![]() ![]() In hard times, there were various forms of social safety nets, but as society started to unravel, thieves and desperate men robbed farmers, forcing them to become homeless themselves in the cities, overworked and underpaid artisans rioted. ![]() Towns and cities of various sizes thrived, especially south of the Huai River which was perfect for rice cultivation north of the river, life was harder because of the weather and the poor land. Its cultural output was at its height at this time, and the wealthy lived comfortable lives and held education in high esteem, because of the state exams which allowed access to bureaucratic careers. ![]() In 1600, China was largest and most sophisticated empire in the world, governed by a well-established bureaucracy and legal system centered in Peking alongside the Emperor and the palace staff, with the provinces administered by governors and kept under control by the state. Emperor Kangxi was able to consolidate the Chinese state, and his son carried on his reforms however, in the late 18th century, the inefficient and corrupt state was unable to handle foreign and domestic problems, and Western observers thought that if China was unable to adapt, it would be destroyed. The flourishing Ming dynasty began to decline in the late 1500s, due to desertion, famine and plague the Manchus, who co-opted Chinese bureaucratic structures and gained the loyalty of many Chinese, conquered China and formed the Qing dynasty. ![]()
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