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China, A Little History, Part 4

Qing Dynasty (17th and 18th Centuries)

Jade Belt Bridge at the Summer Palace in Beijing, built in the 18th century during the golden age of the Qing Dynasty. Summer Palace, Beijing, China, Asia.
Jade Belt Bridge at the Summer Palace in Beijing, built in the 18th century during the golden age of the Qing Dynasty.

Way back in 1387, barely a decade after driving the Mongols of the Yuan Dynasty back to Mongolia, the Ming Dynasty were nervous about the possibility of an invasion by Mongols then ruling in Manchuria, to the northeast.  In a preemptive strike, the Ming invaded Manchuria and loosely annexed it into China.  About 200 years later, with the Mongols gone and the Chinese only governing Manchuria casually, native Manchus began to organize and by 1616 declared their own dynasty, eventually named Qing (pronounced “Ching”).  The Manchu rebellion overthrew the declining Ming [Read more…]

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China, A Little History, Part 3

Ming Dynasty

Hall of Supreme Harmony at the Forbidden City, Beijing. Originally built by the MIng Dynasty in 1406. China, Asia.
Hall of Supreme Harmony at the Forbidden City, Beijing. Originally built by the MIng Dynasty in 1406.

In 1378, the Mongols of the Yuan Dynasty were overthrown and sent packing back to Mongolia by what became the Ming Dynasty.  Thus was ushered in perhaps China’s most shimmering golden age of all.  In fact, Ming means “brilliant” or “bright”.  In Beijing, the Ming picked up where the Mongols left off, creating a master-planned imperial city centered on the new imperial palace, known today as the Forbidden City.  The Great Wall as it exists today is mostly due to construction performed during the Ming Dynasty.  Ming emperors were enthusiastic patrons [Read more…]