Min+Kwun+Block+A+2011

French Revolution Ant Farm Block A David (Minkwun) Choi
===

===

UNIT III - David Choi
The Age of Exploration - David Choi


 * DIPLOMACY is the art of talking and negotiating without having to resort to conflict. On pg. 60, there is a discussion on how Chinese diplomacy was different than later European diplomacy. Explain this difference. **

China manly used trades and bribery for diplomacy, while the European used open conflict.

**Explain how Zhu Di strived to make Beijing the world's INTELLECTUAL capital.**

The tribute system that Zhu Di came up with helped China in many ways. It taught people geography, science, art and cultures.


 * Zheng He's fleet made 7 voyages in all, dying on his last one, in 1433. When his ships returned to China, the political situation had changed dramatically. In fact, soon after the great Treasure Fleet left Tanggu, Zhu Di suffered a series of disasters that suggested to everyone that he had lost the "mandate of heaven" -- the approval of Heaven for his rulership.**


 * When you get to p. 75, read to the bottom of p. 77. Stop at the paragraph beginning "Thereafter the Qazi..." Is there evidence here that Zhu Di truly did not understand what was happening to his rule? **

Zhu Di did not understand because he thought that the gods despised him and wanted take away is rights from heaven.


 * Start up again on the bottom of p. 78 (from "Apparently abandoned by heaven..."). List all the things that happened to the old emperor near the end of his life. **

Zhu Di had several problems both physically and economically. First, he was injured by his horse and became impotent. Secondly, they were out of money from building the Forbidden City, Grand Canal and the Great Wall of China

===

===

What route might they have all taken? Describe it...
The route they have all taken might be sailing around Africa, then going straight to the Indian sea to the Andaman sea. Then finally sail towards China.


 * Examine the following map which shows the history of the Chinese dynasties. Look carefully at the Yuan and Ming Dynasties and make some generalizations about China under those dynasties. Size? Change from previous dynasties? From your reading, make any observations you can about the two time periods. **

The Yuan dynasty was bigger than the ming dynasty. Even though the Yuan dynasty was larger than the Ming's, the Ming dynasty was more powerful, thus they conquered a big portion of the Yuan.


 * On p. 53 Menzie notes that the new walled capital was to be "fifteen hundred times the area of walled London at that time and housing fifty times the population". SO, using your math skills, refer to the following map and figure out how big that new capital would be. **

The population of the new capital would be around 200,000 ~240,000.


 * Compare the map of the great walled capital Zhu Di built (above) to the map of modern China (below). The Forbidden City is now the Palace Museum, and is located at the centre of the map below: ** **Can you find the old city in the modern city? Where is it? What is there now?**

Yes, but not all. For example, Fuchengmen can be found in the modern city today.


 * On p. 54, Menzies writes that Zhu Di extended the Great Wall (which is actually many separate sections of wall created over hundreds of years) from 5,000 kms to 6,400 kms. You'll notice, that doesn't mean that the wall was 6,400 kms long. If it WAS, where would it reach if it began at the Yalu River? Use the map in MWH Atlas p A18-19 to estimate where you would end up if the wall really extended 6,400 kms due west of Beijing. **

If the wall really extended 6,400 kms, it would end up somewhere in Urumai.


 * Also on p. 54, Zhu Di sent expeditions along the The "Silk Road", along which Chinese traders journeyed to sell their silks, spices, porcelain and other valuable commodities. This was actually a web of many routes that extended from Xi'an into the heart of the Islamic world. It was clear he wanted to recreate teh earlier trading empire of the Chinese.**


 * Question: Through what MODERN countries did the silk roads go? **

The silk roads go through Korea, China, India, Tibet, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afganistan, Kazakhstan, Persia, Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Greece.

China: A Missed Opportunity for Global Dominance

1. On what philosophical assumptions are the Hongwu emperor’s words and actions based?

Hongwu emperor’s words and actions based on confucianism.

2. Do you think that his actions will solve the problems he refers to? Why or why not?

I think that his actions will solve the problems he refers to because rather than just warning them, a threat will be way more effective and will be the only way to control the people and have full control over them.

1. Does the emperor’s approach to solving the problem of evil behavior in this excerpt differ from that in the first? If so, how?

His behavior definitely differ from the first. At first he talks about how strict he is going to be and serve cruel punishment, but in the second part of the reading, his worried about his reputation and tries to find a peaceful way to stop.

2. On what philosophical assumptions are Hongwu’s words here based? Think Chinese philosophy.

As I have mentioned it on the first question confucianism were based on Hongwu’s words.

3. As an official, what would be your reaction to the emperor’s admonitions?

As an official, I would never neglect the emperor, but support him and his way of ruling.

4. The emperor clearly holds himself up as a model of self-restraint for his officials to emulate. As an official, how would you take this?

As an official, I would agree to the emperor’s way of ruling (confucianism).

5. Would your reaction be changed if you suddenly learned that the Hongwu emperor had dozens of concubines and consorts, with whom he fathered twenty-six sons and sixteen daughters?

It would definitely change my mind because the Hongwu emperor is suppose to be a role model for this idea, but instead of really putting all his effort into it, he is going against his own ideas and beliefs.