What were the contributions of the Ming dynasty?
The major contribution of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) was a focus on Chinese culture. (A dynasty is a series of rulers from the same family.) Ming emperors returned their attention to distinctively Chinese traditions in 1368 after the foreign Mongols (inhabitants of present-day Mongolia), whose dynasty had been established by Kublai Khan (1215–1294) in 1260, were overthrown as the rulers of China. The emphasis on Chinese culture produced a flowering in the arts, evidenced by the name Ming, which means “bright” or “brilliant.” Ming architects produced the splendor of the Forbidden City, the emperor’s residence, in Beijing. Ming porcelain, bronze, and lacquerware (decorative pieces made from wood and coated with a kind of varnish) are coveted collectors’ items today. The Ming rulers also reinstated Confucianism, the philosophy of the ancient Chinese wise…
