Ming Dynasty WebQuest

Essential Question: Why do empires rise and fall?

Inquiry Question:Why did the Ming expand to its greatest extents, and what factors limited their expansion?

Directions:

In this activity, you will investigate China during the rule of the Ming Dynasty. As you complete the WebQuest you will interpret information about the geography, beliefs, and achievements of the Ming in China!

You will research and read about the following topics:

  1. Who were the Ming? Where did they live?
  1. What did they believe?
  1. What were some of their accomplishments?
  1. How did they interact with the world?
  1. How did the Mingempire come to an end?

At the end of this WebQuest you will use the information you learned to answer our

Inquiry Question!

You will have Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday to work on the WebQuest in class – any work you do not finish in class needs to be completed for homework!

(Pacing recommendation - aim to finish 1.5 – 2 sections a day)

Resources:

  • There are several readings and resources on the class website for this WebQuest.
  • Follow the links below for specific questions.
  • Use any reliable sources you come across while searching for information – if you find a great resource share it with your classmates!
  1. China’s Geography
  2. Using the map below, answer the following questions.

  1. What do the colors on the map represent?
  1. What part of China has the lowest elevation? What part of China has the highest elevation?
  1. What natural barriers serve as China’s boarders? List three. (Hint: Look for rivers, mountains, seas, oceans, elevation, etc.)
  1. Describe where Beijing is located.
  1. If you were living in China in 1500, where do you think you would want to live? Explain your answer.
  1. Use the links below to answer the following questions about the Ming Dynasty government.
  1. During which years did the Ming Dynasty rule China?
  1. What was the Civil Service Exam? How did this help create stability in the Ming Dynasty government?
  1. What did they believe?
  2. Philosophies
  • Familiarize yourself with ABC-CLIO (found on NHS databases) to complete the chart below. (Password is on the HW board)

Name of Philosophy / Founder / Main Idea or Beliefs of the Philosophy (min. 3 facts) / One other piece of relevant information
Taoism
Confucianism
Buddhism
  1. Mandate of Heaven and the Dynastic Cycle

The Chinese believed that heaven gave the leader the mandate, or right, to rule. The people must respect that mandate and owed complete loyalty and obedience to the leader. In exchange for this loyalty, the people had the right to expect good leadership. If there were problems in the dynasty (war, famine, floods, drought) this was a sign that the ruler had lost the Mandate of Heaven. The Mandate of Heaven helped explain the Dynastic cycle, which is explained below.

Cycle / Example from Ming Dynasty (Provide Dates if Possible)
Dynasty is founded by a powerful leader
Period of great power and prosperity
Period of Decline
Period of Rebellion, dynasty overthrown
  • Use the following website and the textbook reading on the class website to complete the chart regarding the Ming dynastic cycle.
  1. What were some of their accomplishments?
  2. Forbidden City
  • Where is the Forbidden City located?
  • When was the Forbidden Palace opened?
  • What was its purpose? Why was it called the Forbidden City?
  • Describe 5 features of the Forbidden City.
  1. Great Wall
  • What was the role of the Ming in constructing the Great Wall?
  • What was the significance of the Great Wall? (Focus on the physical and psychological aspects)
  1. How did they interact with the world?
  2. Who was Zheng He and why is he an important figure in Ming history? How did Zheng He help expand the Ming Empire? Find a reliable source on your own! (Attach the link)
  1. Use the map on the class website (Ming Trade Atlas PDF) to answer the following questions.
  2. What goods did the Ming export?
  3. What goods (and from where) did the Ming import?
  1. Why did the Ming go into a period of isolation? (Read pages 3 & 4 of the Ming China Reading on the class website)
  1. How did the Ming Dynasty come to an end?
  2. Decline & Fall of the Ming
  3. What problems caused the decline of the Ming?
  1. Manchu Dynasty (Qing Dynasty)
  2. Who were the Manchus (where did they come from)?
  3. How did the Qing Dynasty help China prosper?