The Ming dynasty was the last native Chinese dynasty to rule China. Dynastic histories are quite complicated, so I will not attempt to explain it, but just to note that the Ming were succeeded by the Qing, from a Jurchen family of the Aisin Gioro clan, north of (then) China proper. Nurhaci, the man who developed the ambition to conquer China, put together a coalition of northern and Mongolian tribes that would prove strong enough to fulfill his ambition. Part of his diplomatic work was to make alliances with Tibetan tribes. Nurhaci died before it all happened, but under his third successor and his regent, they finally succeeded, and the Manchu Emperor Shunzi became the first Qing Emperor of China. He was also known as the Kangxi Emperor
This is his portrait:
BTW, some Christians believe Kangxi became a Christian - I do not believe the stories. Why? We have records of some of his conversations with Jesuit missionaries. On one occasion, he asked Jesuit Verbeist, as to why God had not forgiven his son without making him die. Kangxi notes that Verbiest tried to answer, but that he (Kangxi) found the answer incomprehensible. On another occasion he notes that he would gladly witness some of the miracles the missioareies talked about, but that they could not produce any.
On ano0ther occasion when the problem of Chinese rites was an issue. Kangxi observes that, De Tournon, the Papal legate sent by the Pope (and, whom Kangxi treated with great kindness) was a biased and unreliable person who muddled right with wrong. Astutely, Kangxi knew the church had ulterior motives in sending De Tournon and was not being honest with him over the rites controversy. on another occasion when the Catholic Bishop Maigrot takes Kangxi to task for 'false worship' Kangxi notes that Maigrot was ignorant of Chinese literature and couldn't even recognise one Chinese character, yet pretended he could discuss the falsity of the Chinese moral system. He also criticises the intra church jealousies and quarrels (which was at the heart of the rites controversy. And again, Kangxi, wrote:
| "Since I discovered on the southern tour of 1703 that there were missionaries wandering all over China, I had grown cautious and determined to control them more tightly. (he) decides to only grant residency to those who were prepared to say that they will not return to the west. |
Kangxi later made a decision to approve Ricci's position in the Rites controversy and required all missionaries to agree. those who would not he ordered to be deported.
He was succeeded by the Qianlong Emperor,
and, its these two Emperors who vanquished the last Ming hold-outs and expanded the borders of China, to where they are today. Of course, in the 3000 year history, the borders of China changed often and most parts of modern China had previously been under either direct rule or influence. But what we see today was the direct political consequence of the Qing. In the process however, of extending Qing rule, the Qing came more and more to be Chinese themselves.
What you can visit in Chengde, north of Beijing, was part of the Qing ideology campaign to hold their diverse empire together - hence the 'little' Potala Palace in Chengde. Some say that it was built specifically for a visit by the Panchen Lama in 1779-80. But that is not entireoy clear. The Panchen Lama died in China, anyway.
