Ming Dynasty the Three Centuries That Comprise

Ming Dynasty

The three centuries that comprise the Ming Dynasty are not easy to describe in the course of twenty pages of text. However, the author of this chapter does a stellar job of conveying the essence of the Ming Dynasty via an engaging yet scholarly writing style. The chapter is well-organized, its ideas presented in clear, logical, and chronological format. However, the presentation of the material is not dry but rather includes rich commentary and even opinion that is solidly based on source evidence. For example, the author reflects on the personality and character of some of the Ming emperors and eunuch dictators, using strong adjectives that reflect the views of their contemporaries. In addition to providing rich and colorful commentary, the author also outlines the succession of Ming Emperors with convenient, logical subheadings within the chapter. Thus, the author presents a wealth of material by weaving the personal and the impersonal in a scholarly fashion. Additionally, the chapter contains several subheadings pertaining to more general or overarching issues related to a complete historiography of the Ming period. After describing the early emperors up to Yongle with considerable biographical detail, the author shifts his or her pace to present more broad concepts such as foreign policy, absolutism, economics, and social and literary changes during the Ming Period. Under each of these subheadings, the author offers clear explanations of terms and illustrates the importance of those concepts to a comprehensive picture of the time period in question. While the article is aimed mainly at an academic audience, the author's engaging and clear style denotes that the material will be equally as accessible for the layman or anyone interested in a thorough overview of Ming history.

The author's writing style is straightforward and academic yet often approaches a narrative style, especially when he/she presents a brief biography of Ming emperors. These brief biographies form the bulk of the book's chapter. In particular, the author goes into considerable depth on the founder of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, known as the Hongwu Emperor. The reason for the author's unbalanced focus on the Hongwu Emperor is that his ideas and policies formed the foundation of later Ming policies and therefore affected Chinese history in general. Moreover, many of Hongwu's policies had long-term effects, effects that the author takes care to elucidate at various and relevant points in the text. Therefore, in addition to providing insights into the dynastic psychological character, he or she also sheds light on how that character impacted the overall social, political, and economic development of China.

Drawing the reader into the text early on in the chapter, the author writes, "The founder of the dynasty Zhu Yuanzhang had been born of a very poor family," (169). Indeed, one of the most fascinating aspects of Zhu Yuanzhang's life was his rise from rags to riches, a rise that essentially created the Ming Dynasty. The author continues to show how Hongwu's policies would largely determine Chinese history for the next several centuries. For instance, Hongwu helped develop an effective military that established the tradition of using a hereditary succession of commanders. He instated imperial governmental systems of taxation and promoted the civil examinations to solidify Confucian ideals and infuse them into Chinese consciousness. On page 172, the author notes, "There can be few comparable cases of a person of so humble a background and so lacking in preposessiveness -- he had a high forehead, thick nose, and protruding jaw -- achieving so exalted a position and leaving so distinctive a legacy." This quote illustrates how the author can incorporate seemingly irrelevant matters such as Hongwu's facial features into an academic historiography of the Ming Dynasty. Moreover, the author's strong opinions are evident in his or her judgments of both Hongwu and his grandson and successor, Yongle. For example, the author describes Yongle as "the epitome of the strong second emperor of a dynasty." Yongle weakened the power of the princes and thereby prevented a royal usurpation of the throne, and simultaneously strengthened the central government ensuring strong political stability. Perhaps Yongle's greatest achievements and legacies were related to oceanic expeditions and foreign trade. To add depth, color, and texture to the historiography, especially when a lack of hard evidence exists, the author weaves local legends surrounding these seafaring voyages and their perception among Chinese people living under the Ming Dynasty.

The author holds nothing back from critiquing the means by which Yongle and his successors maintained this incredible political stability over such a wide geographic region. Measures like strict suppression of literary texts in opposition to official policy made much of the Ming Dynasty an absolutist regime. However, the author also comments that the absolutist policies of the Ming rulers directly led to stability.