By 1600, the Ming dynasty had ruled China for over 200 years, but then bad harvests caused unrest among the people.
Meanwhile, poor leadership weakened the Ming dynasty’s hold on its empire. In 1644, invaders from Manchuria, in the north, swept into China. The Manchus conquered all of China and set up the Qing dynasty. They forced the Chinese to give up many of their customs. However, at the same time, they adopted the values of Confucius, including stressing the importance of good behavior. By acknowledging an important part of their culture, the Manchus won the respect of the Chinese people and brought peace to China.
