---
id: kb-2026-00330
title: Ming Dynasty
schema_type: TechArticle
category: history
language: en
confidence: medium
last_verified: "2026-05-28"
created_date: "2026-05-22"
generation_method: ai_structured
ai_models:
  - claude-opus
derived_from_human_seed: true
conflict_of_interest: none_declared
is_live_document: false
data_period: static
atomic_facts:
  - id: fact-ming-dynasty-001
    statement: The Ming dynasty ruled China from 1368 to 1644.
    source_title: Ming dynasty
    source_url: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ming-dynasty-Chinese-history
    confidence: medium
  - id: fact-ming-dynasty-002
    statement: Zheng He commanded large Ming maritime expeditions in the early fifteenth century.
    source_title: Zheng He
    source_url: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Zheng-He
    confidence: medium
  - id: fact-ming-dynasty-003
    statement: >-
      UNESCO describes the Forbidden City in Beijing as a seat of supreme power for more than five
      centuries, beginning in the Ming period.
    source_title: Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang
    source_url: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/439/
    confidence: medium
completeness: 0.88
known_gaps:
  - Ming fiscal history, regional society, and late-dynasty crisis are only summarized.
  - Specialized art, porcelain, and military history require separate sources.
disputed_statements: []
primary_sources:
  - id: ps-ming-dynasty-1
    title: Ming dynasty
    type: reference_article
    year: 2026
    institution: Encyclopaedia Britannica
    url: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ming-dynasty-Chinese-history
  - id: ps-ming-dynasty-2
    title: Zheng He
    type: reference_article
    year: 2026
    institution: Encyclopaedia Britannica
    url: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Zheng-He
  - id: ps-ming-dynasty-3
    title: Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang
    type: world_heritage_record
    year: 2026
    institution: UNESCO World Heritage Centre
    url: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/439/
secondary_sources: []
updated: "2026-05-28"
---
## TL;DR
The Ming dynasty ruled China from 1368 to 1644. This repaired entry uses Britannica for the dynasty and Zheng He's voyages, plus UNESCO for the Forbidden City and imperial-palace context.

## Core Explanation
The Ming dynasty followed the Yuan and preceded the Qing. Zheng He's early fifteenth-century expeditions show the dynasty's maritime reach. The Forbidden City anchors the dynasty's imperial architecture and later Qing continuity, as documented by UNESCO.

## Further Reading

- [Ming dynasty](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ming-dynasty-Chinese-history)
- [Zheng He](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Zheng-He)
- [Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/439/)

## Related Articles

- [Tang Dynasty](../tang-dynasty.md)
- [Chinese History](../ancient-china.md)