The Ming & The Manchus

The Ming: 17th Century Crisis and Internal Rebellion

 * We left the Ming in the 15th Century, a high point in the dynasty
 * Following Century (16th) also a high point
 * Development of industry & economy
 * The late Ming had increase in population in cities & development of new cities
 * Most new cities in the Yangtze Delta
 * Lots of literature & art (novels)

Wang Yangming

 * Challenges neo-confucianism
 * Hated on intrepretations of Zhu Xi

Economic challenges

 * Many Chinese families lost $ and power
 * Planting at the wrong times with wrong crops

Jiajing Emperor

 * 1522-66
 * Spent his entire career looking for immortality
 * Died from Mercury poisoning (which he used for immortality elixir)

Wanli Emperor

 * r. 1573 - 1620
 * Very gluttonous
 * Obsessed with life of pleasure
 * Dies VERY overweight
 * Allows the Eunuchs to become dominant in court power & policy

Crisis

 * Economic hardship
 * Political struggle
 * Imploding political struggle
 * Lots of problems from within

The Manchus & The Manchu threat

 * Who were these (non-Han) people?
 * Descendants of the Jurchen

Manchu Society

 * Nomadic peoples
 * Unlike Mongols -> More permanent/tied to land
 * When they moved to Korea -> They became farmers
 * By late 16th Century -> learn iron/ore smelting
 * Which enables them to become industrially independent
 * Organized into Clans (27 in total)

Mokun

 * Sub-sections of the clan
 * Leaders selected by virtue of their military might and precision

Niru

 * Formed of several Mokun
 * A micro-military (army)
 * From Manchu word for "arrow"
 * Not permanent -> Formed ad hoc
 * Conquest & plunder approach

Manchu Imperial Ambitions & State

 * Manchu made into a cohesive nation/empire by means of a single uniting ruler
 * Nurhaci (1559-1626) -> Starts his rise to power by claiming vengance against another mokun leader who had partnered with a Chinese force to kill his father & grandfather
 * Carefully allied himself in 1584 to gain new power and kill the enemies
 * Chinese align with Nurhaci
 * Nurhaci travels to Chinese court to offer tribute
 * Then becomes "Tiger Dragon General" -> China's highest military honor
 * Nurhaci begins collectivizing and uniting Chinese society

New Military Structures

 * Niru -> Up to 300 men
 * Qi (banner) -> collections of nirus (8 Units of these)
 * Nurhaci is essentially bureaucratizing his people
 * Introduced a writing system for administrative purposes
 * Uses a modified Mongolian script made into "Manchurian"
 * Translates Chinese Penal Code (law) into Mongolian early on
 * Government records became more consistent

Fan Wencheng

 * A Chinese Advisor for Nurhaci

Jian

 * Nurhaci declares himself "Emperor of the Jian"
 * Harkens back to the old system

Hung Taiji

 * Sucessor to Nurhaci
 * Kills off many competitors until he has total control
 * All Qi now answer to him
 * New Chinese Qi Units
 * Government modeled on Chinese system
 * New Literary Office developed
 * Mongolian/Chinese Familiar
 * Eventually split into three smaller units

Li Zicheng

 * 1606 - 1645
 * Becomes a regional leader of Manchus
 * In 1644, he begins marching on Beijing with the belief that he needed to overthrow the Ming and start his own dynasty
 * By Spring 1644, they are in the suburbs
 * This inspires the last Ming Emperor to kill himself taking responsibility for the conquest
 * Taking over, Li Zicheng lacks ability to administer the Empire
 * This angers many (officials and people)

Wu Sangui

 * Meanwhile a Ming Army Commander stationed above the Great Wall
 * Begins to make his way down to Beijing looking to defend the city
 * But gets there too late
 * Wu Sangui looks to ally with Li Zicheng
 * But Li Zicheng captures his favorite Concubine -> Angering Wu
 * Wu throws in his lot with the Manchus & Helps Re-Conquer Beijing
 * A choice that makes him unpopular in Chinese history

Callenge of Manchu Rule & Rise of Qing China

 * Manchu used similar administrative techniques as the Chinese
 * But it must be stressed that China is a massive empire, of which China proper is only a part
 * Only 2% of the population of China is Manchu, so they are SERIOUSLY outnumbered