Ming Dynasty
Chinese History
by Nick Ritter
Rise and Decline of the Ming Dynasty
Emperor Shezong
The turning point from prosperity to the fall of the Ming Dynasty was during the reign of Emperor Shezong, during the year of 1644. Earlier, Zhang Juzheng made major improvements to the economy, military affairs, and agriculture. However, once he died, the new Emperor, Shezong, was not as interested in governing. Attacks from foreign countries and internal fighting led the dynasty to collapse.
The Ming Dynasty rose in the year 1368 and was established by Zhu Yuanzhang, who had a plan to conquer all of China. After an outbreak aganist the Mongols, Zhu moved forward with his plan. He moved into Jiqing (now Nanqing in the Jiangsu Province). Yuanzhang changed the name to Yingtian. Then, between the years of 1360 and 1367, he was able to conquer the rest of the military forces. In 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang officialy founded the Ming Dynasty and declared himself ruler.
