Kublai Khan had continued in his grandfather's footsteps expanding the Mongol Empire. Kublai Khan continued to conquer land throughout the Middle East and Eastern Europe. There was however one group of people that he had yet to conquer and they were at his back door. The Mongols were in charge of all of China except for Southern China which was still under the rule of the Song Dynasty who had held the Mongols off successfully for a long period of time. In 1276 The Song family surrendered to Kublai Khan after he had outsmarted and defeated their armies. This was stunning to the Song Dynasty given they greatly outnumbered the Mongols. Kublai Khan and the Yuan Dynasty were the first non-Chinese family to rule all of China. Although Kublai Khan is considered a barbarian by many, he is viewed by many in China as one of their greatest leaders. This is largely due to the fact that although Kublai Khan was brutal in force he did not do much to change the culture that was established in China and many credit him with cultural growth during the Yuan Dynasty. It is reported that Kublai Khan opened over 20,000 public schools, academies, public offices, trade ports, canals, and was a great supporter of the arts and sciences. He was incredibly interested in the promotion of the economy and trade on the Silk Road. He created paper money that was to be used throughout the Empire's conquests. He also was a great promoter of Buddhism and supported other religions and encouraged religious tolerance. Kublai Khan set his eyes on Japan as his next conquest. Japan would be the first defeat for the Yuan Dynasty and Kublai Khan. Kublai Khan sent the largest fleet of ships that had ever been sent out of China to defeat the Japanese and their Samurai soldiers but thanks to the Kamikaze or "divine winds" the fleet of ships were sunk each time they tried to land on Japanese soil. This was the beginning of the end of the Yuan Dynasty and Kublai Khan.
Food for Thought
Imagine another country invading the United States and the president surrendering to the new ruler. What three things would you want the ruler to keep that are part of American culture?
