Seclusion: Was it the fault of the Qing Dynasty or the fault of the Ming Dynasty? Qianlong took the blame for Zhu Yuanzhang

Seclusion is an idiom and a pain for the Chinese people.

Looking through the textbooks, we can see that the Qing Dynasty was blindly arrogant, boasted of being a heavenly dynasty, was ignorant and closed-minded, and refused to communicate with others, which led to the decline of national power, lagging behind and being beaten... The seclusion of the country became the main culprit of modern humiliation.

There should be no objection to seclusion and ignorance of the people.

However, where did the isolation of the country come from? Who should pay for this?

Many people have the impression that the Ming Dynasty was an enlightened and open country during its prosperous period. It made seven voyages to the Western Seas, was famous overseas, and attracted many countries to come to Korea. However, the Qing Dynasty was completely opposite.

However, this is a misunderstanding.

Tracing back to the origin, the Ming Dynasty was the beginning of the maritime ban, and the decision-maker was the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty - Zhu Yuanzhang, the Hongwu Emperor.

When it comes to Japanese pirates, Qi Jiguang, the famous anti-Japanese general during the Jiajing period, naturally comes to mind.

However, Japanese pirates have been causing trouble and harassing China since the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty.

At the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, when the Japanese princes were separatist and attacking each other, the defeated feudal lords lost their land and had nowhere to make a living, so they started smuggling and robbery. Their goal was the prosperous China.

The original Japanese pirates were composed of feudal lords, warriors, merchants, and ronin. They all had the same characteristics - they were all poor and settled, and they all liked business that brought in quick money.

The original Japanese pirates were all roving soldiers. They went to the coast of China to carry out armed smuggling and robbery. Although they brought some harassment to the people in the southeast, they were just a group of bandits at best and were not enough to cause major trouble. , thus not attracting enough attention from the rulers.

Although the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty implemented maritime bans many times, the maritime bans mainly focused on overseas trade and did not form a basic national policy. They were sometimes loosened and sometimes tightened. The main purpose was not to prevent Japanese pirates.

During the Hongwu period, Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty.

At this time, the Ming Dynasty had not yet completely unified the world. The center of gravity of its rule was in the south, which was not yet stable. Some warlord remnants were entrenched along the coast and colluded with pirates, which was a thorn in the side of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang had great foresight. In order to prevent rebel forces from collaborating with Japanese pirates and maintain social stability, he implemented a series of "bans" on maritime affairs:

The Municipal Shipping Department was managed during the Tang and Song Dynasties The permanent institution for overseas trade, Taicang Huangdu Ship Tijusi, commonly known as the "Six Kingdoms Terminal", was established by Zhu Yuanzhang himself. However, it was canceled by Zhu Yuanzhang's personal order this year.

Why? "Wanli Yehuobian" records:

Because Taicang is located in Jiangsu and is close to the capital (Nanjing), some cunning barbarians will come to the capital under the guise of trade to spy on the truth, so they simply don't get rid of it.

This reason is ridiculous. Just because a few barbarians inquired about the truth, they abolished the shipping department and gave up the huge profits from overseas trade. It was simply a waste of food.

But for Zhu Yuanzhang, this idea is very reasonable.

After the abolition of the Taicang Shipping Department, the effect should be good. It is just that overseas businessmen will make less money. Compared with the stability of the Ming Dynasty, this is completely negligible.

So Zhu Yuanzhang continued his efforts and implemented stricter sea bans.

December of the fourth year of Hongwu (1371):

Seventh year of Hongwu (1374):

Fourteenth year of Hongwu (1381): < /p>

The first month of the seventeenth year of Hongwu (1384):

The twenty-third year of Hongwu (1390):

The first month of the twenty-seventh year of Hongwu (1394) :

It can be said that from the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China to his death, Zhu Yuanzhang's maritime ban policy became more stringent year by year and never relaxed.

China is a traditional agricultural country with a mainly small-scale peasant economy. The people can be completely self-sufficient and live behind closed doors without the need for external exchanges. The entire country based on the small-scale peasant economy can naturally do the same. This is the economic basis of the "sea ban".

China has a vast territory, closed space, abundant resources, high population, and splendid culture. It has long been at the top of world civilization. Therefore, China has always despised foreign countries and regarded foreigners as barbarians, even if they did not interact with them. , and no loss.

Zhu Yuanzhang grew up in a family of tenant farmers, so he naturally "emphasized agriculture and suppressed business". He was deeply influenced by Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism and devoted himself to building an empire with clear layers, order and social stability since the founding of the People's Republic of China. This is true for a series of political, economic, military and social systems implemented. Everything is based on "prevention first" or even "prevention is king" - since there are disadvantages, I simply ban them.

In short, Zhu Yuanzhang tried to close China through the "sea ban" and create a solid Peach Blossom Land world "separated from outsiders", where the people were simple, "yellow hair hung down, and they were at ease." happy".

Zhu Yuanzhang was extremely confident and even arrogant. He believed that all his policies were correct and for the good of the Ming Dynasty. Future generations must follow them with great difficulty in order to protect the Ming Dynasty forever.

Although not all the descendants of the old Zhu family were obedient, and although the "Longqing Switch" appeared in the late Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty as a whole still did not relax the "sea ban" too much. Over time, it formed The "ancestral law" of "no pieces of wood are allowed to enter the sea" has been adopted.

Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, was considered an enlightened emperor. He supported Zheng He's seven voyages to the West, but it was to promote the country's prestige. It was purely an official political activity and still strictly prohibited private overseas trade:

Zhu Yuanzhang and An important starting point of the entire Ming Dynasty's "sea ban" policy was to prevent pirates and Japanese pirates from invading. It also played a protective role to a certain extent. However, at its root, it reflected the extremely conservative feudal thoughts of the rulers, who "did not listen outside the window." "I only read the books of sages and sages," and the prevalence of this idea is inseparable from the Ming Dynasty's political need to strengthen monarchy.

Worse than that.

The Qing Dynasty's "Sea Ban" was inherited from the Ming Dynasty, and the "Sea Ban" was implemented in the early Qing Dynasty. The three dynasties of Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong, which are known as the prosperous times, were also the most stringent period of the "Sea Ban". Although Kangxi once made a "switch" move, the folk Overseas trade remains severely hampered.

Qianlong called himself "Old Man Shiquan". After the hard work of Kangxi, Yongzheng and other ancestors, the Qing Dynasty reached its peak, with a vast territory, richness all over the world, and peace in the world. Qianlong's Yelang arrogance also reached its peak, and "sea ban" also reached its peak.

When the Qing Dynasty was immersed in the dream of a heavenly kingdom and "closing itself off", the West was undergoing drastic changes. When people of insight wanted to "open their eyes to see the world," China's door to "closing itself off" had already After being blasted away by the "strong ships and cannons" of the West, the dream of the Chinese Empire was shattered and the nightmare of humiliation began.

Seclusion began in the early Ming Dynasty and ended in the late Qing Dynasty. It lasted throughout the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It was not an invention invented by anyone on a whim, nor was it a temporary expedient. It was a trend that lasted for hundreds of years and continued. In the process of strengthening, the blame cannot be placed on one person.

Whether it is Zhu Yuanzhang or Qianlong, whether it is for the country or the people, their starting point is good, and it is impossible to say who will take the blame.

Looking at the history of the Ming and Qing dynasties, which closed the country to the outside world and led to China’s decline and backwardness, it has taught us an extremely painful lesson:

Confidence can bring strength, but arrogance can bring about Come to decline, isolation will only bring destruction!