1. Absolutism
Global Trade
Centralized government, bureaucracy, divine
right
Truly global – Americas EX: Hongwu, Tokugawa, Sultans, Mughal
Columbian Exchange (Akbar), King Louis XIV, Osei Tutu (Asantehene)
Indian, Atlantic, Pacific
Oceans Rise of Europe
Atlantic Slave Trade Portugal and Spain led the way
Mercantilism Northern Europe looks outward
Search for new trade routes
Gold, God, Glory
Cultural and Intellectual
Developments
The Big Picture Colonization of Latin America
Protestant Reformation/Counter
Renaissance 1450-1750 Reformation
Scientific Revolution
Enlightenment Coercive Labor
Humanism Slavery
Exploration
Neo-Confucianism Serfdom
Sailing technology Consumerism
Mita System
Printing press
Gunpowder developments Sugar, Silver, Slaves
Mining

2. Rise in Power
• Due to Black Plague, Yuan Dynasty weakened
• Zhu Yuanzhang led military campaign to unify
China (1368)
• Proclaimed Ming Dynasty
• Mongols retreated to Steppes
• Zhu called himself the Hongwu Emperor
Government
• Development of the Forbidden City
• Developed an imperial bureaucracy –
officials appointed based on civil
service exams
• Local leaders worked on irrigation,
reforestation, collected taxes
• Purged many rivals – ruled through
terror
• Emperor had absolute power
• Hongwu abolished chief minister
position

3. • Efficient tax collection. Hongwu ordered
surveys and censuses to collect data
Economy
• Ming began economic recovery – major
products were silk, cotton, fine porcelain
• Active traders in the Indian Ocean – ports of
Hangzhou, Guangzhou
• Yongle Emperor sent Zheng He to explore and
collect tribute
• Traded for silver with Europe and Japan
• Stressed internal trade
Social Aspects
• Neo-Confucianism led to more rigid social
structure. No dissension allowed
• Social structure: Emperor, scholar-gentry,
farmers, artisans, merchants
• Established Confucian school to select officials
• Population explosion, cities grew
• Jesuit missionaries (Mateo Ricci) introduce
European technology and beliefs.
• Wider production of printed materials. Novels
written in Chinese.

4. Chinese Timeline
Do Now:
Create a timeline on your handout of
major events in Chinese history
1. Kublai Khan, a Mongol, establishes the Yuan dynasty (1271 AD)
2. Shang dynasty established – oracle bones used (1766 BC)
3. Han Dynasty adopts Confucianism (206 BC)
4. China Experiences a Golden Age – Song Dynasty (907 AD)
5. China develops a feudal system during the Zhou dynasty (1122 BC)
6. The Qin dynasty adopts Legalism (221 BC)
7. The Ming dynasty restores Chinese rule in China (1368 AD)
8. Han Dynasty collapses (220 AD)
9. Tang Dynasty unites China (618 AD)

5. Major Events in Chinese History Timeline
221 BC 1368
Qin Ming Dynasty
1766 BC Dynasty 907 Restores Chinese
220 AD Song Dynasty Rule
Shang adopts Han
Dynasty Legalism Golden Age
Dynasty
established collapses
0
618 AD
1122 BC 206 BC Tang Dynasty 1271
Feudalism Han unites China Mongols
under Zhou Dynasty Establish
Adopts Yuan
Confucianism Dynasty

6. Recovery in China
Political Development Ming China
Mongols collapsed in 1368.
Hongwu established the
Ming Dynasty.
Erase memory of Mongol
occupation.
Confucian education and
civil service reinstated. Intellectual Development
Private merchants traded Neo-Confucianism promoted
and manufactured porcelain,
silk, and cotton. Yongle Encyclopedia
promoted Chinese traditions.
Ming “Brilliant” Dynasty
lasted until 1644. Jesuit missionaries (Mateo
Ricci) introduce European
technology and beliefs.
Wider production of printed
materials. Novels written in
Chinese.

7. Recovery in China
Exploration
Ming China
“Comeback Back” Tours (7 between 1405 -1433).
Massive naval and trade fleet headed by Zheng He, a
Chinese Muslim eunuch.
Established tributary relations with regions
throughout the eastern hemisphere.
Voyages ended in 1433 as Confucian bureaucrats
claimed foreign interests had no value to China and
military resources should be directed towards
protecting northern frontier from attack.

9. Chinese Maritime Tradition
G uess
the
Fib!
1. This ship cruised Chinese canals in 618 CE linking the
southern “rice bowl” and the northern plains.
You Guessed the FIB!
2. The “Dragon Fleet” was used as an intimidating weapon
and actually shot flames from its mouth.
3. Emperor Yang’s ship was pulled by 80,000 men, had 4
decks, a throne room, and 120 exquisitely decorated rooms
for concubines.

10. Chinese maritime activities appear to have gained their
footing near the end of the Song Dynasty (960-1279 A.D.).
Artifacts, particularly ceramics, and archaeological evidence,
primarily shipwrecks, indicate the presence of strong
maritime ties throughout Southeast Asia. There was extensive
commerce from the eastern coast of China, to Korea, Japan
and Australia.

11. B it was the subsequent M
ut ongol emperors (the Yuan
dynasty of c. 1271-1368) who commissioned the first
imperial treasure fleets and founded trading posts in
Sumatra, Ceylon, and southern India.
W hen M arco P made his famous journey to the M
olo ongol
court, he described four-masted junks with 60 individual
cabins for merchants, watertight bulkheads, and crews of up
to 300.

12. Shipbuilding in the southern Fujian province was
well established by the time of the Ming Dynasty
(1368 to 1644 A.D.).
t
Th e Por
C ity of
gzhou
Guan
The Emperor, Wan Shengzi, was noted for his open-door
trade policies with foreign nations. As a result, Chinese
port cities grew in size and importance.

13. But the real peak in Chinese maritime prowess
is symbolized in the extraordinary tale of one
man: Admiral Zheng He.
During his 28 year naval career, Admiral Zheng visited 37
countries, traveled around the tip of Africa into the
Atlantic Ocean and commanded a single fleet whose
numbers surpassed the combined fleets of all Europe.

14. Zheng He
My Name is Zheng He and
this is my story!
I was born in 1371 to poor
Muslim parents in Southwest
China. I was captured as a
young boy by the Chinese Army
and castrated to become a
Eunuch. Nonetheless, I
dedicated myself to my studies,
learning several languages and
philosophy.

15. In 1382, at the age of 11, I was made a
servant of a prince who would later become
Yongle, Emperor of the Ming Dynasty!
Zheng, as my most trusted servant, I will
Guess make you Admiral of the Western
the
seas” if you “Guess the Fib!”
Fib! 1. I rebuilt the Grand Canal and Great
Wall.
2. I made peace with the Mongols
You Guessed the FIB!
developing a lucrative trade network
throughout Asia.
3. I Built the Forbidden city at Beijing,
which took 1 million laborers 15 yrs
to complete.
4. I wrote a bestselling manuscript
called the Yongle Encyclopedia.

16. T T
he reasure Fleet
Now, as Admiral of our fleet, you
must sail to “the countries beyond
the horizon,” all the way to the
end of the earth. Your mission is
to display the might of Chinese
power and collect tribute from the
"barbarians beyond the seas."
I accepted Emperor Yongle’s mission
and in 1405 began my first expedition!

17. No nation on earth had ever sent such a fleet
onto the ocean. It included 62 large ships,
some 600 feet long, larger than any other on
the seas. Hundreds of smaller vessels
accompanied them.
A Chinese historian described them; "T ships which sail
he
the Southern Sea are like houses. W hen their sails are
spread they are like great clouds in the sky."

18. T flagship of the fleet was a nine-masted vessel measuring
he
440 feet. In comparison, Columbus’ St. Maria was eighty-five
feet.

19. M voyages became an example of the
y
power and greatness of the Chinese
civilization.
Click
He re for
A C loser
look!
W established many maritime inventions, including central
e
rudders, watertight compartments, various new types of
sails, paddle wheels and even armor plated boats. All these
developments made long distance navigation possible.

20. T T
he reasure
Fleet Voyages
M F naval expedition lasted
y irst
two years (1405-1407) and
comprised of 317 ships with
27,870 men. M first port of
y
call was in Champa (Vietnam).
I saw many Chinese who had
emigrated from the coastal
provinces since the time of the
T ang Dynasty and had already
These are my ships, as
depicted in a Chinese
spread Confucian ideals.
woodblock print in the Champa’s ruler willingly offered
early 17th century. tribute for the Chinese emperor.

21. FUN
FAC
T!
W hile voyaging to India, the ships encountered a ferocious
hurricane. Zheng H prayed to the T
e aoist Goddess known
as the Celestial Spouse. In response, a "divine light" shone
at the tips of the mast, and the storm subsided. T his
heavenly sign -- perhaps the static electrical phenomenon
known as St. E lmo's fire -- led Zheng H and his crew to
e
believe that his missions were under special divine
protection.

22. B the time I returned to China, I sailed
y
to Java, Sri Lanka and Calicut, I battled
and captured pirates, and I established
massive warehouses in the Straits of
Malacca.
At each civilization I
visited, I was to
present gifts from the
emperor and to exact
tribute for the glory of
the M ing.
This is a painting depicting
my return to China

23. One of my greatest Voyages was my fourth in 1413-1415.
W 63 ships I reached H
ith ormuz in the Persian Gulf. Many
artisans strung together exquisite pearls and merchants
dealt in precious stones and metals.

24. While I lingered in the city to
amass treasure for the emperor,
I sent Yang M to B
in engal. H e
Giraffe
returned to China with a
_______ that the B engali King
received from the ruler of
MGiraffe W
alindi. hen the _______
arrived at the court in Nanjing,
the scholars identified it as the
fabled unicorn, an animal that
symbolized an age of
exceptional peace and
prosperity. As the fleet laid
treasures from Arabia and India
at the feet of the emperor, this
omen must surely have seemed
fitting.

25. N
FU T! W hen foreign ambassadors came
F AC to the Chinese court, they
"kowtowed" as they approached
the emperor. (T required
he
process of "kowtow" was to
kneel three times and bow one's
head to the floor three times at
each kneeling.)
In return for tribute from other
countries, the emperor sent gifts
and special seals that confirmed
their rulers' authority. These
foreign kings were officially
made part of the M Dynasty.
ing

26. From 1405-1433, I made seven voyages
reaching Southeast Asia, Sumatra, J ava,
Ceylon, India, Persia, Arabia, Egypt, and East
Africa.

27. Unfortunately, Emperor Yongle died in
1424, ending all naval expeditions until
1431. T hen, during my seventh and final
voyage in 1431-33, I died returning from
Sri Lanka.
A stamp
depicting
the many
voyages of
my
Treasure
fleet.

28. After Zheng He died, the Treasure Fleets were
dismantled and banned from being used.
Government sponsored voyages ceased and all
official records of Zheng He’s travels were
destroyed.
Why do you think the Chinese decided to isolate
themselves and discontinue the Treasure Fleet voyages?

29. Chinese influence on the world ceased, thus opening the
door for the rise of European superpowers . B the year
y
1500, Columbus had discovered the New W orld and Vasco
da Gama, the P ortuguese sailor, had entered the Indian
Ocean and laid the groundwork for an era of Asian
colonization by E uropean naval powers

30. N !
FU T
F AC
Today, Zheng he is honored throughout the world including
this statue in Singapore and Chinese gold coin.

31. New Findings?
Did the M E
ing mpire
actually reach the West?
Wow! If this
Theory is true, it
will rewrite history!
Zheng H story has recently drawn much popular
e’s
attention because of a new book published in 2002
by Gavin M enzies, a B ritish former submariner.
1421: T Year China Discovered America. T
he he
book claims, among other things, that Zheng H e
“discovered” America and circumnavigated the earth
much earlier than the E uropeans.

32. Neoconfucianism and
Chinese Expansion
I. Politics – Arguments for ending voyages
Eunuch
A. Scholar-Gentry saw exploration as a _____________ project
B. Exploration was just one man’s interest (Emperor Yongle)
not the push of an entire civilization.
Costly
C. Trips were extremely ____________________.
Self-Sufficient
D. Some Chinese believed China was already _______________
and there was no need for exploration.
E. Suspicious of outside trade – could cause instability and
undermine authority – creates problems, not opportunity.
F. Scholar-Gentry thought money and focus should be on
Mongol
protecting the northern border from _________ invasions.

33. “If the People are underfed, it is because the
merchants have prospered and agriculture has
been neglected.”
II. Culture – Arguments for ending voyages
land
A. Scholar-Gentry believed ________ was primary form of
wealth
B. Farming was more noble than trading.
Family Shrine
1. Merchants could not keep up a ________________
(against neoconfucian ideals).
2. Merchants could not perform religious rituals for
ancestors overseas
3. Merchants live off other people’s hard work - parasites

34. Why did the Confucian Scholar-Gentry believe
it was embarassing for Chinese diplomats to
travel to foreign lands?
C. Scholars thought that inferiors should seek superiors
Missionary
D. Neoconfucianism did not have _______________ impulse of
Christianity or Islam.
E. Role of Women – did not want women in market place
1. Strict role for women as homemakers
Footbinding
2. Practiced __________________ on elite women

35. Decline of Power
• Poor leaders took over
• Poor conditions of the people – bad crops, high taxes
• Taxes inspired rebellions
• Silver trade led to inflation – halt of silver trade led to decline in
1630s
• Manchus from the north claim power and set up Qing Dynasty

36. T T
he reasure Fleet
Click
Her e for
p
Fi lm Cli
What would you need if you were preparing a journey
into unknown territory?
H would you plan on meeting those crucial needs?
ow

37. Recovery and Renaissance in Asia and Europe, 1450
Political Developments Europe
By 1400, regional states were
developing into powerful monarchies.
Taxed citizens directly and
maintained standing armies.
Spanish Reconquista put Spain back
in the hands of Iberian Catholics and
not the Moors.
Italian city states grew wealthy from
trade. Florence, Milan, Venice.
Competition between nations led to Reconquista de Granada
innovative weapons, ships, and other
technology that would allow Europe
to exert its influence world wide.
The stage was being set for a
GLOBAL SHIFT IN POWER STILL
FELT TODAY.

38. Recovery and Renaissance in Asia and Europe, 1450
Intellectual Development
Europe
The Renaissance / “Rebirth”
Sparked by renewed contact
with classical Greek and Roman
heritage via the Islamic world
and trade.
Increased wealth led to more
resources begin devoted to the
arts.
Humanism: Stressed the Davinci
importance of human existence.
Reflected in art and literature.
Italy’s favorable trading location
gave rise to the Renaissance.
Medici family of Florence.
Painting, science, and sculpture
flourished.
Michelangelo

39. Recovery and Renaissance in Asia and Europe, 1450
Europe
European Exploration
Questioning spirit of Renaissance
inspired Europeans to look outward and
explore.
Major Motivations: GLORY, GOLD, GOD.
Portuguese: Find a trade route bypassing
the Middle East and middlemen. Prince
Henry the Navigator promoted
expeditions along African coast.
Portugal was first European nation to sail
around tip of Africa and into Indian
Ocean for trade.
Spanish: Ferdinand and Isabella and
Columbus’ journey. Western Route to
Asia, 1492.
Columbus at the court of Ferdinand and Isabella