The Yuan Dynasty was established in 1279 by Kublai Khan after the Mongol invasion of China. Kublai Khan ruled as Emperor until his death in 1294. He established the capital at Dadu, the modern city of Beijing. The Yuan Dynasty ruled over China until 1368, implementing Mongolian and Chinese political and cultural traditions until internal conflicts and natural disasters weakened the empire. Zhu Yuanzhang then led a rebellion that overthrew the Yuan Dynasty and established the Ming Dynasty.

1. The Yuan Dynasty
and Kublai Khan
1279-1368
Turgazieva Tolgonai

2. Mongol invasion
Genghis khan and his sons set the
foundation for Yuan Dynasty by
defeating the Western Xia and
Central Asia and Hexi Corridor
Western Xia also
known as Tangut
Empire,was an empire
which existed from
1038 to 1227 AD

3. Capital city- Khanbalik (Dadu), was
on the site of modern Beijing

4. Kublai Khan
● Country of Origin / Nationality: Mongol
● Lifetime: 1215 - 1294
● Family connections : He was the Grandson of the
Genghis Khan
● Was elected Khan on May 5, 1260.
● The fifth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire
(1260-1294) and the founder of the Yuan Dynasty
in China.
● Was a skilled horseman since 12
● His father died when he was 17
● Started taking part in ruling at his 30’s
● Died: Kublai Khan died in 1294

5. Monetary policy
● 1273, Kublai issued paper banknotes
- chao (鈔)
● big innovation in banking/monetary
system
● advantages: better court control,
lighter than coins
● the first dynasty in the world to use
paper currency

6. Political System and Society
● Practiced Han policy first, later - “Imperial Exam” policy
● Confucianism-official thought of dynasty
● Foreigners became the rulers and administrators.
● The four classes: first- the Mongols,
● Semu- their allies and non-Chinese people from Inner- Asia,
● Han- was made up of the people of Northern China
● Nah- came the people of Southern China
● Mixed marriages were forbidden, promotion - impossible
Mongols
Semu
Han
Nah

7. Economy of Yuan Dynasty
Focused on the development of:
● Agriculture- in the period of
Kublai Khan reign gradually
recovered
● Water conservancy
construction- 2 new canals
were constructed
● Animal husbandry
● Handicrafts -textile industry
Rice terraces, Guangxi Province. The Dragon's
Backbone Terraces were built from the Yuan
Dynasty

8. Religion of the Yuan Empire
Shamanism
● Believed in unseen world of
gods, spirits
● Shamans were allowed to take
part in the discussion of
crucial issues, such as electing
leaders and affairs of war and
peace.
* later integrated to Islam and
Buddhism
Totemism
● Its practice had a great
psychological influence upon
the Mongolian people.
● There were two principal
totems - 'wolf totem' and 'deer
totem' worshiped by the
Mongolians.
● wolf -grandfather , deer -
grandmother.

9. Culture and Science
● shadow puppet plays-entertainment
in the evenings, using
lamp and sheets
● astronomy- Sitiantai observatory
● novels-Water Margin and The
Romance of the Three Kingdoms by
Luo Guanzhong- has about 770 000
words

10. Invasions of Japan
● In 1274, he sent about 800 or
900 ships. Storm destroyed
most of them
● In 1280, he ordered the hasty
assembly of a very large
force. The second fleet is said
to have carried 100,000 men.
Faced the wall, killed by
storm

11. Reasons for decline:
● heavy taxation
● ethic contradiction
● corruption of court officials
● army became corrupted
● natural disasters- live in poverty

12. Natural Disasters
● 1330s onwards, natural disasters such as epidemics, droughts and
floods brought suffering and death to the peasants.
● 1331- the bubonic plague pandemic- "Black Death" in Europe, began
to sweep the empire. Millions of people died
● 1344 -the Yellow River shifted course.A massive flood that
impoverished an populous region at the center of the empire.
● From 1340- 1380 time of drought
● 1351 - rebellion started called the Red Turban Rebellion.

13. Zhu Yuanzhang Defeated the Empire
● 1356 and 1367- Zhu Yuanzhang began a series of campaigns seeking
to defeat the dynasty.
● Restoring Han Chinese to power, got support
● 1368 Zhu's army reached Beijing (Dadu). The Yuan Emperor fled to
the north, lost control of the rest of the empire.
● Mongolia became the final home of the Yuan Dynasty clans.
● Mongolians kept trying to recapture the empire, but they failed.
● They eventually allied with the Manchus, and Mongolians became
officials in the Qing Dynasty.

14. Importance of Yuan Dynasty
● unification of whole country - one
centralized power system
● migration to center, enriching economic
and social life
● natural sciences and technology- astronomy
● technical developments
● promoting Chinese civilization

15. Thank you

16. references:
www.history-of-china.com
http://www.chinaknowledge.de/
http://www.medieval-life-and-times.info/famous-medieval-people/kublai-khan.
htm
www.biography.com