Yao Ming

The author succeeds in making a strong case for the importance of serious consideration of the religious aspects of Chinese society—at both the elite and the popular levels—which is indispensible for properly understanding virtually all aspects of China’s past and present, including the Chinese state and the local society. In essence, he argues that Chinese society is essentially a religious society. Pointing to a dominant tradition that repeatedly brought church and state together, he also…

then you will arrive at the outer courts. The forbidden city falls into two. The outer court and the inner court. The outer court is made up of three main buildings and the inner court is where the palace of heavenly peace is. It was built it the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. The emperor got many architects and designers to build The Forbidden City. The construction lasted 15 years. The forbidden city is important because that where the emperors live in and they were protected…

Toward the end of the century, artists in Florence and elsewhere began to move toward naturalism, signaling some of the changes that led into the Baroque style of the seventeenth century. Michelangelo never relaxed his republican principles, although briefly, toward the end of the life, he entertained the possibility of returning to Florence to work at the duke’s court. Michelangelo’s panoramic vision of the subject meant that the two windows on the altar wall had to be closed and Perugino’s…

During the mid 1600s, people who originated north of China, the Manchus, forced their way into the territory of the Ming Dynasty and asserted their dominance.(1) Due to the word “Manchu” not being of Chinese origin, they decided to adopt the name “Qing.” However, there was not much physical distinction between the Ming and Qing, so the Qing government decided to create a hairstyle that was called the Queue. (1) This was an extremely interesting hairstyle, for they shaved the front half of their…

The founder of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, rose from humble beginnings. Under Yuan rule, he was an oppressed Chinese peasant boy, and during the rebellions against them, he called upon the Chinese to take China back for themselves, overthrowing the Mongols. Overall, the Ming dynasty had support because they were overthrowing foreign corruption. Furthermore, they wanted to fight to restore the dignity of their nationality by bringing an end to the chaos of the final Yuan years. For that…

The Great Wall is considered China’s greatest and best known monument as well as one of its most powerful symbols. The wall was made entirely by hand and was built to protect the Chinese from intruders. Known in Chinese as the “Long Wall,” it has captivated the imagination of both Chinese and non-Chinese for centuries. Although the wall has been around for over 2,000 years and parts of the wall are decaying and crumbling, it remains a popular attraction today and is considered one of the Seven…

became the first emperor of the Ming Empire. During his youth, he was extremely poor. Several of his brothers were sent or sold away, and then his family was killed by a flood. He was poverty stricken. He went to a Buddhist monastery where he learned to read and write when he was 24 years old. He established a capital in Nanjing and then control of the area of the Yangtze River. In 1664, his army entered Beijing. During his 30 year reign, he shaped the Ming Empire, but he grew…

Hong Xiuquan and his followers were able to capture many cities, but ultimately were defeated by the Qing Dynasty because his behaviours after proclaiming his dynasty made him lose the right to become a ruler. In 1860, the Taipings attempted to gain strength by taking Shanghai, but were defeated by the “Ever-Victorious Army” who were led and trained by western leaders. After deciding that Hong was a threat to business they allied with the Qing armies to fight with the Taipings. Because of his…

Heritage Site in 1987 by UNESCO. The Forbidden City is the biggest ancient palace in the world. It is located in the center of The Beijing. It also was the center of Chinese politics and government for about 500 years. Zhu Di, the third emperor of Ming dynasty, began to build it in 1406 and completed 1420. There is a contribution of more than 200 workers to build. The Forbidden City is a rectangle, length is about 3200 feet, and width is about 2500 feet. The walls are approximately 28 feet wide…

Weeks prior to the procession, Sheng Xuanhuai’s family had engaged in a grueling lobbying campaign to seek a permit for the funeral cortege to go through Nanjing 南京 Road and other major streets in the International Settlement. On October 25, 1917, the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (Shanghai zong shanghui 上海總商會) filed a written request to the SMC at the behest of the Sheng family for the use of Nanjing Road for the procession. In the letter, Sheng was portrayed as a highly accomplished…