Great Hall of Chinese History: A Brief History of the Ming Dynasty

Author: Lou Zengquan, Yan Zhangpao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: The Ming Dynasty was a unified feudal dynasty in the later period of China's feudal society. It was established in 1368 and fell in 1644, with 16 emperors ruling for 276 years. The Ming Dynasty was in the declining phase of feudal society, and the feudal system showed its decay in all aspects. As this system was increasingly approaching decline, new things and new factors also emerged. The production levels of agriculture and handicrafts in the Ming Dynasty surpassed those of previous dynasties. On this basis, the socio-economy flourished, towns rose, and commodity economy developed continuously. In terms of politics, with the development of the urban, the class structure changed, giving rise to new class contradictions, specifically the conflict between the urban and the feudal ruling class. As a result, during the Wanli era, a storm of early urban struggles broke out. In academic thought, Neo-Confucianism had declined by the middle of the Ming Dynasty. During the Jiajing and Wanli eras, the progressive thinker Li Zhi emerged, openly identifying himself as "the most heretical of heretics," opposing feudal traditional concepts, criticizing Neo-Confucianism (also known as Daoism), and despising the Six Classics. He openly advocated ideas such as "not judging right or wrong by Confucius's standards" and "human beings are inherently selfish." This undoubtedly was a powerful blow to orthodox thought, reflecting the political and economic demands of the urban in the intellectual sphere. In literature, fiction flourished particularly. The Ming Dynasty also saw some development in science and technology.