[The Civilization Of China by Herbert A. Giles]@TWC D-Link bookThe Civilization Of China CHAPTER X--MINGS AND CH'INGS, 1368-1911 7/18
Two of these perished at Nanking with the downfall of the dynasty in 1644, and the third was in great part destroyed in Peking during the siege of the Legations in 1900.
Odd volumes have been preserved, and bear ample witness to the extraordinary character of the achievement. This emperor was an ardent Buddhist, and the priests of that religion were raised to high positions and exerted considerable influence at court.
In times of famine there were loud complaints that some ten thousand priests were living comfortably at Peking, while the people of several provinces were reduced to eating bark and grass. The porcelain of the Ming dynasty is famous all over the world.
Early in the sixteenth century a great impetus was given to the art, owing to the extravagant patronage of the court, which was not allowed to pass without openly expressed remonstrance.
The practice of the pictorial art was very widely extended, and the list of Ming painters is endless, containing as it does over twelve hundred names, some few of which stand for a high level of success. Towards the close of the sixteenth century the Portuguese appeared upon the scene, and settled themselves at Macao, the ownership of which has been a bone of contention between China and Portugal ever since.
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