Ming Dynasty

The Ming Dynasty (Chinese: 明朝; Pinyin: Míng Cháo) was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644. It was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic Hans, before falling to the rebellion led by Li Zicheng, and later replaced by Manchu-led Qing Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty, founded by Zhu Yuanzhang, ruled over the Empire of the Great Ming (大明國; Dà Míng Guó), as China was then known. Although the later Ming capital, Beijing, fell in 1644, remnants of the Ming throne and power (collectively called the Southern Ming) survived until 1662.

Ming rule saw the construction of a vast navy, including four-masted ships of 1,500 tons displacement, and a standing army of 1,000,000 troops. Over 100,000 tons of iron per year were produced in North China (roughly 1 kg per inhabitant), and many books were printed using movable type. There were strong feelings amongst some Han Chinese against the rule by non-Han ethnic group (Manchus) during the subsequent Qing Dynastycitation needed], and the restoration of the Ming Dynasty was used as a rallying cry up until the modern era. At its height, the Ming Dynasty had a population of 160 million people.