Session 10 (4/27 morning) Clay Dube -- Song - Ming

[Dennis O'Connell]

Session Ten began with a discussion about the difference between growth and development.  Growth tends to be doing the same thing in the same way, but doing it over a longer time period, thereby "producing" more.  Development, on the other hand, involves the same number of hours but with an increase in productivity.  This increase in productivity could be due to some innovation, technology, or more efficient way of doing something.  

One of the major take-aways for me from Session Ten is the idea that history is a recording of things which happened in the past, but which requires the leaving out of large amounts of data.  Those who decide what goes into written history and what gets left out wield a lot of power.  It would be a great topic of discussion in a classroom.  When history is written down, who gets to decide what is put in?  Who decides what is left out?  What voices are heard?  What voices are considered unimportant?  Can there be more than one perspective on an historical event?  Should all of these perspectives be heard or is it ok for only the "winner" to be heard?  

[Ricardo Reyes]

This thread sparks interest in developing lesson(s) drawing parallels from the founder of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, who in 1368 issued proclamations to today's situation in the United States or around the world. Such a parallel would pinpoint the observation contained in the opening section of An Imperial Edict Restraining Officials from Evil. I would use the passage on the observations on the final years of the Yuan dynasty which states, "there were many ambitious men competing for power who did not treasure their sons and daughters but prized jade and silk... and enjoyed separating people from their parents, wives, and children. I also lived in that chaotic period. How did I avoid such snares?" This article would be assigned in my U.S. Government class along with a current article which appeared in the Wall Street Journal Review authored by Larry Diamond, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and Stanford University entitled, "The Global Crisis of Democracy,"  dated May 18-19, 2019. Diamond asserts that the overall luster of democracy--and pulling America away from the world. If do not soon reverse this U.S. retreat [corrosion of democratic institutions and norms] which is occuring among a range of countries, then democracy world-wide will be at risk. Certainly, it was the intent of the Hongwu Emperor to rid the country of abuses, corruption, fraud, and evil practices by the leaders , bureaucracy, and assorted riff raff. While the severity of punishment of criminal actions does not denote the introduction of democracy, there is a logical consequence that the "masses below" were oppressed utilizing the prestige of government. The goal of a newer order would "bring good fortune and prosperity to the people" with instilling virtue and bring glory to your ancestors, your wives and children and yourselves. The essential questions would serve to understand how fundamental values can build or erode institutions of equality, fairness, justice, liberty, and due process which form the basis of a truly democratic government and process. 

 

[Ricardo Reyes]

Running counter to Confucian views (The Debate on Salt and Iron) which were distrustful of the profit motive and consequently of commercial activity in general, Ming views of merchants and their social roles are revealed in the first of the two essays in Reading 50. The first is attributed as Zhang Han's Essay on Merchants. Zhang Han (1511-1593), a Ming official whose family had established its fortune through the textile industry. This passage would be insightful as a lesson in an economics class. It certainly predates Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations and would be most useful in drawing comparisons and contrasts. Zhang Han's description of the great importance money and profit are to men sets the foundation for his description of merchants and boasts of their wisdom and ability (so they think) are such as to give them a free hand in affairs. Precisely, "They believe that they know all the possible transformations in the universe and therefore can calculate all the changes in the human world, and that the rise and fall of prices are under their command." He observes that in general, in the southeast area the greatest profits are to be had from fine gauze, think silk, cheap silk, and sackcloth. Whereas, in the nation's northwest, profits are greatest in wool, coarse woolen serge, felt, and fur garments. The students of economics would be asked to look at passages in selected Adam Smith readings which address the comparative advantages of European countries and their respective products and how this might be paralleled in the diverse product lines described by Zhang Han. Moreover, Adam Smith's description of the early industrial age's innovation in the garment industry describe the worker's as mere cogs in the advanced production assembly factories while the merchants and risk taking capitalists are the elites who are propelling the improvements in the newfound technologies.   

[Ricardo Reyes]

This comment is separate although pertains to the same reading above. Zhang Han's descriptions of China's profit and trade in necessities and luxury products are very revealing and indicate how sought after where these sectores brought riches to the large-scale ventures. He emphasizes that the profits from the tea and salt traders are especially great, but only large-scale merchants can undertake these businesses. He points out that there are government regulations on their distribution, which prohibit the sale of tea in the northwest and salt in the southeast during the Ming dynasty. These prohibitions were on products which could yield seventy to eighty percent profits and increase due to scale of operations. Likewise, the taxes were an increasing scale based on the greater production and trade. Zhang points out that the valuable Chinese products of silk, gold, and copper cash was exchanged primarily for foreigners thin horses. Thus, China had the advantage which did not diminish the national wealth. What is most revealing is Zhang's description "Foreigners are recalcitrant and their greed knows no bounds. At the present time our nation spends over one million cash yearly from our treasury on these foreigners; still we cannot rid ourselves of their demands. What is more, the greedy heart is unpredictable. If one day these foreigners break the treaties and invade our frontiers, who will be able to defend us against them? I do not think our present trade with them will ensure us a century of peace." Undoubtedly prescient, Zhang's words from the 16th century, amount to the allure of foreign trade even though the foreigners had invaded China several times. Even Zhang realizes that preventing trade with foreigners is likely to lead to rather than prevent them from invading China. Zhang concludes that levying taxes on merchants is a bad policy, as well, He maintains that people should be taxed according to their degree of wealth or poverty. In consequence, he proposes why China can not have good government. By lowering taxes on trade, merchants became willing to stop at the checkpoints which increased the total tax income received from merchants fifty percent. Thus, the people can be moved by benevolent policies. These biographical views can be applied to today's war on trade and the rise of tariffs, especially between the U.S. and China. Many learning points can be extracted from the 16th century accountings with current circumstances.     

[Ricardo Reyes]

I am surprised that the discussion did not consider the current push to construct a much more impenetrable wall along the U.S. and Mexico border. The Ming dynasty's giant wall stretched 5,000 miles to keep invaders from the Steppes out of China. The article raised a fundamental question of how effective was it against the enemy. The immediate response is how effective it was in preventing the Mongolian invaders. Apparently, not very effective as the Mongolian emperor Genghis Khan prevailed and his grandson, Kublain Khan, conquered all of China and beyond. Then again, there were probably many smaller-scale military threats which could not muster the critical mass necessary to conduct their raids and such. The article points out that contact between northern nomads and the people of China was based on as much on trade as war. The Mongols were unable to grow crops, making agricultural trade with the Chinese essential. Whereas, the Chinese coveted the nomads' small horses for war. Nonetheless, the trade imbalance was due to the Chinese able to manage without horses, but the Mongols could not forgo food or clothing. It took over a thousand years, until the 13th century A.D. before the Mongols were unified and a massive invasion could be mounted and sustained. Within time, the Chinese rulers changed their policies and established trading posts along the border. The number of Mongol attacks fell, and China could wind down its expensive military campaigns. During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Ming dynasty built the Great Wall as a massive barrier made from a stone base covered with brick unlike the earlier earthworks. For students of economics, it would be informative to study NAFTA and its pending replacement. Additionally, the discussion of wall versus trade and immigration initiatives with Mexico and Central America should be studied as a living lab. 

[Ricardo Reyes]

The seven blank contracts taken from a late Ming reference book were given a cursory scan during my first reading. Within time, they beckoned for closer examination and the details were very revealing and in the case of selling or mortgaging a house, very standard. The two revealing sample contracts were for The Purchase of a Concubine and The Selling of a Son for Adoption. The stark differences in the treatment between the purchase or sale of a daughter or son is readily apparent. The daughter is agreed to be given either in marriage or as a concubine. In either case, the payment of a betrothal amount is required. Daughters are transferred principally for mating or sexual purposes in either regard. The sons who are sold after the parents acknowledge their inability to care for their own son. The roles of the son are as a marriage prospect and to be obedient as a servant. It is stated that the contract is signed out of the free will of both parties. Apparently, the son's approval is out of the question and is required to be obedient. The son, upon his death, will not be buried in the graveyard of his original family. Very limited liability is assumed by the buyer. These harsh conditions reveal how extreme were the unwanted sons condition upon being sold. No mention is made of when the son's age removes him from the contract. In the case of the daughter, it can be assumed that a concubine's duty is for life. The question is raised whether a concubine could ever be liberated from the contract. Escaping is not a solution.  

[Ricardo Reyes]

Seemingly mundane at first glimpse, however very enlightening for reforming government based on principles and policies regarding the use of the correct type of tools as necessary for an ideal society. This being the 14th century and Wang Zhen's "Book of Agriculture" was part and parcel of the northern Song reforms in the Yuan Dynasty. In Zhen's Book of Agriculture was considered an important scientific achievement consolidating and expanding research on contemporaneous agricultural technology. The inclusion of an extensive number of woodblock prints were integral to the text. Beyond the pictorial narrative encyclopedia, has been considered by academics, prior and present, to be truly a reform movement and a treatise with extensive references to non-technological matters. Moreover, a modern study depicts it as "a milestone in the history of the world treatises on agriculture..." The book has been elevated to be considered a significant role in providing for the economic welfare of both the people and the court. In today's tecnological vernacular, this book would be considered an innovation which promoted agricultural uniformity leading to a ubiquitous dispersal in due time. What parallel's could be drawn today in our digital society and rapidly evolving progress of inventions leading to innovations which must require some uniform procedures and product compatibility?  

[Ricardo Reyes]

This reassment by Geoff Wade (2005) is highly significant and as noted, merit greater attention which as Wade states would inevitably mean a more diverse range of views of the Zheng He voyages in the early fifteenth century considered as an "ambassador of friendship." Wade's reassessment considers the eight "voyages to the Western Ocean" as more than mere friendship ventures but rather should lead to a discussion of the characteristics of colonialism and imperialism which suggests that the voyages constituted a maritime proto-colonialism. Zheng is considered a great maritime voyager of the Ming dynasty, who led voyages to more than 30 distant lands in Asia and Africa, hence making outstanding contributions to global navigation and the relations between China and other countries. These voyages were much more than exploratory as a fleet of hundreds of massive wooden ships were amassed as an armada of tens of thousands of crack troops. The purpose of the voyages were a combination of Gunboat diplomacy, trade, and exploration. The control of ports and shipping lanes were part of the political  and economic control across space. Zheng's maritime missions were seen as the precursor to the Portugese voyages of their sixteenth-century empire building. Certainly, the question has been proffered as to whether the early Chinese maritime voyagers had sailed eastward and possibly to the New World. Undoubtedly, there are research studies which have conjectured as to this possibility.   

[Ricardo Reyes]

Your summary of Yuanzhang's proclamations also struck me as being very sensible and speak equally today. Many comparisons can be made and our students should be challenged to look throughout current events and historical situations which illustrate similar trends or tendencies. No doubt the controversial Mueller Report's findings, even with redactions, can be insightful in the debate over corruption and political influence. The numbers of indicted and convicted individuals speaks volumes in this regard. 

[Dan Thalkar]

Hi Christine,

 

This is an important distinction, and one that can definitely be valuable to make in the classroom. W so often use or are exposed to words without questioning their deeper meaning or connotations. It can be a great exercise to have students rethink words they are familiar with and think they know by putting them within specific contexts and asking what each is really about. This exercise in semantics would then connect with an analysis of China's growth(development?) and the creation of connections. 

[Dan Thalkar]

Linda,

I am intrigued by your idea of exploring the dynamic between the Chinese and the Mongols. It was obviously a fraught with conflict, but they also needed and benefited from the existence of one another. The parallels one can draw are myriad and fascinating, regardless of the time period you choose to focus on. 

[Dan Thalkar]

Yes! The ubiquity of computers is a great example of how once-ground-breaking innovations eventually become common place and taken for granted. It would be a fun role-playing exercise to have students put themselves in the shoes of members of different societies and write about how they would feel about different new technological innovations that come along. 

[Brenda-Jean Shephard]

Thanks for the ideas, Marcos!

[Brenda-Jean Shephard]

They could role play "A day in the life of (a person who lived in Asia before the existence of cell phones, televisions, remote controls, audio/video recording devices, automobiles, flush toilets...)"  They could make their own lists of modern-day conveniences we take for granted, but members of ancient civilizations lived their whole lives without.  To those people, our lives are like a science fiction movie or novel--neither of which existed in the distant past.

[Kim Leng]

The building of a wall will make a great discussion. As Alcaide’s “The Great Wall of China’s Long Legacy,” article points out, China’s Great Wall is a marvel that’s taken centuries to build.  So much energy and effort was spent into building the wall and maintaining the wall.  Despite all this, its one purpose was unsuccessful.  The Mongols still invaded and conquered China. 

I think this article will be a great tie in with current news about the border wall.  Check out US Blocks Funds for Trump Border Wall Plan here: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-48406296 and also check out this article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46824649.  I would have students read several articles and discuss their thoughts. It's not an easy topic to discuss. 

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