The Art of Being Awesome: Grand Strategy in the Ming Dynasty

Until fairly recently, scholars tended to discount the military might and achievements of China’s Ming (1368-1644) Dynasty, unfavorably comparing it with the more vigorously expansive Mongol Yuan (1279-1368) and Manchu Qing (1644-1911) “conquest” dynasties. However, in the process of seeking to identify a distinctively Chinese strategic culture, a number of political scientists and international relations scholars have looked to the Ming, creating a variety of models to explain Chinese strategic behavior in general, in the process finding that the Ming was far more aggressive and martially inclined than previously assumed. Drawing on wide readings of Ming documents and considerations of shifting Ming policies as they related to changing constellations of emperors and officials, this talk will examine Ming “Grand Strategy” and consider its broader geopolitical implications.