Ming Empire
The Ming dynasty ruled China from 1368 to 1644, beginning with a capital at Nanjing and later establishing the principal imperial court at Beijing. Its rulers rebuilt institutions after the Yuan, maintained large armies and sponsored palaces and religious buildings. Northern frontier warfare encouraged extensive wall construction, while merchants and artisans supported growing towns and regional industries. Surviving gates, fortifications, timber halls and places of worship show the range of Ming building, including major additions to sites founded long before the dynasty.
Explore Ming sites
Ming buildings show how imperial planning, frontier defence and religious communities shaped palaces, walls and places of worship.
Daily life
Daily Life in Ming China: Households, Work, and Consumption
Ming households combined farming, crafts and market exchange. Homes, food, clothing, worship, schooling and medical care varied with region, status and resources.
- Childhood, Schooling and Practical Literacy in Ming China
- Healers, Medicines and Everyday Care in Ming China, 1368-1644
- Household Religion, Temple Visits and Festivals in Ming China
- Ming China: Food, Dress and Recreation from 1368 to 1644
- Ming Households, Marriage and Property in Ming China
- Work, Shops, and Village Life in Ming China
History and society
The Ming Dynasty: Government, Society and Historical Change, 1368–1644
Ming government joined imperial authority with examination officials and local institutions. Farming, silver, commerce and frontier war changed society between 1368 and 1644.
- Farming, Taxation, Silver and Markets in Ming China, 1368–1644
- Ming Armies, Frontier Walls and Military Settlements
- Ming Buildings, Books and the Arts: Institutions and Practices, 1368–1644
- Ming Government: Examinations and Local Administration
- Religion, Learning, and Community Institutions in Ming China
- The Ming Empire: Foundation, Expansion, and Crisis