Discover the Wonders of the Yuan Dynasty: Top 7 Fun and Fascinating Facts You Never Knew!

1. Blue-and-White Porcelain Craze

Feeling a little blue? China's Yuan Dynasty had the perfect remedy: During the Yuan Dynasty, blue-and-white porcelain became widely produced in Jingdezhen, south China, and was highly valued for trade, especially to the Near East. The court established regulatory control at Jingdezhen, making it the most important center of porcelain manufacture in China.
Source => smarthistory.org

2. Khanbaliq's Religious Hotspot

If you thought the UN was a diverse party, imagine what Khanbaliq's potluck dinner would've looked like: The winter capital of the Yuan dynasty was a hotspot for religions, hosting Buddhists, Muslims, Catholics, Taoists, Confucianists, Church of the East Christians, and Hindus, with Taoist and Confucian advisors rubbing elbows with rabbis, Mongol shamans, and more.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

Did you know Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty had a zoo featuring a giraffe, which he believed to be a mythical qilin? This fascinating creature became a symbol of Afro-Sino cultural exchange! 🦒✨

=> Fun Facts about The-Ming-Dynasty

3. Mongolian BBQ of Religious Tolerance

Before there was a Mongolian BBQ, the Yuan dynasty was cooking up a buffet of religious tolerance: the Mongol emperors, like Genghis Khan himself, allowed for complete religious freedom, embracing and protecting Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, and Islam within their empire.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

4. Kublai, Philosopher King

Kublai Khan, the original "From Khan to Kant" philosopher king: He established the Yuan Dynasty by blending Mongol culture with Chinese sensibilities, adopting paper money, Confucianism, and even creating a new capital at Shangdu, filling his court with Chinese advisers. But lest we forget his knack for hierarchy and vast military campaigns, Kublai made sure the Mongols held top shelf status and kept the Chinese peasantry working hard to fund his adventures.
Source => education.nationalgeographic.org

5. Yuan Dynasty's Blue-Green Art Revolution

In a stroke of artistic cunning that would make even Bob Ross green with envy, Yuan Dynasty painters decided to delve deeper into their blue-green world of shanshui: It was Qian Xuan and Zhao Mengfu who fused Jin and Tang traditions with literati tastes, although, contrary to popular belief, blue and green landscape paintings didn't truly gain popularity until later eras.
Source => en.dpm.org.cn

6. Mulberry Bark Money

Who needs Bitcoin when you've got mulberry bark bucks: The Yuan Dynasty had a highly sophisticated paper money system 600 years before Europe, with currency printed on dark blue-grey paper made from mulberry bark, and denominations ranging from 10 to 1,000 copper coins in the form of 1, 2, and 5 guans, withstanding inflation waves and multiple monetary reforms.
Source => catalogueofcurrencies.com

7. Soy Milk Swashbucklers

Yo ho ho and a bottle of... soy milk? Believe it or not, the Mongols had to navigate the high seas after they conquered the diverse lands of their empire: The Yuan Dynasty rapidly developed their naval prowess, recruiting skilled seafarers from various regions and seizing vessels from defeated foes, which eventually enabled them to take down the mighty Song Dynasty as they boldly journeyed as far south as the Indian Archipelago.
Source => usni.org