Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368)
Last Update : 4/3/2008 3:39:03 AM - Yuan Dynasty was established by the Mongolian ruler Kublai Khan (1215 - 1294), Emperor Shizu, in 1271, with Dadu (currently Beijing) as the capital. Finally, it was ended by the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) in 1368.
- Last Update : 4/3/2008 3:39:10 AM
- Establishment of Yuan Dynasty
As an ancient people, the Mongolian people were living a nomadic life all the time. In 12th century, in the Mongolian Plateau appeared a notable leader named Tie Muzhen, grandfather of Kublai Khan. In 1206, Tie Muzhen was selected as the Khan of the Mongolian people and respected as 'Genghis Khan' (ruler of the world) by all the tribes. Under the lead of Tie Muzhen, the Mongolian people gradually grew up and became a considerable force in north China. In 1217, it destroyed the Western Liao Dynasty (1132 - 1218) and wiped the Western Xia Dynasty (1032 - 1227) in 1227. Unluckily, Genghis Khan died of an illness on the march. After him, Ögödei (wokuotai), his third son, took over the position of Khan in 1229. Qubilai (Hu Bilie) succeeded to be Khan orderly. Ögödei had ever led his army conquered the Gaoli Dynasty in 1231, eliminated the Jin Dynasty (1115 – 1234), occupied Moscow in 1237, and defeated the German army badly through attacking Poland and Hungary in 1241. What he did shocked the European countries. Succeeding to Ögödei, Möngke (Mengge) was chosen as the Khan in 1251. Then, Möngke destroyed Dali State in 1254, occupied Baghdad, capital of Arab Empire (632 – 1258), in 1258, eliminated Abbsid Dynasty (750 - 1258) in 1258, and took up Damascus in 1259.
- Last Update : 4/3/2008 3:39:15 AM
- After Möngke's death, his brothers Qubilai (Hu Bilie) and Arigh Böke (Ali Buge) began to fight for Khan. In March of 1260, Arigh Böke ascended to Khan in Kharkhorum, capital of the Mongolian State, under the support of most classical Mongolian people. At the same time, Qubilai proclaimed himself Khan under the support of some knowledge ministers of central China and some Mongolian royal kings in Kaiping (Duolun District of Inner Mongolia today). Qubilai broke the tradition of the Mongolian people to make himself Khan and carry out Han people's policies, which caused strong discontent from Arigh Böke and the classical Mongolian people. After four-year civil war, Qubilai defeated Arigh Böke in 1264, but most Mongolian nobles refused to go over to Qubilai. As a result, Qubilai's regime only covered China and the Mongolian area.
- Last Update : 4/3/2008 3:39:18 AM
- In 1271, Qubilai made the state title as 'Yuan' formally. In 1276, the army of the Yuan Dynasty conquered Lin'an (Hangzhou), capital of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127 - 1279) and reunified China.
- Last Update : 4/3/2008 3:39:22 AM
- Development of Yuan Dynasty
After the unification, Qubilai didn't stop invading other states to enlarge his territory. He had ever gone on punitive expeditions against Japan twice, An'nan (northern Vietnam) twice and Burma twice, and made Gaoli Dynasty, Burma, Taicheng and An'nan the attachment states of the Yuan Dynasty. Meanwhile, Yuan Dynasty also made some progress in politics, economy, culture and science.
- Last Update : 4/3/2008 3:39:26 AM
- Territory
At peak time, Yuan Dynasty's territory had ever covered Mongolia and Siberia in the north, spread to the South Sea in the south, included Tibet and Yunnan in southwest, arrived at eastern Xinjiang in northwest and bordered Khingan Mountains and Okhotsk Sea in northeast, with an total area of over 12 million square kilometers (120 million hectares).
- Last Update : 4/3/2008 3:39:31 AM
- Politics
In the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, Qubilai practiced Han Policy and adopted the organs of central China to rule his people. Later, he resumed the system of 'Imperial Exam', although the quota was limited. He respected Confucius and made Cheng-zhu School of Confucianism as the official thought of the Yuan Dynasty. However, the Han Policy wasn't implemented thoroughly. The rulers of the Yuan Dynasty divided the people into four grades which were the Mongolian people, the Semu People (people in the western Xia Dynasty and Western Regions), Han people (people originally ruled by the Jin Dynasty) and Nan People (People originally ruled by the Southern Song Dynasty). Under this system, Han people's social status was inferior, and they had ever revolted to resist the Yuan Dynasty with some minority groups in the south, but failed.
- Last Update : 4/3/2008 3:39:36 AM
- Economy
Originally, the Mongolian people's productivity was very poor because of their long-term nomadic life. Since the rule of Qubilai, rulers of the Yuan Dynasty adopted agricultural production and laid animal husbandry on a second position, which increased the productivity a lot. In addition, Yuan's territory was extended into West Asia, which made the communication between China and Europe frequent. The development of the economy progressed handcraft and commercial industries. In the Yuan Dynasty, cotton planting in southern China was already popularized, and a group of handicraftsmen appeared with Huang Daopo as the representative. Because of the popularity of the water transport and paper money, the commercial industry became prosperous. All of this made Yuan Dynasty one of the richest countries in the world.
- Last Update : 4/3/2008 3:39:40 AM
- Culture and Science
Yuan Dynasty made great achievements in culture and science, especially in astronomy which occupied the first place then in the world. Dramas and novels were produced in a great number, and a group of dramatists came forth with Guan Hanqing as the representative. Yuan Qu (Lyric Song) was excellent cultural heritage of China, together with Tang Poem and Song Poetry.
- Last Update : 4/3/2008 3:39:56 AM
- Fall of Yuan Dynasty
In the later times of the Yuan Dynasty, the rulers continuously levied all kinds of taxes from the people, so people's lives were filled with untold suffering. As a result, peasant uprising broke out throughout China, among which Zhu Yuanzhang was the strongest. From the year 1356 to 1359, Zhu Yuanzhang gradually obtained half of the Yuan Dynasty's territory in the south of the Yangtze River. From the year 1367, Zhu Yuanzhang began to go on northern expeditions with the help of Generals Xu Da and Chang Yuchun, and captured Dadu of the Yuan Dynasty in 1368. In the same year, Zhu Yuanzhang proclaimed himself emperor in Jiankang (currently Nanjing), establishing the Ming Dynasty.
