Ming Dynasty

The founder of the Ming dynasty was emperor with the name of Ming Taizu (Hung wu). Ming had been orphaned as a child. He was born into a peasant family. He was raised in a Buddhist monastery. He sets the tone for the Ming dynasty. He is similar in many ways to Louie XIV. In a typical week, Ming got about 1800 papers crossing his desk. In this typical week, many of these represent multiple problems and issues. He had to make decisions about 3300 issues. It was sometimes a violent regime. He didn't hesitate to use fear to maintain control, as well as violence against his own courtiers. Exploration was incredibly important during this period. China was the major explorer. China makes these enormous hips. There is this period of aggressive exploration from 1405 to 1433. Cheng Ho sailed across the Indian Ocean, explored the west coast of India he explored the east coast of Africa. He went around the cape of Africa, and he actually went to Mecca. One of the reasons for all the exploration was to establish diplomatic contact. Under the Ming dynasty, China became the best fed.