Closed-door refers to the act of a government, which is expressed in the form of no contact with the outside world and is embodied in various decrees.
Many articles equate the sea ban with the closed country, and are recognized by most people, so the timeline of the closed country is extended forward. Qing Dynasty, Ming Dynasty, Yuan Dynasty, Song Dynasty. The wealth of the Song Dynasty originated from foreign trade, but it was locked into the period of origin of the closed country. It was a bit unjust, but the Song Dynasty was weak and had no human rights, and the injustice was wronged. Guo Moruo believed that the closure of the country was the final result of Wang Anshi's change of law, and tried to extend the timeline to the Song Dynasty, and he was basically successful. In this way, I feel that the Song Dynasty is even more wronged.
Today, we are mainly talking about whether the Ming Dynasty really fit the definition of closed-door behavior.
The Ming emperor was quite wronged
In the early Qing Dynasty, British merchants tried to sell opium in the Qing Dynasty, but the Qing Dynasty did not like it and introduced various prohibitions. This is considered to be the beginning of the Qing Dynasty's isolation.
Ma #Ke #Si accepted this view in his 1853 article "China #Revolution # Life and Europe #Revolution # Life" written for the New York Daily Tribune. China in the 1950s was at some stage. This view thus became the dominant ideology of the Chinese. And by some people who call themselves scholars, the timeline is extended to the Ming Dynasty. It was even written into textbooks. As a result, in the minds of most Chinese, a common sense was formed, and during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the closed country was the main reason for China's backwardness and beating. There are many scholars who disagree with these views and refute them, even in some way. As a result, the common sense of the Ming and Qing dynasties was completely passed down.
Ma #Ke #Si only agreed that from the Beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the closed country was closed, and the domestic quotation mark scholars added drama to themselves to bring the Ming Dynasty. If the Ming Dynasty did not close the country, it is to identify with Ma #Ke #Si, and if the Ming and Qing Dynasties began to close the country, it is to identify with the quotation mark scholars.
So did the Ming Dynasty implement the practice of closing the country to the outside world?
The coast was disturbed by the Wokou attacks
We have to analyze it from the perspective of the sea ban. The main purpose of the Ming Dynasty's sea ban was to guard against the Wokou, to control trade through a high sense of self-management, and to control non-governmental exchanges, but never completely cut off. The main purpose is to take some important trade into their own hands through the sea ban and prevent the people from joining. With the expansion of non-governmental foreign trade, the tax revenue of the imperial court continued to grow, so the imperial court could not do it, and even allowed some people to go to sea, most of the overseas Chinese in the Qing Dynasty came from this way.
Foreign trade of the Qing Dynasty
The official policy of the Ming Dynasty on the surface is not to allow foreign trade, because this is related to the face of the Ming Dynasty, but the vast majority of the sea ban is aimed at Japan, and cultural and technological exchanges with other countries such as Southeast Asia have never stopped. According to the "MingHui Codex", the goods imported by the Ming Dynasty included various types of Western medicine materials, textiles, spices, wood, minerals, food, etc., and munitions were also upgraded, such as Flang cannons. The navy of the late Ming Dynasty had a certain ability to dominate the sea. Dutch reparations at the time of the Ming Dynasty's demise. The demand for foreign trade at the end of the Ming Dynasty was also the largest in the entire Ming Dynasty period, after the death of Wei Zhongxian, the Donglin Party tax reform, land annexation to a higher level, agricultural taxes could not support the operation of the country, Chongzhen even re-launched trade with Japan, after the recruitment of Zheng Zhilong, the whole of Fujian vaguely became the Ming Dynasty's foreign trade base.
Meidai Ship
If there is any non-dealing with foreign countries, there must be.
The Ming Dynasty implemented a comprehensive policy of closing the country to Mongolia, not selling any commodities such as salt, iron, tea, and grain to mongolia, and not trading with them. The sea ban, which was issued to weaken the influence of the Wokou, was largely a symbolic policy after the Wokou problem was improved.
The purpose of Zhu Yuanzhang's sea ban was to prevent coastal warlords from colluding with pirates and pirates, forbidding the people to go to sea without permission due to the unstable situation, and then relaxing the restrictions on going to sea, but not allowing large ships to go to sea, and finally relaxing the regulations, not allowing contraband to go to sea.
Foreign trade flourished
During the Yongle years, due to the foreign wars and the serious disasters of the Wokou, the sea ban became severe again, but there was also a feat of Zheng He's voyage to the West.
In 1567, longqing switch, until Chongzhen's death in 1644, during these seventy years, one-third of the world's silver output flowed into the Ming Dynasty.
How many two-bedroom and one living room is this room?
However, Longqing switch was not favorable, and he limited the amount and time of overseas ships to trade in Daming, because he was worried about the Westerners making trade with Japan. If the request was violated, the Western merchant would be sentenced to the crime of adultery.
There are many Qing fans who believe that the Ming Dynasty is the culprit of the closed country, and they will argue that the entire Qing Dynasty closed the country for only more than thirty years. In fact. It's just Qing Powder sticking gold on Daqing's face. Because they never admit their mistakes. In the next issue, we will list how the Qing Dynasty closed the country.
So do you think the Ming Dynasty was closed to the outside world?