Chinese History: 13 Ming History

Author: Fu Yiling
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-10-01
Features: The Ming Dynasty was the last dynasty established by the Han landlord class and also a significant turning point in the course of Chinese historical development. It spanned 300 years from the mid-14th century to the mid-17th century. On one hand, it pushed autocratic centralist bureaucratic politics to a new height, and social and economic development surpassed the peak level of the Song and Yuan dynasties, whileing the impulse of new and old alternation. On the other hand, with the rise and fall of the Ming Dynasty, all aspects of social life showed signs of collapse, and the feudal society that had lasted for thousands of years in China entered its late development stage. This book takes the evolution of political history as the basic thread, aiming to combine the characteristics of social and economic history, while focusing on elaborating on social economy, military, culture, folk customs, and China's foreign relations, in order to reveal the context of social change and present the overall of the society at that time. The writing of this book strives to absorb and digest the achievements of Ming history research in both Chinese and foreign academia. The author has made efforts to systematize his lifelong insights into Ming history and integrate them into a dynamic historical narrative.