Question

How did skilled artisans contribute to the successes of the Ming dynasty?

The artisans fulfilled the ideals of Confucianism, which encouraged employment.
The artisans produced beautiful items, which decorated the emperor’s palace and the Forbidden City.
The artisans produced silk and porcelain goods that demanded high prices, thus increasing China’s trade and wealth.
The artisans provided jobs to the Chinese peasants who could no longer work in agriculture because of the famine.

Answer 1

Correct answers: 2 and 3.

Brief explanations:
- 2 is true — Ming artisans produced highly skilled decorative work (lacquer, carved jade, woodwork, painted tiles, etc.) used in imperial palaces like the Forbidden City.
- 3 is true — Ming silk and especially porcelain were luxury exports that fetched high prices abroad, boosting trade and the dynasty’s wealth.
- 1 is false — Confucianism valued scholars and agriculture over commerce and did not specifically “encourage employment” of artisans.
- 4 is false (or at best only occasionally true) — while some peasants might move to crafts during crises, providing refugee employment during famines was not a primary way artisans contributed to Ming success.