Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Fall of the Ming
Despite the Great Wall, the threat from the north intensified. The Manchus (formerly the
Jurchens) established a new and powerful state based in Shěnyáng (currently the capital of
Liáoníng province) and watched as the Ming empire decayed. The Ming had one of the
most elaborate tax codes in history, but corrupt eunuchs abused their growing power. Ex-
cessive taxation sparked a series of peasant revolts. Silver, the main form of exchange,
was devalued by imported silver from the new world, leading to inflation.
One peasant rebel army, led by Li Zicheng (1606-45), actually captured Běijīng. The
last Ming emperor, Chongzhen (1611-44), called on the Manchus for help and after cross-
ing the Great Wall at Shānhǎiguān, in current-day Héběi province, they helped rout Li
Zicheng's army. The Manchus then marched on Běijīng, where Emperor Chongzhen hung
himself on a tree on Coal Hill, the hill in Jǐngshān Park, which overlooks the Forbidden
City. Chongzhen lies buried in a Ming tomb a short distance from the grander Ming
Tombs complex, and now there's a small artificial snowfield near his tomb.
The Han Chinese were forced to wear their hair in a queue (pigtail) as a symbol of their sub-
jugation to the ruling Manchus.
