China Beijing Wax Museum Dynasty

This wax museum, though sheltered, required us to wear coat and all. It’s all logical yet it didn’t occur to some of us that the winter cold helps keep the wax from melting.

Every scene has a story, which I’ve painstakingly typed out. Entry fee is RMB10 extra if you bring your camera… so to make that RM5 worth, here goes the longest and most painful blog post I’ve done on ChongDavid.com

China Beijing Wax Museum of the dynasties

I missed the signboard for this, but somehow people in ancient times perfected the art of sand-swimming. With terrible English saved by interesting history, their grammar and spelling has gone through Microsoft Word’s stringent spell check before they are posted.

These life size dolls are actually humans! If you think they are human, they really are. The ones behind the red separators ain’t.

Ruling The Country With A Rod of Lron [iron]

In order to consolidate his power, Emperor Taizu issued two decrees Known as Code of the Great Ming and The Great Mandate. He prosecuted certain ministers to prevent them from usurping power or forming cliques. In 1380, Prime Minister Hu Weiyong was accused of rebellion. Over 30,000 of Hu’s relatives and friends were executed. In the case brought against Grand General Lan Yu in 1393, 20,000 people were killed. This scene shows Emperor Taizu personally interrogating[interrogated] Lan Yu.

The Prince of Yan Seizes Power

In June 1399, the Prince of Yan resisted Emperor Huidi’s plan to weaken the Princes. The Emperor’s hesitation led to the defeat of the government forces. The Yan troops reached Nanjing in August 1402. The Prince of Gu and the Duke of Cao surrended the city to the Yan troops. The Prince of Yan entered the city and massacred thousands of people. Emperor Huidi burned himself to death in his palace. Zhu Di the Prince of Yan ascended the throne and became Emperor Chengzu (1360-1424). His tomb is the Changling Tomb, one of the Ming Tombs in Beijing.

The Glorious Age of Yongle

Emperor Chengzu’s reign title was Yongle. He was an active and enterprising man and his achievements were magnificient. He established the Grand Secretariat, moved the capital to Beijing, launched five campaigns to expel the Mongols from the northern frontier, and set up the Nurkan Commissioner’s office and the Kumul Garrison Headquarters to consolidate the defence of the northeastern and northwestern borders. The Yongle Canon compiled under his orders is one of the world’s great cultural achievements. Seven times he sent a fleet (the largest fleet in the world at the time) commanded by Zheng He to the Indian Ocean to demonstrate the power of his empre.

In this scene, Emperor Chengzu is shown receiving an audience of foreign envoys led by Zheng He and his captive, the King of Ceylon.

The Capital Moves To Beijing
The Ming Empre’s chief foreign enemies were the Mongol tribes, who had retreated north of the desert, Nanjing. The capital was too far away from the Empire’s northern border to defend its unity. Emperor Chengzu had come to power from Beiping. In 1403, he changed his reign title to Yongle and the name of Beiping to Beijing. In 1406, he decided to move the capital to Beijing. The construction of the capital began in 1407 and was completed thirteen years later in 1420. The construction involved the transformation and extension of the old Yuan Dynasty capital of Dadu. After water transport to Beijing had been made smooth and safe, Emperor Chengzu offered sacrifices to Heaven and Earth at the Temple of Heaven and then held the ceremony to move the capital. From that time on, Beijing became the political, military, economic and cultural centre of China.

The Rebellion of Zhu Gaoxu
Zhu Zhanji, Emperor Xuanzong (1399-1435), was Emperor Renzong’s first son. He succeeded his father in 1426 and took on the reign title Xuande. During his reign, he put down internal rebellions, safeguarded the borders, fought natural calamities and helped the victims. Society was stable and the economy prospered under his rule. He was buried in the Jing ling Tomb among the Ming Tombs.

This scene shows Emperor Xuanzong staring at the rebellious Zhu Gaoxu, the Prince of Han. Zhu Gaoxu was so strong that he was able to lift up the three-hundred-jin, bronze vessel covering him. Fearful of his strength, Emperor Xuanzong ordered Zhu Gaoxu to be roasted to death in the vessel.

The Tumupu Incident

In the autumn of 1449, the Oirat chieftain Esen attached Datong in Shanxi Province. Hoodwinked by the eunuch Wang Zhen, Emperor Yingzong (Zhu Qizhen, 1427-1464) determined to lead an army of 500,000 men against the enemy, despite opposition from his ministers. After arriving in Datong, Wang Zhen persuaded the Emperor to travel to Wang’s hometown Weizhou, in order to flaunt his power and glory. Thus it was that then Oirat troops were able to catch up with the Ming army at Tumupu. The Ming troops were routed and all their impediment and imperial concubines captured by the Oirats. Ministers Kuang Ye, Zhang Pu and Jing Yuan were killed, and the traitor Wang Zhen was hammered to death by General Fan Zhong. Emperor Yingzong was taken prisoner by the Oirats. This incident signifies the decline of the Ming Dynasty fortunes.

Defending Beijing

In October 1449, after he had captured Emperor Yingzong, the Oirat chieftain Esen led his army to attack Beijing. Yu Qian, the Deputy Minister of war, resited. He presented Emperor Yingzong with the honorific title of Supreme Emperor, while the Emperor’s younger brother Zhu Qiyu, the Prince of Cheng, was enthroned as the new Emperor (Emperor Daizong, 1428-1457), Yu Qian reorganized the defense and summoned reinforcement troops. The Ming troops formed battle formations outside the nine gates of Beijing and waited for the enemy. After five days of heavy fighting, the Oirats were forced to retreat with heavy loss of life. Yu Qian bombarded the enemy with big guns and Vice Commander Fan Guang slew Oirat General Polomaonahai. The Ming army drove the Oirats beyond the Great Wall.
This scene depicts Emperor Daizong and Yu Qian supervising defence work on the city wall.

Return From The Southern Palace
In October 1450, the Oirats sent Emperor Yingzong back to Beijing where he dwelt in the Southern Palace under the title “Supreme Emperor”. But instead of willingly relinquishing power, he bided his time with his two collaborators Shi Heng and Xu Youzhen. In February 1457, Emperor Daizong fell critically ill. Shi Heng and Zhang Yue rammed open the gate of the Southern Palace with big logs. This is known as the “Storming the Gate Incident”. Emperor Yingzong ascended the throne once again. He killed Yu Qian, demoted Emperor Daizong to the Status of prince, demolished the Shouling Tomb which Emperor Daizong had built for himself, and when Emperor Daizong died, buried him in the Western Hills with the honours due to a prince. He continued to reign for another eight years. After his death in 1464, he was buried in the Yuling Tomb among the Ming Tombs.

Concubine Ji Hides Her Son

The reign title of Zhu Jianshen, Emperor Xianzong (1446-1487), was Chenghua. The Emperor loved the cruel Concubine Wan who forced any concubine who became pregnant to have an abortion. Concubine Ji was an aboriginal girl captured in Guangxi Province. She was in charge of the palace library. But one day she accidentally become pregnant by the Emperor. She concealed the birth from Concubine wan and entrusted her son to the gatekeeper Zhang Min, who hid and raised the child. In 1475, Zhang told the Emperor about his son.
In this scene the Emperor runs to the Western Garden to claim his long-lost six-year-old son. Later Concubine Ji and Zhang Min were murdered. After the son Zhu Youtang ascended the throne, he gave Concubine Ji the posthumous title of Empress and buried hre beside Emperor Xianzong in the Maoling Tomb among the Ming Tombs.

A preposterous Emperor
Zhu Houzhao, Emperor wuzong (1490-1521) ascended the throne when he was only 16 years old. His reign title was Zhengde. He had been pampered since childhood and continued in his reckless ways after ascending the throne. Abandoning the affairs of state to the eunuch Liu Jin, he played around the palace. Sometimes he would disguise himself and mingle with the common girls. Accompanied by a group of court officials, he disported himself with tigers in the Nanhaizi Hunting Ground and was injured by one. After returning to the palace, he seized his chance to avoid holding court and went off to find other ways of entertaining himself. After his death, he was buried in the Kangling Tomb among the Ming Tombs.
This scene shows Emperor Wuzong in bed with a common girl.

Hai Ru Dismissed From Office
Zhu Houcong, Emperor Shizong (1508-1567) ascended the throne in 1521 and reigned for 45 years. His reign title was Jiajing. During the latter Part of his reign, he came to trust the evil minister Yan Song and indulged in Taoism. For over 20 years he had no contact with his ministers. Politics became corrupt and foreign aggression intensified. Hai Rui, an official with the Ministry of Revenue, risked his life to send a memorandum to the Emperor in which he criticized him for listening to slander, Practising Taoism, exhausting the national revenue on large-scale constructions, corrupting officials and leaving the masses in dire poverty. He quoted a folk-saying “Jiajing means every family family(jia) is empty(jing) and has no money.” The Emperor flew into a rage and threw Hai Rui into prison. Emperor Shizong was buried in the Yongling Tomb among the Ming Tombs. The scene here depicts Emperor Shizong’s rage as he reads Hai Rui’s memorandum.

Anda Pays Tribute
During the reign of Zhu zaihou, Emperor Muzong (1536-1572), the Mongolian Anda tribe was wrought with internal conflict. In 1570, Anda Khan bethrothed the fiancée of his grandson pahannachi to another man. Pahannachi was furious and fled to the Ming Empire. Emperor Muzong held a banquet for him and appointed him Commander. Anda Khan had expected the Emperor to kill his grandson in revenge for the Mongols’ frequent invations. Learning that his grandson had been warmly received, Anda Khan was so moved that he stopped his harassment along the Ming border and restored the cross-border trade in silk and horses. In this way, Emperor Muzong consolidated the border defence. It was the greatest success of his six-year reign.
This scene shows Emperor Muzong holidng a banquet for Pahannachi.

The reform of Zhang Juzheng
Zhu Yijin, Emperor Shenzong (1563-1620) ascended the throne in 1572 with the reign title wanly. Because he was only 10 years old, the state affairs were entrusted to the Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng. Faced with ever worsening social conflict, Zhang proposed a number of reforms. He dealt with corruption among officials, inspected farmland, stabilized relations with the Anda Mongols, and firmly resisted harassment from Japanese pirates. He encouraged solid work and discouraged empty talk. Great achievements were gained through the reforms. But after Zhang died, reactionaries took over and all the achievements of the previous ten years came to nothing.

Twenty Years of Non-government
Zhu Yijin, Emperor Shenzong was fond of promiscuous entertainment and when he grew up, refused to attend to state affairs. For 20 years he would not see his ministers. Corruption in politics flourished in his reign as never before. He, too, engaged in large-scale construction. The building of the Dingling Tomb(one of the Ming Tombs) required over 30,000 civilian and military labourers a day. It took 6 years to complete and cost 8 million taels of silver. When the state coffers were exhausted, he sent out eunuchs to tax the people which met with serious opposition.
This scene shows Emperor Shenzong disporting himself in his palace with Concubine Zheng. Fang Congzhe and other ministers have asked to see the Emperor but are rejected. The Minister of Official Personnel Affairs Sun Piyang is so angry that he resigns.

Three Mysterious Cases
Zhu Chang luo, Emperor Guanzong(1581-1620) was Emperor Shenzong’s first son. But Emperor Shenzong’s favourite Concubine Zheng wanted her son Zhu Changxun to be Crown Prince. In 1615 a madman named Zheng Cha broke into the Eastern Palace (where the Crown Prince lived) with a stick. This was the Case of the Stick. In 1620, Emperor Guangzong ascended the throne and took the reign title of Taichang. A month later he died after the Minister of State Ceremonies Li kezhuo gave him some red pills to eat. This was the Case of the Red Pills. Emperor Guangzong was buried in the Qingling Tomb, one of the Ming Tombs. Before Emperor Guangzong’s son Zhu Youxiao ascended the throne, Maid Li, who had brought up Zhu Youxiao, and Wei Zhong xian, a eunuch, wanted to follow Zhu into the Qianqing Palace. The ministers opposed this, so they had to move to the Huiluan Palace. This was the Case of Moving Palaces. These three mysterious cases reflect the acule conflicts within the Ming Court.

The Carpenter Emperor
Zhu Youxiao, Emperor Xizong(1605-1627) ascended the throne in October 1620. His reign title was Tianqi. The Emperor was very fond of carpentry. Wei Zhongxian, the eunuch in charge of rites would wait until the Emperor was preoccupied with his carpentry work before presenting him with documents from the Grand Secretariats. The result was that the Emperor would let Wei handle the affairs himself. Wei took on more and more power, bringing the Ming Dynasty to the point of collapse.
Emperor Xizong was buried in the Deling Tomb (one of the Ming Tombs). After Emperor Yizong ascended the throne. Wei was banished to Fengyang County in Anhui Province where he committed suicide.

Unjust Charges Against The Donglin Clique
The Donglin Clique was formed in the latter Part of the Ming Dynasty by a group of intellectuals from the southeast. During the wanly period, Gu Xiancheng, a native of wuxi, was dismissed from his Post and returned to his hometown. He, Gao Panlong and Qian Yiben taught at the Dong lin Academy where they often discussed politics. They gained support from a number of intellectuals and became known as the Donglin clique.
They advocated that Zhu Changluo should become Crown Prince and opposed the exploitation by mine and tax superintendents. This brought them into conflict with the group of eunuchs led by wei Zhongxian. From 1624 wei Zhongxian set about persecuting the Donglin Clique. The Clique’s major members were dismissed, prosecuted and tortured to death. The Donglin Academy was closed down. The persecution did not cease until Emperor Yizong came to power in 1627 and punished wei Zhongxian.

Western Science Enters China
In the 16th century, European missionaries came to the East, brining exchanges between East and West to a climax. Missionaries such as the Italian Matteo Ricci and the German Adam Schall von Bell spread knowledge of natural science. Together with the Chinese scholars Xu Guangqi and Li Zhizao, they translated Western scientific works and made a number of scientific instruments including telescopes.
This scene shows Xu Guangqi and Li Zhizao, both Supervisors of the Calendar Administration, discussing astronomy with Adam Schall von Bell and the Italian missionary Nicolo Longobardo at the Dongbian Gate Observatory in the spring of 1630 in Beijing.

Defeat in Songshan and Jinzho
Zhu Youjian, Emperor Yizong (1611-1644) ascended the throne in 1627 taking the reign title of Chongzhen. A peasant uprising had broken out and Qing troops were approaching Jinzhou. There was nothing the Emperor could do to save the Empire in April 1641, the Qing Emperor Abahai launched a large-scale attack on Jinzhou, Zu Dashou, the defending general, begged for reinforcements. Emperor Yizong sent Hong Chengchou to rescue Jinzhou with an army of 130,000 men. In accordance with the Emperor’s orders, Hong led his army into battle but was besieged in Songshan. In March 1642, with food supplies exhausted and reinforcements cut off, Xia Chengde, one of Hong’s subordinates, treacherously led the Qing army into the city and Hong Chengchou was captured. When he saw what had happened, General Zu Dashou surrendered Jinzhou to the Qing. By that time the Ming Empire had lost all its territories in the Northeast and the Qing army was poised to break through the Shanhaiguan Pass.

Eternal Remorse on Coal Hill
Zhu Youjian, Emperor Yizong, was renowned for his diligence and frugality, so that even though he lost his empire he is viewed sympathetically by historians. After he came to power in 1627, he wiped out wei Zhongxian’s group of eunuchs and made every effort to sustain the tottering Ming Dynasty. In May 1644, Li Zicheng’s peasant army marched into Beijing. In his despair Emperor Yizong hanged himself in Beijing on Coal Hill on the front of his clothes he wrote: “I have no face to meet my ancestors, so I take off my hat and cover my face with my ahir.”. Li Zicheng ordered Emperor Yizong to be buried in the tomb of Concubine Tian, whom the Emperor had loved. The tomb was later named the siling Tomb.

P.S. Cutting and pasting text was definitely the easiest part.