ships could carry up to 1,000 people.

Columbus’ first voyage totaled about 90 people on three ships.

Results China decided in the 1430s to end its maritime voyages and focus more on its northern borders.

The Europeans continued their voyages and established colonies.

maritime: relating to the sea. The Latin word for the sea is mare. Mare is the root word of maritime. Other words based on mare are marina and marine.

Vocabulary Strategy

Chinese and European Exploration

China Builds an Empire • 241

LessonReview

Activity

ClassZone.com4

The Last Dynasty ESSENTIAL QUESTION How was the Qing Dynasty established?

The Ming Dynasty declined after almost 300 years in power. Weak rulers, high taxes, and poor harvests led to rebellion. To the northeast of China was a region called Manchuria. The people were known as the Manchus. In 1644, the Manchus took advantage of Ming weaknesses and conquered China. They started the Qing (chihng) Dynasty.

Like the Ming rulers, the Manchus allowed some trade. But in general, they limited foreign contacts and tried to restrict foreign influence in China. The Qing Dynasty, China’s last, endured until 1911.

How did the Manchus gain power?

Lesson Summary• The Ming Dynasty restored China to a great empire.

• The Ming Dynasty greatly expanded overland trade and maritime voyages.

• After the 1430s, China focused on its northern borders.

Why It Matters Now . . .Today the Chinese government still tries to limit foreign influence in political and economic affairs.

Terms & Names 1. Explain the importance of

Forbidden City tribute Manchus maritime Zheng He

Using Your NotesForming and Supporting Opinions Use your com-pleted web chart to answer the following question:2. Did the voyages of Zheng He benefit the Ming

Dynasty? Explain. (7.3.4)

Main Ideas3. What changes did the Ming rulers bring

to China? (7.3)4. Why did Yongle support ocean voyages? (7.3.4)5. How did trade change under Manchu rule? (7.3.4)

Critical Thinking6. Comparing and Contrasting How did Mongol

and Ming trade policies after the death of Yongle compare? (7.3.4)

7. Explaining Historical Patterns How were the invasions by the Mongols and the Manchus similar? (7.3)

Writing Interview Questions Review the information about the voyages of Zheng He. Create a series of questions you would ask him about his travels for either a newspaper or television interview.

Homework Helper

Ocean Voyages

242 • Chapter 7

(7.3.4)