How Did The Ming Dynasty Promote Morality

At the end of the Mongol reign the Ming dynasty came into power hoping to restore the empire’s traditions. It created a more centralized government to have better power over the empire and worked to build and/or restore the Great Wall. They also moved the capital to the more northern city of Beijing in order to control the Mongol invaders. They set in place examinations as well to ensure the most knowledgeable scholars received civil service positions.

Throughout the development of Chinese history, dynasties or ruling families, have had major effects on China’s social, political and economic systems. For instance, several notable dynasties include the Zhou, Qin, and Han dynasty. Nevertheless, the sentiment favoring a certain dynasty led to debate between individuals. Thus, several individuals avouch that the Han dynasty had the most profound impact on the development of China, while others argue that it was the Qin dynasty who had a greater effect.

The Ming Dynasty ruled China from 1368 to 1644 (Morris). The Ming Dynasty was established by King Zhu Yuanshang, who named the dynasty not after Nohis family but the word ming which can mean “bright” or “luminous” (“The Chinese Ming”). It had a population around eighty-five million making it the largest civilization on Earth. As Professor Clunas points out in the exhibition’s exemplary catalog, everything about it was on a grand scale: “It had a greater land area, bigger cities (and more big cities), bigger armies, bigger ships, bigger palaces, bigger bells, more literate people, more religious professionals.” (Morris). Not only was the Ming Dynasty bigger, it brought many major advances in art, technology, and philosophy during its time.

The Qing empire ruled China with Confucianism as the main imperial system used until the very end. However, the beginning of Qing downfall result of the exam system became corrupted and filled with bribery. Instead of the fair examination on the knowledge of Confucianism, the wealthy use their power to get their ways, result in not the most qualified politicians. Additionally, it shows the lack of Confucius value in the Qing system. On the other hand, bureaucracy meant to improve the lives of the wealthy not the poor. Also, the money was given to the people with power and wealth, not to infrastructure.

Before Qin became emperor, the government system was not fair. He improved it by ranking officials according to their achievements and abilities. Instead of having status because of family, soldiers would be promoted

Qin Shi Huangdi, the first Qin emperor, was a proactive and ambitious emperor who implemented a central bureaucratic system that oversaw the evolution and unification of China at the cost of public sentiment. The Qin Dynasty is considered among the most influential dynasties as it laid the foundation for the massive cultural and economic development of China that took place during the Han Dynasty, but it also failed to achieve many of its pro-commoner ideological goals. In fact, socioeconomic disparity was not alleviated and despite the notion of enriching the lives of the common people, it was under Qin rule in which public resentment of the authoritarian government peaked as there were countless peasant revolts against the iron-handed bureaucratic rule of China. Because a paranoid emperor alone wielded political clout and influence, the tumultuous few years of Qin reign was rife with paranoia and suspicion among the masses. Although the Qin Dynasty is seldom thought as possessing the same glaring discrepancy between ideology and state that the Communist regime in post-World War II China had despite the similarities, the failure of the flawless egalitarian state models in socioeconomic and political aspects during the Qin Dynasty mirrored the developments in early Communist China.

China has been a communist country. Despite persistent debate over an extended period of time, the question whether which Chinese government is the most responsive to its people has never been permanently settled. However, I dare to claim that Qing Dynasty was the most open and receptive to its people among several Chinese governments. Some people might contend that Republic of China, Warlords, and Chinese Communist Party were the most responsive to its people. However, a close examination throughout this essay will clearly reveal the fallacious nature of their argument. My line of reasoning will derive its support from the most fundamental sources of human wisdom and history.

Qin Shi Huangdi, the first Qin emperor, was an ambitious emperor who implemented a central bureaucratic system that oversaw the evolution and unification of China at the cost of public sentiment. The Qin Dynasty is considered to be among the most influential dynasties as it laid the foundation for the massive cultural and economic development of China that took place during the Han Dynasty, but it also failed to achieve many of its pro-commoner ideological goals. In fact, socioeconomic disparity was not alleviated and despite the notion of enriching the lives of the common people, it was under Qin rule in which public resentment of the authoritarian government peaked as there were countless peasant revolts against the iron-handed bureaucratic rule of the Qin. Because a paranoid emperor alone wielded political clout and influence, the tumultuous few years of Qin reign was rife with paranoia and suspicion among the masses. Although the Qin Dynasty is seldom thought to possess the same glaring discrepancy between ideology and state that the Communist regime in post-World War II China had, the failure of the flawless egalitarian state models in socioeconomic and political aspects during the Qin Dynasty mirrored the developments in early Communist China.

During the period of ancient chia there were many philosophers who saw their own views upon the ways of which china was to be run. With the time there were many rulers which lead their views on china’s government and its exploits and so with these views came counterviews. There were those who saw a new way to run china for bad or for worse such as two famous philosophers named Confucius and Han Fei. Confucius wanted china to be run with peaceful yet firm rules and restrictions whereby the people of chia would act in such a way that was thought to be most moral and respectful. A quote from the analects of Confucius (Doc 1.) says “Lead the people with governmental measures and regulate them with laws and punishment, and they will avoid wrongdoing but will have no sense of honor and shame.

Founded in 1368, the first Ming emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang, based his rulings upon several ancient Confucian ideologies. He reinstated aspects of imperial rule, which included beating officials in public, and the ancient concept of filial piety. Filial piety, first introduced by Confucius, described the moral standard where people respected their superiors and understood their place in society. To establish this precedent, Emperor Zhu, otherwise known as Hongwu, required speeches to be given to Chinese villages. These speeches instructed subjects to be obedient to their parents, to coexist peacefully with fellow humans, to devote themselves to their role in society, and to avoid evil doings. Promoting courtesy and social order were key concepts of Confucian practices. Villages commonly created their own ordinances to help keep this viewpoint in place. It required that all members work together to uncover the wrongdoings of other community members to keep the village an orderly place. Because ordinances could not be enforced by government officials, it was required that villagers "…be placed under decisions of their neighbors."(Village Ordinances, CC, 211) Although this concept had a Confucian background, the ordinances were scarcely followed. This may have led to the small downfall of Confucian practices at the beginning of the future Qing

In restoring Confucianism to China, the Han government put their faith in the good of humanity. Under this system moral living by the people was paramount in the health of the government. The people were punished fairly (punishment fit the crime) for wrong doing but were encouraged to treat each other fairly, honor your parents, teachers, bosses, and governmental leaders. As an upper class, commoner or slave you were all important to the success of the government. Strength of the people and increased knowledge were stressed to create a more stable viable society. Each class of people had their place in the government and should not aspire to reach any

In 1368, Ming Dynasty was established. Emperor Hongwu praised highly on Confucius and vigorously popularizing Confucianism. Moreover, the Ming government, “Implemented the civil serve examination system that put Confucian scholar-officials in the central leadership. This officials were well versed and socialized in the human and antimilitarist precepts of the Confucian classics.” Ming China’s major security intimidation came from the northern border, the Mongols. Under the influence of Confucianism, Ming advocated

In ancient China, many different rulers tried to unify and rule the country using a variety of methods – Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism to name a few. Each philosophy had its own set of rules of how people should act both in public and privately. The overall goal of each philosophy was to set a standard of acceptable living that would ensure harmony and success for the society. However, each was different and thus had different results.

In the years following the Zhou leaders, the Qin dynasty rose to power, taking control of the country and altering the manner in which it was ruled and which people lived. During the Qin reign, mandatory service in the military was instated. Once a boy was of age, he was required to serve in the military, pay land taxes and perform a yearly labor service. Shang Yang, the emperor, divided his people into groups. It was the responsibility of the groups to monitor each other and to turn in those who failed to comply. If they opted to turn a blind eye, and were caught, the entire group was punished. This method of ruling worked well. As an incentive for the people to comply, the Qin rulers adopted “legalism,” which is a school of thought that every person would have the same rights and opportunities, regardless of their heredity. No longer were the children of the privileged given special treatment. Even the ruler’s

Timothy Brook’s book, The Confusions of Pleasure: Commerce and Culture in Ming China is a detailed account of the three centuries of the Ming Dynasty in China. The book allows an opportunity to view this prominent time period of Chinese history. Confusions of Pleasure not only chronicles the economic development during the Ming dynasty, but also the resulting cultural and social changes that transform the gentry and merchant class. Brook’s insights highlight the divide between the Ming dynasty’s idealized beliefs, and the realities of its economic expansion and its effects. Brook describes this gap through the use of several first hand accounts of individuals with various social statuses.