The Inadequacies of Ming Dynasty’s Foreign Policies: Lack of Efficient Rewards and Punishments

ASTD284, Foundations of East Asian Civilization
Dr. Kim
16 September 2013
Wang Yangming, “one of the most renowned Confucian thinkers and statesmen of the Ming dynasty” (Chang 1975, 39) wrote in his memorial on the issues with banditry in Southern Jiangxi and his analysis on why it had gotten out of control and further on, his recommendation on the measures that should be looked at to resolve it. He goes on to quote Wu Qi, who was an expert in warfare, “If laws and orders be not clear, if rewards and punishments be not just, though there be a hundred thousand men at arms, they are of no avail” (Chang 1975, 39). Wang Yangming was a firm believer that there must be established and enforced guidance for the prompt bestowment of rewards and the prompt issuing of punishments if the countries leader is expecting his soldiers to be of any use in suppressing those forces, both domestic and foreign, who are involved in illegal, criminal and violent activities and those whose actions cause disruption and chaos within the orderly state of society.

Taking a look at events nearly a century prior to Wang Yangming writing his memorial, a different approach was taken regarding foreign relations that may have had a direct influence on the state of the country during Wang Yangmings life resulting in his appeal to the Zhengde Emperor. The re-establishment of the tributary system, made by the Hongwu Emperor early in the fourteenth century, was the first stage in a chain reaction that would lead the Ming dynasty into economic instability. The later maritime expeditions, in particular, were costly and destructive to the Ming Empire producing nothing more than “pageantry and strange tales” (Fairbank 1989, 58). In the beginning, Hongwu’s tribute system was beneficial to China’s peripheral states by providing peaceful borders and an open door for trade with China. After accepting the supremacy of the Son of Heaven from China, who was considered their “parent and source of their civilization” (Fairbank 1989, 55), the peripheral states would be offered opportunities to trade with China and military protection against attack so long as they paid tribute. Much like the later ideas of Wang Yangmings rewards and punishments, China’s peripheral states could reap these rewards of trade and protection by exchanging tribute.

One of the contributing factors leading to the Ming Dynasty’s instability was with the eunuchs. The Hongwu Emperor foresaw the rising power of the eunuchs and had initiated measures to prevent them from attaining too much power like “dismissing those who commented on government affairs, forbidding the handling of documents and decreeing that they remain illiterate” (Fairbank 1989, 46). This proved ineffective and in fact years later, “foreign trade was left to the powerful eunuchs making it more distasteful to the official class” (Fairbank 1989, 59). The Yongle Emperor even allowed his most trusted eunuch, Zheng He, to lead seven naval expeditions with two objectives in mind; “to gain the states of South and Southeast Asia into the tribute system” (Fairbank 1989, 57) and to “suppress piracy” (Ebrey 2014, 232). In this particular case, Wang Yangming might have addressed the issues of the eunuchs gaining this much power and the vulnerabilities that this would pose on the administration as well as the weakening effects that it would have on the role of authorities. When someone is given even an ounce of power, they will find a way to attain more and it is not always in the best interest of the people or society. Some similarities can be seen between the eunuchs and the bandits of Southern Jiangxi. The bandits received no disciplinary actions for their wrongdoings therefore, their numbers increased and their activities increased in frequency. The Eunuchs during the fifteenth century, had gradually spread their influence throughout the entire administration and their numbers increased to the thousands resulting in the occasional “power struggle with the Grand Secretaries of the palace” (Fairbank 1989, 46).

The dilemma in the sixteenth century was with the rise of the “Japanese pirates”, which actually encompassed more Chinese than Japanese. The rise of the Japanese pirates and the early campaigns against the Mongols are two of the reasons why the tribute missions were discontinued. To eradicate the Japanese pirates and put a stop to their anarchy, Ming decided to prohibit maritime trade. This decree was only followed by an increase in pirate activities due to the hardship it placed on the crews and captains. Southern Jiangxi went through a very similar situation, where the common people “relied on the power of the authorities to uphold law and order” (Chang 1975, 39). When the people could not count on the authorities to maintain the country in an orderly state, they turned to banditry just to survive. The decision to cut off maritime trade due to the Ming court’s disinterest in foreign commerce led the people into intensifying the situation.

While meant to spread the sovereignty of the Ming emperor, Yongle’s expeditions proved to be exorbitant and fruitless and perhaps had more adverse effects than gains. Perhaps, the Yongle Emperor could not foresee the repercussions of inhibiting foreign trade or the benefits that could be produced. By cutting off the outside world or attempting to monopolize it, it only creates enemies, both outside the state and inside. Wang Yangming described the reason the Southern Jiangxi bandits revolted as they did was “because they were compelled to do so by circumstances” (Chang 1975, 40). The countries leaders and authorities are responsible to make wise decisions after determining the side effects that will result from them. And with the proper use of rewards and punishments as Wang Yangming illustrates, these instances of the people rising up or disrupting the orderly state of society would decrease and the armies would be more effective in maintaining the peace and vanquishing violent forces. Had the Ming Dynasty rulers used different methods during their reign, they might had been as successful as the Qing Dynasty. “The policies and institutions they put in place gave China a respite from war and disorder” (Ebrey 2014, 273). Wang Yangming saw the problems that existed and had the right idea in mind for corrective actions, but why hadn’t anyone thought of them earlier? As he accredited the great leaders of ancient times, their people showed true loyalty and followership because of the practical and effective use of the rewards and punishments system.

Works Cited

Chang, Yü-chuan, trans. 1975. Wang Shou-jen [Wang Yang-ming] as a Statesman. Arlington, Va: University Publications of America.

Ebrey, Patricia Buckley, and Anne Walthall. 2014. East Asia: A Cultural, Social, and Political History. Boston, MA: Wadsworth.

Fairbank, John King, and Edwin O. Reischauer, eds. 1989. China: Tradition and Transformation. Boston [Mass.] [etc.]: Houghton Mifflin.