Yuan Dynasty

 

• Kublai Khan was the grandson of Genghis Khan and he became the great Khan in 1260. The great Khan ruled the entire Mongol empire.

 

Kublai relentlessly attacked the Chinese until he finally overran them and took over most of China. This was the first time China was ruled by a foreign invader. Now, as the new emperor of China, he created a new dynasty called the Yuan. However, it was overthrown in less than a hundred years, lasting from 1279 to 1368. When the Mongols took over, they brought lots of foreign trade to China from other places they conquered. The Mongols put up with the Chinese culture but they made a few governmental changes. This made the Chinese people a little more happy that they could keep their native culture. Kublai didn’t keep the Steppes unlike his ancestors. He lived a rather luxurious life having many houses and lots of riches. He built the capitol square in modern day Beijing. He built this capital in the hope to make his mark on the Mongol empire and Mongol history.

 

Kublai attempted conquering Japan in 1274 by sending huge fleets of ships and again in 1281. The Mongols forced the Koreans to make sailing provisions, sails, and ships. On the second attempt, a massive typhoon knocked out the fleet while crossing the sea. This was referred to as “Kamikaze” meaning divine wind. The Japanese believed these winds would protect them as late as World War II. Kublai’s advisors told him that he couldn’t control the Chinese people because these people were more sophisticated than the people he had been controlling. The Mongols had little in common with the Chinese people, so the kept their distance and didn’t interact. The Mongols had almost no Chinese people in high ranking Governmental positions. Kublai was still a good leader.  He did many great things such as restoring the Great Canal. He paved the banks of the canal for trade. They traded water, lots of grain and much more. Foreign trade increased much more because of the Mongol Peace. This made trade routes much more safe so people could travel on the silk roads. They traded porcelain, silk, printing materials, gunpowder, compasses, paper currency and playing cards. Kublai continued to spread trade throughout Asia and Europe. The most famous person to visit China during Kublai’s rule was Marco Polo. He was a Venetian trader and he worked for Kublai for 17 years and finally went back to Venice. Marco was later captured during a war in Venice and while he was captured he told stories of the Chinese empire. He talked of them using “black stones” known as coal. The Chinese civilization was now regarded as one of the greatest civilizations. Kublai tried to further expand the empire but by doing so, he greatly weakened it because of his lack of troops and being spread too thin. They started losing lots of men and battles. Kublai died in 1294 and the empire began to fade and the Yuan dynasty ended. Waves of enemies came into China and swept through the remaining Mongol civilizations and the Russians conquered the remaining Mongols. (Perry)