Ming Qing Transition Flashcards
What were factors that lead to the fall of the Ming dynasty?
Imjin Wars (1592-1596 & 1597-1598) in Korea
Factional politics, esp. between eunuchs (太監 taijian or 宦官 huanguan) and literati (esp. of the Donglin Academy 東林書院)
Famine in much of northern China
Flooding in central China
Economic crisis due to insufficient supply of silver
Widespread epidemic from Zhejiang to Henan; the Shaanxi earthquake of 1556
Military expenses, esp. in the northern & northwestern frontiers
Who was Li Zicheng?
Chinese rebel leader who dethroned Chongzhen, the last emperor of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). A local village leader, Li joined the rebel cause in 1630 following a great famine that had caused much unrest in the northern part of the country. He made his headquarters in the northwestern province of Shaanxi and called himself the Chuang Wang (“Dashing King”). A superb military leader, he gradually increased his following and began to organize raids into neighbouring provinces.
Who was Wu Sangui?
Chinese general who invited the Manchu of Manchuria into China and helped them establish the Qing dynasty in 1644. Later, in southwestern China, he led a revolt against the Qing in an attempt to set up his own dynasty.
Who were the yimin?
“remnant subjects”
i.e. Ming loyalists who did not die resisting the Manchu or who did not commit suicide
Existential choices:
To continue resistance
To “retire”from official position and become a farmer, monk or to take care of elderly parent(s)
To accept and pledge loyalty to the new regime
To move from defiance to resignation and finally accommodation
Literary themes
“reunion” tuanyuan 團圓
Dreams meng 夢 of the past and/or present
Reality and illusion/real and unreal
Historical allusions (e.g. of the high Tang or the [southern] Song-Yuan dynastic transition) to the present
Communication with the gods, ancestors, former emperors etc
“Journeys of enlightenment” (usually failures)
What was the Idle Tippler about?
can be seen as a political statement
about a man who once held office, but got his position taken away
now lived poverty, but kept his good spirits up
hated how people liked him only when he was rich and successful
What were the themes of Pao Yu’s dream?
情 qing: feelings, love, passion
淫 yin: licentious, promiscuous
欲 yu: desire; appetite; passion; lust; longing; greed
Note: p.46 “clouds and rain” yunyu 雲雨= sexual intercourse
What does “jia” refer to in dream of the red chamber?
Note: 假 jia “unreal,” “false,” etc. is a homophone of 賈 Jia [Chia], the name of the family in Dream of the Red Chamber
