Response paper: Ming Shi-Lu about Zhe He

Published under category: Academic Paper Writing | 2015-05-19 12:12:29 UTC

Context: Chinese studies

The Author Ming shi-lu is basically a collection of short government records that were authored by Ming officials who compiled information from records that illustrated the day to day happenings during the era when China was under the rule of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). The Ming government officials usually began collecting information and thereafter compiling the accounts of an emperor’s reign after the death of that emperor. The type of document Loosely translated, the Ming shi-lu implies “authentic records about the Ming.” The Ming shi-lu is the largest available source of information about the several emperors that ruled over South East Asia during the Ming dynasty. The Ming shi-lu basically provides a chronological account of the occurrences during a specific emperor’s reign. The information used to compile the document was retrieved from various information sources such as activities and repose diaries, daily court occurrence records, and other sources such as ministerial papers and memorials. The gathered information was then chronologically arranged into the Ming shi-lu. Targeted audience The targeted audience was the generations that lived on after the reign of an emperor Main points of the document This specific document explores the several instructions that were issued by the emperor to the eunuch director, Zheng He and his colleagues to take to a number of rulers under the jurisdiction of the emperor. The document also highlights the notable events that were experienced by He and his colleagues during the numerous missions that were assigned to him by the emperor. Also in this document are the details of how envoys visiting the emperor were given a myriad of gifts when they departed to their various countries and territories. Reason for writing the document The document was written for the purpose of providing future generations with the knowledge that would help them understand and even historically reconstruct the Ming politics and society. What the document reveals The document reveals a significant amount of information about the way of life during the Ming era and among these are the titles and respect given to the emperor. For instance, the document illustrates that the emperor commanded a lot of respect because he was considered as having the mandate of heaven and therefore having the divine right to exercise power over both China and the Yi. From the article, a reader can also learn that the emperor was considered to have embodied the love of both the earth and heaven for all things, and that the emperor was expected to show the same benevolence for all individuals irrespective of their distance from his court. From the instructions that were sent to the king of Champa in 1441 and in 1443, a reader gets to learn that all the rulers under the jurisdiction of the emperor were expected to respect heaven, serve the superior who was the emperor, offer tribute to the emperor, and fulfill their respective duties as assigned to them by the emperor. Additionally, these rulers were expected to excel in comforting the people under their jurisdiction, protect their territory, and maintain excellent relationship with their neighboring states. The other lesson that can be learned from the imperial instructions is that whenever a country under the jurisdiction of the court failed in its obligations, the rulers of those countries or territories were brought to the emperor’s court so the emperor could decide how to deal with them. ORDER PLAGIARISM FREE PAPER