Our Family Tree (Jiapu 家譜/家谱)

Yuan dynasty of ethnic Mongols. Started by Mongol dynasty founded by Kublai Khan. The Mongols brought China a very different culture. They excluded Chinese from government and placed restrictions on trade. Confucian ideals discouraged intellectuals who would previously have been called to the court or made officials turned to the arts and in particular to Chinese opera which flourished even under Mongol censorship. But while drama developed, China regressed. State revenues shrunk, canal building sucked up money and the country grew poorer. Many missionaries and merchants influenced the Chinese. The most notable foreigner that visited during this time was Marco Polo. Revolts in Mongolia and S China end dynasty. source

Mongols expelled. Confucianism, civil service examinations, reinstated. Ming power was great and started to re-establish a tribute among the nonChinese states of East Asia. This tribute required that these states acknowledge the moral and cultural supremacy of the Chinese. In the first quarter of the 15th century, the Ming had decisively defeated the Mongol tribes. This was also a period of naval exploration, at least for a while. Chinese ships reached Africa and maritime Asian nations arrived with tribute. These foreign contacts however, were short-lived and China retreated