The
Great Wall of China is expanded between 1403 to 1424 by the
Ming emperor Yung-Lo. He also moved the imperial capital to
Beijing. While parts of the wall had existed since ancient China,
it was only now built into the one continuous fortified wall
we know today. The wall is 2450 km long, 16 metres wide and
8 metres high. However, it cannot be seen from the moon as is
commonly claimed.
In 1516, the Portuguese establish the first European trading
base in China at Canton. The Chinese, distrustful of all foreigners,
eventually limit trade to just one port, Macao, under Portuguese
control.
The 16th century saw China's coast plagued by Japanese pirates.
Floods and famines also weakened the prestige of the Ming dynasty.
In 1563, the Japanese pirates were mostly wiped out. But in
spite of the Great Wall, raids by the Tungus people from Siberia
reach Beijing.
In 1644, the Ming dynasty is overthrown and the Chinese again
come under foreign rule, this time by the Manchu. Ming resistance
continued in south China for many years, but by the late 1600s,
had been crushed. The "triad" gangs of China today
had their origins in the Ming resistance movements against the
Manchu. The Manchu also greatly expand Chinese borders, more
or less to what they are in modern times. Under the regent Dorgun,
the Manchu establish the Qing dynasty. Like the Romanov dynasty
in Russia which also came to power at this time, the Qing would
last until 1911.
Toward the end of the 16th century, Japan was torn by civil
wars as provincial lords, the samurai, battled for supremacy.
It was during this period that many of Japan's most famous castles
were built. Much like medieval Europe, the local warlords based
their power on an easily defended castle. Muskets started to
become more common, but cannons were not much used, so castles
could still only be taken with much difficulty. Order was finally
restored by the great general Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1590.
His work of pacifying and uniting Japan was consolidated by
Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. In 1639,
the shogun closed all ports to foreigners. Japan would be cut
off from the rest of the world for 200 years, except for one
point of access, the port of Deshima, built on a man-made island
and open only to Dutch merchants.
The Korean navy was probably the first in the world to use armoured
battleships, galleys encased in sheets of iron.
Daily
life in Ming and Manchu China
Daily
life in Ming and Manchu China were marked by these characteristics:
The family exercised great social influence.
The family guided the education of children, marriage, religious
life, and welfare services.
Power in both nuclear and extended families rested with the
father.
Marriages were arranged between the parents of the children.
Sometimes marriage contracts would be arranged when the children
were still very young, even as young as three or six years old,
but the actual marriage would not take place until the betrothed
couple were older.
Divorce was open only to men. Elderly people were given respect.
Village schools for boys stressed preparation for civil service.
Girls received training that prepared them to be wives and mothers.
Scholars held the highest rank in the social order.
25
years ago / 50 years ago
/ 80 years ago / 125
years ago / 150 years ago
250 years ago / 400
years ago / 700
years ago / 1,200 years ago
1,500 years ago / 2,000
years ago / 3,000 years ago
/ 4,000 years ago / 5,000
years ago / 10,000 years
ago
