Great Lecture Hall of Chinese History---Story of the Ming Dynasty

Author: Lou Zengquan, Yan Zhangpao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-31
Features: The Ming Dynasty was a unified imperial dynasty in the later period of feudal society in China. It was established in 1368 and fell in 1644, lasting 276 years with 16 emperors. The Ming Dynasty was in the declining period of feudal society, where the feudal system showed its decay in all aspects. As this system was gradually declining, new things and new factors also emerged. The agricultural and handicraft production levels 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 petty bourgeoisie, the class structure changed, giving rise to new class contradictions, specifically the conflict between the petty bourgeoisie and the feudal ruling class. As a result, during the Wanli era, a storm of early petty bourgeois struggles broke out. In the field of 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," opposing feudal traditional concepts, criticizing Neo-Confucianism (also known as Daoism), and showing disdain for the Six Classics. He openly advocated ideas such as "not judging right or wrong by Confucius's standards" and "human beings must have private interests." This undoubtedly was a powerful blow to orthodox thought, reflecting the political and economic demands of the petty bourgeoisie in the intellectual sphere. In literature, fiction flourished particularly. The Ming Dynasty also saw some development in science and technology.