On the Decline of Sea Power during the Ming and Qing Dynasties in China

Li Xinkun

Abstract: Maritime power is essentially a maritime capability. The ship represents the national ocean control ability, is the ultimate embodiment of the power of the sea. Before the Ming Dynasty, China had great sea power and even in the early Ming Dynasty, China also had unparalleled sea power. From the mid-Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, the decline of China's maritime power had two comparisons: one was vertical, China was worse than the original; the other was horizontal, China was worse than Europe. On the decline of China's maritime power in the Ming and Qing dynasties, the reasons are multifaceted, but one of the most important reasons is that during this period, the Chinese feudal ruling group, in order to maintain their own interest, ignored the general trend of the world, imposing restrictions on the civil sea forces, and even prohibited Conservative policy in certain periods.

Key words: The Power of the Sea; Ship; Pirate Problem; Civil Power;Ban on Maritime Trade