Gunpowder was also introduced to Europe from China. Indian muslins, cotton, pearls, and precious stones were sold in Europe, as were weapons, carpets, and leather goods from Iran. Eastern diets were thus introduced to Europeans. On the Silk Road, caravans with Chinese silk and spices such as pepper, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg from the Spice Islands came to the West via the transcontinental trade routes. During the Pax Mongolica, European merchants like Marco Polo made their way from Europe to China on the well-maintained and well-traveled roads that linked Anatolia to China. The unification of Eurasia under the Mongols greatly diminished the amount of competing tribute gatherers throughout the trade network and assured greater safety and security in travel. The new Mongol Empire amalgamated the once-isolated civilizations into a new continental system and re-established the Silk Road as a dominant method of transportation. The term is used to describe the eased communication and commerce the unified administration helped to create, and the period of relative peace that followed the Mongols’ vast conquests.īefore the Mongols’ rise, the Old World system consisted of isolated imperial systems. Pax Mongolica is a historiographical term, modeled after the original phrase Pax Romana, that describes the stabilizing effects of the conquests of the Mongol Empire on the social, cultural, and economic life of the inhabitants of the vast Eurasian territory that the Mongols conquered in the 13th and 14th centuries, including the Yuan dynasty in China. Trade under the Yuan Dynasty: Pax Mongolica Second, China was so impoverished that the Mongols did not have a very strong interest in maintaining their hold on China.\) First, the peasants and nobility both were impoverished which led to the popular uprisings. The general impoverishment of the country also had dual effects on the removal of the Mongols. Popular uprisings broke out and Chu, the leader of one of these rebellions, succeeded in uniting several other groups with the nobility to overthrow the Yuan dynasty. The Mongols took over a rich China and less than one hundred years later left an impoverished nation. Campaigns were also launched against Japan which were not successful and destroyed many Chinese ships. Canals and palaces were built, which required the peasants to both supply more tax money and to leave their homes to build them. In later years, excessive spending and trade restrictions severely depleted China economically. Best known of the foreigners believed to have reached China during this period was Marco Polo, whose account of his travels portrays the wealth and splendor of Chinese cities. Due to the comparatively easy access to China, many people traveled to China. Active trade also introduced Chinese innovations like printing techniques and porcelain to Europe, while the production of thin glass and cloisonné were brought to China. Overseas merchants brought horses, carpets, medicines, and spices to China, and exported Chinese textiles, ceramics, and lacquer ware. With the peace imposed on much of Asia by the Mongols, trade was booming. Agriculture was fostered, and new crops like sorghum were introduced. Advances were made in the fields of cartography, geography, and scientific education.Įarly Yuan emperors sought to protect the peasants by devising a regular, fixed system of taxation. Western musical instruments were introduced to enrich the Chinese performing arts. The theatre was a favorite form of entertainment for the emperors and wealthy families. The greatest advances in literature were in the forms of theatre and opera. Poetry, while being vastly popular, was not greatly improved upon. Since the Chinese nobility were not allowed to be involved in government, they were free to pursue art and literature. The best scholars founded private academies and refused to teach in government schools. The Chinese nobility were better educated than the Mongol invaders. The cultural gap resulted in lighter government than that of previously and punishments were much less severe. Mongols and other foreigners were given all government positions. Despite attempting to rule in a Chinese fashion, the government of the Yuan Dynasty had virtually no Chinese officials. The construction of the new capital based on traditional Chinese models was started in 1266 AD. Kublai Khan moved his capital from Karakorum in Mongolia to Beijing in China. The Yuan Dynasty initiated the first direct contact between China and the West. It was the first time that foreigners had ruled all of China. Genghis Khan led the Mongols in their defeat of much of China however, it was his grandson, Kublai Khan who became the emperor and founder of the Yuan Dynasty. During the Yuan Dynasty, which lasted from 1279 to 1368 AD, China was part of the Mongol Empire.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |