7 The Yuan Dynasty
The rise of the Mongols under Chinggis Khan in the thirteenth century
was a signal event in world history. Following the pattern of the preceding
Kitans and Jurchens, the Mongols began by overthrowing the preexisting
steppe political order, and then advanced south into China. Of course, in
the case of the Mongols, they also reached across Eurasia and founded the
largest land empire in history. In China the Mongols founded a Chinese-
style dynastic government to administer and rule the Chinese population.
This dynasty, the Yuan ( 1272 – 1368 ), like the preceding steppe dynasties,
used a hybrid Chinese-steppe government system. The privileges and
power of the ruling Mongols were paramount, though some Chinese did
achieve a measure of authority. For the most part, the Mongol emperors
did not attempt to change Chinese culture or society, preferring to leave
local society alone.
The Yuan government was most concerned with extracting taxes
and labor from the Chinese population. Part of the labor was military
forces. The Mongol army was made up of different components formed
by combining specific groups with specific military skills. Mongols
themselves served exclusively as horse-archers. Infantry, naval, or
siege units were drafted from subject populations with these skills.
When the Yuan invaded Japan, for example, the navy was Chinese
and Korean, and many of the troops were Jurchen. Very few Mongols
took part. As a category, Yuan Dynasty martial arts include both
Chinese and various steppe practices. Whereas in the Six Dynasties
and Tang Dynasty the meaning and practice of these martial arts was
more combined, in the Yuan Dynasty,Chinese and steppe martial arts
were quite distinct.
139