The Ming dynasty was founded by a Han Chinese peasant, a former Buddhist monk who assumed the role of a rebel army leader. The Ming reached its high point in the beginning of the fifteenth century. The dynasty first established its dynasty in the city of Nanjing, later in Beijing. The Ming reconquered North Vietnam in the South and were successful in fighting off the nomadic Mongol tribes in the north. They established a powerful navy that sailed the China Sea and Indian Ocean. The Grand Canal was expanded and trade flourished. Art, medicine, politics, and social structure reached a zenith. Asian countries sent tribute to the revived Chinese Empire.
The prosperity came to a halt and sea travel stopped suddenly in 1433. The Ming were fighting a costly war with the Mongols, and victory was not certain. Extra frills such as expensive expeditions became costly and useless in the mind of the Emperor. Another reason for the halt of the expeditions may have been opposition in the court to the ideas of expansion and commerce, which seemed alien to the Chinese ideas of government.
Pressure from the neo-Confucian bureaucrats led to an agrarian-centered society. The stable Ming dynasty then had a population of about 100 million, and their incredible advances in the sciences and arts had led them to believe that they created the most perfect civilization on earth. This led them to further conclude that anything foreign was not welcome.
The Ming had based their society on the older dynasties and created a near perfect society. However, the cycle continued, and as every dynasty before them the Ming dynasty disintegrated. This was due to the long wars with the Mongols, repeated attacks on Korea by the Japanese, and even Japanese attacks on Chinese coastal cities. This weakened the Ming dynasty and prepared China for the last great shift. In 1644 the Manchu a people from the north, conquered Beijing and became the rulers of China.
The Ming dynasty was founded by a Han Chinese peasant, a former Buddhist monk who assumed the role of a rebel army leader. The Ming reached its high point in the beginning of the fifteenth century. The dynasty first established its dynasty in the city of Nanjing, later in Beijing. The Ming reconquered North Vietnam in the South and were successful in fighting off the nomadic Mongol tribes in the north. They established a powerful navy that sailed the China Sea and Indian Ocean. The Grand Canal was expanded and trade flourished. Art, medicine, politics, and social structure reached a zenith. Asian countries sent tribute to the revived Chinese Empire.