Yuan vs. Ming

• Who were the leaders?

• What were the strengths?

• What were the weaknesses?

• What happened to these empires?

Yuan Dynasty

• The Yuan dynasty was different than the ones before it because the leaders weren’t Chinese- they were Mongols

• The Mongols were a tribe of nomads from the north• These nomads were fierce and they terrorized people

throughout Asia

Yuan Leaders

• Genghis Khan- a brutal leader who conquered northern China, wrecking towns, killing people and ruining farmland

• Kublai Khan- Genghis’ grandson, he conquered the rest of China and made himself emperor

• His dynasty is called the Yuan dynasty

Yuan Talents

• The Yuan dynasty was known for – Conquering other people with

their powerful and brutal army– Trading: soldiers kept trade

routes safe for merchants, welcomed foreign traders into China

– Public works: used taxes to improve the Grand Canal, fix roads, create a postal system

Yuan Weaknesses

• Too much conquering! Mongols tried to take over Japan and were defeated

• Weak economy: expensive public projects weakened the empire

Outcome

• The Yuan dynasty fell when Chinese got fed up with Mongol rule and overthrew the dynasty

• The weakened Mongol rulers couldn’t stop the rebellion

Japanese Samurai defeat Mongols

Ming Dynasty

• Leader: Zhu Yuanzhang

• He was a former monk who took charge of a rebel army and defeated the Mongols in China

• Created a stable and prosperous dynasty

Ming Talents

• The Ming dynasty was known for:– Building: built the Forbidden City- a city with

hundreds of buildings that only the rich and powerful could go in. Also restored the Great Wall

– Sailing: Zheng He sailed around Asia, to Africa, had a huge fleet with 25,000 sailors and 300 ft. long boats

– Protecting power: Ming emperors kept power to themselves

Forbidden City satellite view

Zheng He’s voyages

Ming Weaknesses

• Isolationism- a policy of avoiding contact with other countries– During the Ming

dynasty, China banned foreign trade and stopped sailing to foreign lands

Outcome

• Due to isolationism, China’s glory faded as the Western world made huge technological advances without them

Now we know…

• Who was Genghis Khan?

Now we know…

• How did the Mongols gain control of China?

Now we know…

• Who was Zheng He? What did he do?

Now we know…

• What is isolationism?

Now we know…

• Trade and other contact with peoples far from China stopped under which dynasty?

a. Yuan

b. Song

c. Ming

d. Sui

Now we know…

• What was the name of the palace complex with hundreds of structures built during the Ming dynasty?