Speaker: Morris Rossabi History, Queen's college
Descriptions of Mongol influences, specifically on Ming and Qing, China have varied considerably. Greater attention to the Yuan dynasty over the past few years has prompted diverse interpretations of the Mongols' impact. Many writers traditionally portrayed the Mongols as having few and mostly negative influences while popularizers and scholars have recently maintained that the Mongols had substantial and often positive impacts on the succeeding Ming dynasty. This presentation seeks to assess these claims and to ascertain Khubilai and the other Khans' influences on Chinese government, economy, society, religion, and art.