The Ming Dynasty: Three Centuries of Flourishing Culture and Power

This video tells the story of China's remarkable Ming Dynasty! We follow the Ming's journey from small beginnings to becoming one of the world's greatest empires.

The Ming founder Zhu Yuanzhang overthrew the Mongol rulers and re-established Han Chinese power. The early Ming achieved amazing feats like building the Forbidden City and sending huge navy voyages to Africa.

Ming armies kept China's borders safe while Ming influence spread across East Asia. Trade and agriculture boomed, allowing arts, dramas, porcelain-making and more to flourish.

But later, corruption and disasters weakened the Ming. Peasant revolts overwhelmed the declining Ming military, letting rebels ultimately capture Beijing and end the dynasty.

The Ming made a deep cultural impact and remains one of China's greatest imperial eras. Its almost 300 years of success launched China into an early modern golden age.

DISCLAIMER // This video was created by AI, and the information may therefore not be correct. The intention of the video is to educate broadly on the subject while being entertaining to watch.

[Jkl]

Mongols ruled China for less than 100 years, not 'many centuries'. They are today one of the 56 officially recognized ethnic groups of China. There are more Mongols today in China than in Mongolia although many have assimilated themselves.

[Strangelove]

Just visted Beijing... next to our hotel was an ancient defensive wall (about 1 m thick and 7 m tall) built during the Ming's Yongle reign, also it was Yongle who moved the capital to Beijing, and was obsessed with builing and infrastructure. Also near our hotel was one of the few ancient weather observatories in the world, also constructed during the Ming,

[jeffyoung]

The Ming dynasty can lay its glorious beginnings in the earlier, ethnic Han dynasty, the Song, a greatly underrated Chinese dynasty now beginning to be recognized as a new golden age in Chinese civilization. In many ways, Ming China was a continuation of the grand Song dynasty after a century interruption of Mongol rule.

[orangetube]

The Yuan dynasty ruled China less than 100 years. Not "centuries."

[echossrabbit]

Please note that the Yuan Dynasty’s capital was in present day Beijing. Not in Nanjing.

[Jake-dhqk]

Ming dynasty actually stood a chance against the Manchus if their bureaucratic government wasn't so corrupt. One of their most effective generals that held off 200, 000 Manchurians with just 9, 000 troops was executed by political rivals after they placed false charges on him after he won the battles. This continued on with other series of executions of effective generals until other Ming generals started defecting to the Qing side. Late Ming was a cesspool of incompetence.

[philiptan]

The Ming emperor helped Korea to repulse Japanese invasion of Korea in an attempt to conquer China. Hideyoshi’s dream was shattered to pieces as the Ming emperor sent 20000 of his troops to help the Korean people at the last decade of the 16th century. Peace treaty was forced upon the Japanese as they have lost the war. During the time of the Ming dynasty the famous admiral Zheng He made three voyages through the south China sea to the eastern part of Africa with the biggest armada ever built, the dragon armada.

[lystentome]

Fascinating history I enjoyed. Thank you

[alwaysright]

The golden age of China is during the Tang dynasty, but Ming holds its own.

[hmj]

I love the Ming Dynasty because my name is Ming Jeong a decedent from The 3 Kingdoms I'm a decedent from Jeong Fee he was a bowman.

[hmj]

I'm proud of the Ming Dynasties because my name is Ming !

[leoyuanluo]

I have never seen such beautiful depiction of the Ming.

[jeffyoung]

The Mongol Yuan dynasty lasted just about 91 years, just under one century.
The Mongol overlords had no prior experience ruling and managing large, complex nations like China, which relied on a large, complex, coordinated beauracracy of thousands of
highly educated and literate men.
The Mongols attempted to rule China greatly influenced by steppe nomad culture. As a result in a short time China became bankrupt and its infrastructure and society deteriorated, exacerbated by widespread governmental inefficiency, ineffectiveness and debilitating corruption.
Cracks in the Mongol government had already began to manifest under the extraordinary Emperor Kublai Khan. The Yuan dynasty held together under the next Yuan emperor but began its inexorable decline thereafter where as many as 23 Yuan emperors assumed the throne only to die prematurely or be overthrown.

[YouTubeLate]

Great documentary and presentation. But then, you know, “AI”.

[hmj]

The Ming Dynasty is famous for the Ming for finishing the Great War !

[joosiekawk]

the Ming dynasty was the most technologically advanced and most powerful global power during its time. The Ming dynasty should have sent Zheng He's and his treasure fleet, not just on a mission to trade, but to colonize to settle new lands. Especially, sail to Europe and colonize them, to save the world from 500 years of colonial hell. China would have connected the entire world through trade and prosperity. There would be no wars, too bad.

[Eric-uebv]

The AI-generated images kill the vibe for me.

[jason]

there is a quite popularly spread historical portrait of zhuyuanzhang, it's even there in the feels pretty weird to see video talk about him while showing pic of another person when knowing what he roughly looks like

[ChinaJapanLover]

Ming Dynasty is my favorite Han Chinese dynasty, together with the Manchu Qing dynasty.
I love Chinese history and culture.
Can you make more videos about other Chinese dynasties, and maybe Republican Era and early Modern Era? I loved your graphics

[jengoh]

I love the arts used in this video. They look no different from traditional Chinese paintings, but the colors are more vibrant.