In the late Ming Dynasty, capitalism sprouted in China, which made many people think that if they gave the Ming Dynasty a little more time, the Ming Dynasty could burst out of capitalism and become a capitalist country. The idea is good, but the reality is harsh. The reforms of the middle and late Ming Dynasty, especially Zhang Juzheng, prompted the budding of capitalism in the Ming Dynasty, but it was only budding, and it was really difficult to develop and grow. Because there are many reasons involved, capitalism wants to develop and grow in the Ming Dynasty, and it needs to break through these four major reasons.
1: The drawbacks of the feudal system. History developed into the Ming Dynasty, and the feudal system in Chinese history was already perfect. Compared with the Han and Tang dynasties, we will find that the Ming Dynasty has lacked a driving force for external expansion. This is also influenced by Confucianism, but also the result of historical development. In order to ensure the legitimacy of the Han Chinese, the Ming Dynasty also had some differences with other ethnic groups, especially with the nomadic peoples in the Mongolian region, and for safety, the Ming Dynasty had to build the Great Wall.
If we want to develop capitalism, we need to emancipate our minds, we need to lift the sea ban, and we need to interact with Western countries, so that capitalism can develop and grow. The Ming Dynasty could not meet these conditions, so even if the Ming Dynasty sprouted capitalism, it would be stifled. In ancient China, it was an agrarian civilization, and the dynasties were mainly based on agriculture, and it was difficult for capitalism to develop and grow. In the order of the soldiers, peasants, workers, and merchants, the merchants are ranked last, which does not meet the conditions for the development of capitalism. Under the model of the small peasant economy, capitalism will be suppressed.
2: Pressure within the Empire. China has always been a small-scale peasant economy, dominated by farming. The rise of capitalism will inevitably change the development model of the Ming Dynasty, and some internal differences will arise. And stubborn people will inevitably propose that this is a reform that violates the ancestral precepts. When the institutional structure of the Ming Dynasty was influenced by capitalism, capitalism was suppressed. If you want to use wealth to gain power, the imperial court is not allowed. People who are interested in the career path, or some old ministers, they will not let capital surpass power, capital can only serve power, and if you want to change the system and development model of the Ming Dynasty, you don't want to think about it.
3: The continuation of Zhang Juzheng's reforms. When Zhang Juzheng reformed, the Ming Dynasty developed rapidly. With his reforms, the Wanli Emperor was also richer, and the Ming Dynasty was continued. But in ten years, many things have not yet developed perfectly, and many things have not been stable. As soon as Zhang Juzheng died, the reform was interrupted, which made the development of the Ming Dynasty stagnate. In the sixty years after his death, the social contradictions of the Ming Dynasty intensified and developed, which disrupted the development of capitalism. Unable to continue Zhang Juzheng's reforms, capitalism was doomed to be unable to gain a foothold in the Ming Dynasty. Only by continuing reform can we have the opportunity to develop and grow.
4: The StrangeNess of the Ming Emperor. In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, there were many strange or faint emperors. From the jiajing emperor onwards, his ascension to the ming dynasty led to the stagnation of the Ming Dynasty, and by the Wanli period, the long-term non-ascension to the ming dynasty also gradually declined. The development of the Ming Dynasty has not changed, and the declining Ming Dynasty and capitalism cannot continue to develop. When the rulers are incompetent, the development of the dynasty is changed. In the Ming Dynasty, where eunuchs were chaotic, they always appeared every once in a while. In the later period, Wei Zhongxian had already sent the Ming Dynasty to the road of death. In the case of not doing the right thing and eunuchs interfering in the government, in the late Ming Dynasty, they were not interested in the capitalist model and did not understand that it was capitalism. And only by getting the attention of the emperor can it be developed.
Judging from these factors, the budding of capitalism in the Ming Dynasty was only a beginning, and it was really difficult to develop and grow. When they encounter corrupt officials again, they will only squeeze the merchants, and no matter how well they develop, money will also enter their pockets. If you want to change the above dilemma, unless you encounter the situation in the late Qing Dynasty, you are divided up by the world powers, and you have no choice but to learn from the Western system and ideas. For the Ming Dynasty, if it encountered the situation in the late Qing Dynasty, the result was very serious. As an agrarian nation, capitalism was not suitable for development in ancient China, and in the order of scholars, farmers, workers, and merchants, this has limited its development, even in the relatively open Song Dynasty, capitalism did not develop.