After the foundation of the Yuan dynasty (1206-1368), the Yuan rulers absorbed cultural nutrition from Han ethnic group by imitating the governing method of the Ming rulers to govern its empire, who spared no effort to conduct propaganda for Neo-Confucianism, making it the leading ideology in the Yuan empire.
The social hierarchy based on ethnicity was carried out by the Yuan rulers, which stipulated that the first raters were the Mongolians, the second raters were the Semu People (including people from the Western Regions and the Central Asian Countries), the Third raters were the Jin people (including Chitan people and Jurchen People) and the Fourth Rater were the Nan People (including the Han ethnic group people and the other ethnic minority group people).
The Han ethnic group people were very dissatisfied with the social hierarchy,so they considered the Mongolian ruler as foreign ruler and waged many wars against it, hampering the effective governing of the Yuan ruler on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
Besides the traditional agriculture industry, great importance was attached on commerce by the Yuan rulers, and Dadu (capital of the Yuan Empire, present Beijing) was the most prosperous metropolis in the world, attracting merchants from all over the world.
As far as the Yuan-era culture was concerned, great achievement was made in Yuanqu (a type of verse), which was considered the essence of Chinese classic literature together with poems of the Tang dynasty and the jambic verses of the Song dynasty, and the representative composers included Guan Hanqin, Ma Zhiyuan and Wang Shifu.
Some scholars reckoned that the flexible policy of the Yuan Empire contributed a lot to the birth and prosperity of Yuanqu, which also provided a great freedom that allowed the composers to construct their works.
Based on the Song-era typography, the metal movable-type printing was invented in the Yuan dynasty.
Further more, the Yuan rulers paid much attention to medical science, shipbuilding porcelain-making and water conservancy project, each of which had a substantial influence on the progress of human civilization.
The number of countries trading with ancient China via Maritime Silk Road increased from 50 ones in the Song dynasty (960-1279) to 140 ones in the Yuan dynasty, and the sea route and the land route explored by the Ming merchants stretched to the coast of Africa and the Western Europe respectively, which provided unprecedented convenience for both the Yuan Empire and the foreign countries in economic and social progress.
The Chinese papermaking technology, topography and compasses were passed to Arabic and European countries, where the evolution of civilization was greatly quickened.
Some advanced technologies were also passed to China, including medicine science and astronomy from Arabic countries, mathematics and smith-craft from European countries and sculpture art from South Asian Countries, which greatly enriched ancient Chinese culture.
The social hierarchy based on ethnicity was carried out by the Yuan rulers, which stipulated that the first raters were the Mongolians, the second raters were the Semu People (including people from the Western Regions and the Central Asian Countries), the Third raters were the Jin people (including Chitan people and Jurchen People) and the Fourth Rater were the Nan People (including the Han ethnic group people and the other ethnic minority group people).
The Han ethnic group people were very dissatisfied with the social hierarchy,so they considered the Mongolian ruler as foreign ruler and waged many wars against it, hampering the effective governing of the Yuan ruler on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
Besides the traditional agriculture industry, great importance was attached on commerce by the Yuan rulers, and Dadu (capital of the Yuan Empire, present Beijing) was the most prosperous metropolis in the world, attracting merchants from all over the world.
As far as the Yuan-era culture was concerned, great achievement was made in Yuanqu (a type of verse), which was considered the essence of Chinese classic literature together with poems of the Tang dynasty and the jambic verses of the Song dynasty, and the representative composers included Guan Hanqin, Ma Zhiyuan and Wang Shifu.
Some scholars reckoned that the flexible policy of the Yuan Empire contributed a lot to the birth and prosperity of Yuanqu, which also provided a great freedom that allowed the composers to construct their works.
Based on the Song-era typography, the metal movable-type printing was invented in the Yuan dynasty.
Further more, the Yuan rulers paid much attention to medical science, shipbuilding porcelain-making and water conservancy project, each of which had a substantial influence on the progress of human civilization.
The number of countries trading with ancient China via Maritime Silk Road increased from 50 ones in the Song dynasty (960-1279) to 140 ones in the Yuan dynasty, and the sea route and the land route explored by the Ming merchants stretched to the coast of Africa and the Western Europe respectively, which provided unprecedented convenience for both the Yuan Empire and the foreign countries in economic and social progress.
The Chinese papermaking technology, topography and compasses were passed to Arabic and European countries, where the evolution of civilization was greatly quickened.
Some advanced technologies were also passed to China, including medicine science and astronomy from Arabic countries, mathematics and smith-craft from European countries and sculpture art from South Asian Countries, which greatly enriched ancient Chinese culture.
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