The Ming Dynasty: Map & History
Restorer of indigenous Han sovereignty following the Mongols, constructing the Forbidden City, the brick Great Wall, and launching the Zheng He treasure voyages.
Wikipedia Encyclopedic Compendium
Historiographical synthesis & structured realm registry
The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of China ruled by the Han people, the majority ethnic group in China. Although the primary capital of Beijing fell in 1644 to a rebellion led by Li Zicheng, numerous rump regimes ruled by remnants of the Ming imperial family, collectively called the Southern Ming, survived until 1662.
Modern Countries Once Part of The Ming Dynasty
At its mapped extent, The Ming Dynasty covered territory in 6 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
- Hong Kong S.A.R.1375–1644 CE · nearly all
- Macau S.A.R1375–1563 CE · nearly all
- China1375–1644 CE · most
- Vietnam1407–1428 CE · a large part
- North Korea1375–1439 CE · a small part
- Russia1415–1439 CE · a small part
States and Provinces
- Jilin, China
- Shandong, China
- Guangdong, China
- Hubei, China
- Liaoning, China
- Gansu, China
- Nei Mongol, China
- Sichuan, China
- Hebei, China
- Henan, China
- Heilongjiang, China
- Jiangsu, China
- Yunnan, China
- Anhui, China
- Hunan, China
- Zhejiang, China
- Fujian, China
- Jiangxi, China
- Shanxi, China
- Guangxi, China
- Shaanxi, China
- Primor'ye, Russia
- Khabarovsk, Russia
- Guizhou, China
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside The Ming Dynasty's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
The Ming Dynasty in Depth
History
The Mongol-led Yuan dynasty (1271–1368) ruled before the establishment of the Ming. Explanations for the demise of the Yuan include institutionalized ethnic discrimination against the Han people that stirred resentment and rebellion, overtaxation of areas hard-hit by inflation, and massive flooding of the Yellow River as a result of the abandonment of irrigation projects. Consequently, agriculture and the economy were in shambles, and rebellion broke out among the hundreds of thousands of peasants called upon to work on repairing the levees of the Yellow River. A number of Han groups revolted, including the Red Turbans in 1351. The Red Turbans were affiliated with the White Lotus, a Buddhist secret society.
Government
Described as "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history" by Edwin O. Reischauer, John K. Fairbank and Albert M. Craig, the Ming emperors took over the provincial administration system of the Yuan dynasty, and the thirteen Ming provinces are the precursors of the modern provinces. Throughout the Song dynasty, the largest political division was the circuit. However, after the Jurchen invasion in 1127, the Song court established four semi-autonomous regional command systems based on territorial and military units, with a detached service secretariat that would become the provincial administrations of the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties.
Society and culture
Literature, painting, poetry, music, and Chinese opera of various types flourished during the Ming dynasty, especially in the economically prosperous lower Yangzi valley. Although short fiction had been popular as far back as the Tang dynasty (618–907), and the works of contemporaneous authors such as Xu Guangqi, Xu Xiake, and Song Yingxing were often technical and encyclopedic, the most striking literary development was the vernacular novel. While the gentry elite were educated enough to fully comprehend the language of Classical Chinese, those with rudimentary education—such as women in educated families, merchants, and shop clerks—became a large potential audience for literature and performing arts that employed Vernacular Chinese.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Ming dynasty (CC BY-SA 4.0).
The Ming Dynasty: Key Facts
| Capitals | Yingtian Fu, Yingtian Fu, Shuntian Fu, Shuntian Fu |
|---|---|
| Official language | Chinese |
| Form of government | absolute monarchy |
| Currency | bimetallism |
| Founded | 1368 |
| Dissolved | 1644 |
Preceded by
- Yuan dynasty
- Song
- Mongol Empire
- Chinese Middle Ages
Succeeded by
- Shun dynasty
- Qing dynasty
- Southern Ming dynasty
Facts from Wikidata Q9903 (CC0).
Ming Dynasty Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which The Ming Dynasty appears, with the other states of the time.
Imperial History & Territorial Expansion
Rising from an impoverished peasant and Buddhist monk background, Zhu Yuanzhang (Hongwu Emperor) drove the Mongol Yuan dynasty out of China and established the Ming Dynasty in 1368. Under his son, the Yongle Emperor, the empire relocated its capital to Beijing, erected the monumental Forbidden City, and commissioned Admiral Zheng He to lead seven epic treasure voyages across the Indian Ocean to Arabia and East Africa with fleets of massive multi-masted junks.
Ming Dynasty Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Hongwu Emperor expels the Mongols and establishes Ming capital in Nanjing.
Armada of 317 ships and 27,000 men departs Suzhou for the Indian Ocean.
Yongle Emperor officially transfers the primary imperial seat to Beijing.
Zhang Juzheng monetizes the imperial economy on global silver bullion flows.
Key Monarchs, Architects & Strategists
Enduring Planetary Legacy
- ✓Construction of the Forbidden City in Beijing, the largest surviving imperial palace complex in the world
- ✓Building of the monumental stone-and-brick Great Wall that stands today
- ✓Zheng He’s seven Indian Ocean diplomatic voyages reaching the Persian Gulf and Swahili coast
- ✓The global cobalt-blue Ming porcelain trade that revolutionized decorative arts worldwide
Ming Dynasty: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Ming Dynasty exist?
The Ming Dynasty is dated to 1368 CE – 1644 CE (Peak: 1415 CE), in the Early Modern & Age of Discovery era.
What was the capital of the Ming Dynasty?
The capital of the Ming Dynasty was Nanjing (Southern Capital), Beijing (Northern Capital).
How large was the Ming Dynasty at its peak?
At its peak in 1415 AD the Ming Dynasty covered about 6,500,000 km².
How did the map of the Ming Dynasty change over time?
The Ming Dynasty appears on 3 dated world maps in the atlas, from 1400 CE to 1600 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
Geographic Lifelines
Other Sovereign Realms
High & Late Middle Ages • Capital: Avarga
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Söğüt, Bursa, Edirne, Constantinople
High & Late Middle Ages • Capital: Thanjavur, Gangaikonda Cholapuram
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Lahore, Delhi