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Check out the archeological sites that have been found in China

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Map of Prehistoric Sites - Ancient History Encyclopedia

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This map shows a selection of Palaeolithic sites all across the globe which are connected with the genus of Homo.

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(hint. read the description/extra information)

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Ming Dynasty Army (Medieval Chinese, 出警图)

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At its peak, the Ming dynasty made China a global superpower, influencing the known world in trade, culture and might. It spanned nearly 300 years, from the fall of the Mongols in 1368 to the ascendancy of the Manchus in 1644. Here are seven things you might not know about the Ming era.

The dynasty's founder grew up in poverty.

Born Zhu Yuanzhang in 1328 and orphaned at age 16, the man who would found the Ming dynasty survived by begging before becoming a novice at a Buddhist monastery. When his monastery was burned down a few years later during a conflict between Yuan dynasty soldiers and rebels from a Buddhist sect known as the "Red Turbans," Zhu joined the rebels, quickly rising through the ranks and even marrying the daughter of one of his commanders. By the time his men overthrew the Yuan dynasty capital of Nanjing, the 40-year-old Zhu had distanced himself from the rebels' more esoteric teachings, although the name he gave his dynasty, Ming, means "bright," in possible reference to the god of light revered by his former comrades.

The dynasty's Beijing capital complex was actually called the Purple Forbidden City.

In the early 15th century the Hongwu Emperor's son, the Yongle Emperor, supervised the transfer of the imperial capital from Nanjing to a new city at Beijing, 550 miles to the northwest. Adjacent to the old Yuan dynasty capital of Dadu, which had been built by Kublai Khan beginning in 1264, the new Ming capital was surrounded by a wall 15 miles long and 40 feet high. In addition to an administrative hub with offices for government officials, the center of the complex contained the imperial palace, whose nearly 10,000 rooms could only be entered with the emperor's permission. Known in modern English as the Forbidden City, the Chinese term for it, "Zijin Cheng," means "Purple Forbidden City," a colorful reference not to the city's walls but to the night sky-particular the purplish constellation with the North Start at its center, which the emperor hoped to emulate, with his new capital as the earthly version of this navigational star.

The Great Wall of China took on its familiar look during the Ming Dynasty.

The oldest parts of the 4,500-mile-long Great Wall of China date back to the 7th century B.C., when Chinese rulers first built border fortifications to keep northern armies at bay. Between 204 and 201 B.C. an earthen Great Wall was built by hundreds of thousands of conscripted workers. Responding to new threats from the north in the late 1500s, the Ming emperors began an 80-year refurbishing of the wall, rebuilding it out of local granite, limestone and fired bricks of clay strengthened with sticky rice. The taller, thicker, longer wall featured integrated watchtowers, barracks and storehouses and stretched from the Bohai Sea in the east to the Jiayu Pass (an important Silk Road oasis) in the west.

The dynasty's greatest admiral and navigator, Zheng He, sailed a vast armada as far as Africa.

Fifty years before Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama sailed around the Cape of Good Hope and up the east coast of Africa, an armada of some of the largest wooden ships ever made was projecting Chinese power in the same waters, under the command of Ming-dynasty admiral Zheng He. Born in 1371 into a Muslim family in Yunnan province, Zheng had been captured and castrated by Ming troops and sent into service to the imperial family, where he became a trusted advisor to the future Yongle Emperor. After his patron's ascension, he was put in charge of the Forbidden City's corps of eunuchs before being promoted to admiral. Between 1405 and 1433, Zheng's seven maritime expeditions, which included up to 62 ships and 27,800 men, travelled trade routes through Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East and Eastern Africa. Some 36 countries agreed to form tributary relationships with China, but after the death of the Yongle Emperor, the new regime put an end to the costly expeditions.

Blue-and-white Ming Dynasty painted porcelain became one of the first global fads.

In the Jiangzi Province factory town of Jingdezhen, expert potters used local clay and imported Persian cobalt to create some of the Ming Dynasty's most popular trade items. Traditional patterns such as the dragon-cloud motif in pottery were, in part, designed for export to the Arab world and, eventually, to Europe. When Vasco da Gama sailed for China in 1497, King Manuel I of Portugal instructed him to bring back two precious commodities: spices and porcelain. Two years later, da Gama returned, having lost half his men but holding a dozen pieces of chinaware. During the chaos following the Ming dynasty's collapse exports to Europe were interrupted, spurring the production of Delftware, a blue-and-white Chinese-style porcelain made in Holland.

The Ming Dynasty defied convention by switching from paper currency to coins.

Usually monetary economies start out with coins made of precious metals and eventually graduate to paper money. In China, paper money was introduced during the Tang (7th century) and Song (11th century) dynasties. By the middle of the Ming era, though, instability of the paper currency led it to be replaced by coins minted from silver imported from the Spanish Empire and Japan. In 1639, a trade dispute in Hiroshima and a diplomatic conflict with Spain over the treatment of Chinese merchants in the Philippines cut off China's silver supplies. A drop in imports spurred hoarding, which exacerbated the crisis and left the dynasty's rulers reeling.

The final Ming emperor was toppled in a rebellion led by a former postal worker.

By the early 17th century the greatest threat to Ming supremacy lay northeast of the Great Wall in Manchuria. Military spending to meet the Manchu threat forced the Ming government to raise taxes while neglecting other parts of China. Among the many disgruntled workers who lost their jobs in the economic downturn was Li Zicheng, a postal messenger in the western city of Xian. After a brief stint in the imperial army, Li joined with groups of roving bandits, becoming a leader in a growing peasant rebellion. In 1644 Li's men captured a barely-defended Beijing. Abandoned by his closest advisors, the last Ming emperor, Chongzhen, hung himself from a tree in the imperial garden. Ironically, Li's triumph spurred the Ming general Wu Sangui to go over to the Manchus, whose combined force then defeated the rebels and took the throne, ushering in Qing dynasty.

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7 Things You May Not Know About the Ming Dynasty

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At its peak, the Ming dynasty made China a global superpower, influencing the known world in trade, culture and might. It spanned nearly 300 years, from the fall of the Mongols in 1368 to the ascendancy of the Manchus in 1644. Here are seven things you might not know about the Ming era.

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Check out the different Dynasties, the order and how they started.
What important facts did the authors include for the Ming Dynasty?

little extra:
http://www.historyforkids.net/dynasties-of-ancient-china.html

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Kids learn about the history of Ancient China. Educational articles for teachers, students, and schools including the culture, art, religions, clothing, geography, empire, government, daily life, people, and dynasties of Ancient China.

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In the search categories click on the search boxes.
1. Time Period: Select the dates for the Ming Dynasty
2. Select a  geographical region- East Asia
3. Thematic Category- China
When you find a piece of work, read the description to make sure it says Ming Dynasty.
What type of art piece did you find?
Where/when/how was it found?

(or try this:
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/search/?search-term=ming )

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The Met's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History

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Works of Art | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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The Met's Timeline of Art History pairs essays and works of art with chronologies and tells the story of art and global culture through the collection.

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What is left over from the Ming Dynasty in modern day China?

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What is left over from the Ming Dynasty in modern day China?

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Ming Dynasty City Wall Relics Park, Beijing

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Ming Dynasty City Wall Relics Park is a great site to appreciate city wall ruins, enjoy plum blossoms in spring and experience Beijing locals' daily life.

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Create a timeline using the various websites on this padlet. It must include......
-people
-beginning and end of dynasty
-inventions
-key wars or dates

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Looking at a MODERN DAY map and this map, which Modern cities are in the area that Ming Dynasty ruled?

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This video shows chinese dynasties starting from the Qin one, so basically this doesn't include Xia, Zhou and the warring states period. I will still be apart from mapping. Song: I just remember it was called "Rada" :/ My skype: filosoraptor777

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the Ming Dynasty History: Major Events, Rise and Fall

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The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) was China's last ethnic Chinese dynasty. After the Mongol Yuan were ousted, it flourished, but ended with rebellion and invasion.

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What modern cities were in the Ming Dynasty? What were they called before?

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Emperor Throne
in Forbidden City, Beijing

China, one of the countries that can boast of an ancient civilization, has a long and mysterious history - almost 5,000 years of it! Like most other great civilizations of the world, China can trace her culture back to a blend of small original tribes which have expanded till they became the great country we have today.

It is recorded that Yuanmou man is the oldest hominoid in China and the oldest dynasty is Xia Dynasty. From the long history of China, there emerge many eminent people that have contributed a lot to the development of the whole country and to the enrichment of her history. Among them, there are emperors like Li Shimin (emperor Taizong of the Tang), philosophers like Confucius, great patriotic poets like Qu Yuan and so on.

Chinese society has progressed through five major stages - Primitive Society, Slave Society, Feudal Society, Semi-feudal and Semi-colonial Society, and Socialist Society. The rise and fall of the great dynasties forms a thread that runs through Chinese history, almost from the beginning. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st, 1949, China has become a socialist society and become stronger and stronger.

Timeline of Chinese History (Click to enlarge)

Dynasty

Period

Founder

Capital

Xia

21st - 17th century BC

Yu the Great

Anyi ( in Yuncheng, Shanxi); Yangcheng (in today's Dengfeng, Zhengzhou, Henan); Yangdi (in today's Yuzhou, Henan); Zhenxun (in Luoyang, Henan)

Qin

221 - 207 BC

Qin Shi Huang
(Ying Zheng / Zhao Zheng)

Xianyang (in today's Xianyang and Xi'an of Shaanxi)

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Emperor Throne in Forbidden City, Beijing China, one of the countries that can boast of an ancient civilization, has a long and mysterious history - almost 5,000 years of it! Like most other great civilizations of the world, China can trace her culture back to a blend of small original tribes which have expanded till they became the great country we have today.

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What observations can you write down about the differences in fashion
from Ming Dynasty to today?

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Empress and imperial concubines of Ming Dynasty

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Watch this video about the short history of Ming Dynasty.
Takes notes on:
1. The important people involved in the Dynasty
2. What does ethnocentric mean?
3. When did the Ming Dynasty collapse?

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Check out the timeline of emperors!

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In the late period of the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368), a peasant's uprising - Hongjinjun (army with red scarf in the head) uprising broke out against the Mongols. In 1352 when the rebel army captured Haozhou (currently Fengyang in Anhui Province), Zhu Yuanzhang, a local young man from a peasant family joined the army. After that, Zhu served with distinction in the battles. He was then chosen as general by a rebelling warlord named Guo Ziyi. After the death of the rebelling warlord, Zhu took control and continued forth to realize his plan to take control over all of China. In 1356, Zhu led his army into the city of Jiqing (currently Nanjing in Jiangsu Province), changed the city name into Yingtian and established his own military base there. Through several years' efforts, both the military and economical strength of Zhu's army quickly became stronger. From 1360 to 1367, his army managed to eliminate the remaining separatist military forces.

In 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang officially proclaimed himself emperor in Yingtian and founded the Ming Dynasty.

In the same year, the Ming army captured Dadu (currently Beijing), the capital city of Yuan, and rid China of most of the remaining Mongols, ultimately ending Yuan.

After the founding of the new dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang implemented a series of policies to reduce the peasants' burden and to resume the production of the whole society. On the other hand, he focused much attention on the punishment and prevention of corruption among court officials. Additionally, he sent his sons to supervise the local administration so as to strengthen his hold on imperial power. After Zhu Yuanzhang died, his grandson Zhu Yunwen took over the throne. However, his reign only lasted for four years, ending in a coup launched by Zhu Di, the fourth son of Zhu Yuanzhang. Hence, Zhu Di was Emperor Chengzu, whose reign was considered as one of the most prosperous periods in this dynasty. During his reign, an unprecedented encyclopedia called Yongle Dadian was regarded as the biggest and earliest encyclopedia in the world. From 1405 to 1433, Emperor Chengzu sent a eunuch named Zhenghe to lead Ming's fleets across the Indian Ocean. They visited many countries in Southeast Asia, expanding the influence of the Ming Dynasty in the world. Meanwhile,

Emperor Chengzu began to construct an imperial palace from 1406 and moved the capital city from Yingtian to Beijing in 1421.

The turning point from prosperity to decline was the reign of Emperor Shenzong. In the early period, under the wise assistance of a skillful chancellor, Zhang Juzheng, Emperor Shenzong made much improvement in the national economy, agriculture, water conservancy and military affairs. However, after the death of Zhang Juzheng, the emperor began to neglect state affairs. In his late reign, the Ming army was defeated by the leader of the so-called 'Latter Jin' regime - Nurhachu in the Battle of Sarhu. Since then, the Ming court fell into a passive state in confrontation with the 'Latter Jin' set up by Nuzhen ethnic minority.

The end of this dynasty started from the last emperor, Emperor Weizong's reign - the reign went by the name Chongzhen. The crisis was caused by the corruption of the court officials and the domination of the eunuchs. In that period, both the exploitation from the ruling class and natural disasters in successive years caused the

Dingling, Beijing Ming Tombs

people to live in extreme hardship. In 1628, dozens of rebel military forces launched battles in the northern area of Shaaxi Province. Among them, one of the leaders of the rebel army was named Li Zicheng, and he was deeply trusted and supported by most peasants. In 1644, Li Zicheng captured Xi'an and founded a new regime called Dashun. In the same year, Emperor Weizong hanged himself in Jingshan Hill of Beijing, signifying the end of this dynasty.

Economically, the Ming Dynasty was a period during which the feudal society began to show the declining trend while the capitalism started to originate. In agriculture, both the food output and the implements of production surpassed that of the Song and Yuan Dynasties. From the early period, the handicraft industry in the southern areas developed rapidly. Especially, the porcelain making industry reached an unprecedented level. Since the reign of Zhu Yuanzhang, it had been a major source of the state finance. The currently famous Jindezhen kiln was once the imperial kiln in that period.

The development of the handicraft industry promoted market economy and urbanization. During the reign of Emperor Shizong and Emperor Shenzong, a great amount of commodities including silk, alcohol, porcelain, tobacco, crops, vegetable and fruits was sold in the market. Meanwhile, many foreign commodities such as clocks from Europe and tobacco from America were on sale in many cities of China. Also, a series of commercial metropolises including Beijing, Nanjing, Yangzhou, Suzhou, Guangzhou, Xi'an and Chengdu were successively formed. However, the later policy of restraining commerce and the stringent ban on shipping greatly hampered commercial development.

The culture developed rapidly, especially in literature. Three of the four great classical masterpieces of Chinese literature - Journey to the West, Outlaws of the Marsh, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms were written in during this period. Besides, another two well-known novels - Peony Pavilion and The Plum in the Golden Vase were also excellent works in that period. Meanwhile, folk literature prospered, represented by a group of writers such as Tang Yin, Song Lian, Zhang Dai, Wu Weiye and Yuan Hongdao. In philosophy, Wang Yangming's new thoughts called 'philosophy of the mind' formed a new thinking wave which helped shape a new social trend.

Badaling Great Wall, Ming Dynasty

Before the 16th century, the scientific development of the Ming Dynasty had been in the forefront of the world.Many scientific books appeared in the early and middle period, namely, medical book Compendium of Materia Medica by Li Shizhen, Song Yingxing's Heavenly Creations about handicraft industry, Xu Guangqi's Complete Treatise on Agriculture and Xu Xiake's Travels of Xu Xiake. All these have been the precious documents for today's study of the ancient technology. Additionally, the military technology was relatively advanced in that period. A kind of gun called 'huochong gun' and powerful artillery were invented in the late period. It is said that a man named Wan Hoo even tried to fly to the sky by sitting in a chair propelled by gunpowder sticks. Unfortunately, he failed and became the first sacrifice in human conquest of the sky.

In the end, the greatest achievements accomplished during this time were on architecture. The Forbidden City in Beijing was crafted this time. Porcelain making was also relevant during this time, which contributed to arts of present day.

6

Ming Yingzong
(Zhu Qizhen)

Son of Emperor Xuanzong; He ascended the throne at eight and was later imprisoned by Mongols due to the failure of Tumu Crisis. After being house arrested for seven years, his launched a coup and regained his second reign.

1436 - 1449,
1457 - 1464

11

Ming Shizong
(Zhu Houcong)

Cousin of Emperor Wuzong and nephew of Emperor Xiaozong; He was also infatuated with women as well a s Taoist alchemical pursuits.

1522 - 1566

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In the late period of the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368), a peasant's uprising - Hongjinjun (army with red scarf in the head) uprising broke out against the Mongols. In 1352 when the rebel army captured Haozhou (currently Fengyang in Anhui Province), Zhu Yuanzhang, a local young man from a peasant family joined the army.

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Which countries were apart of the Imperial Tributary System?

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They Ming Dynasty ruled China from 1368 to 1644. It was a period of native Chinese leadership that came in between Mongol and Manchu rule. It was founded by Zhu Yuanzhang, who proclaimed himself emperor in Yingtian.