Since the Chinese invented gunpowder, why didn't they take over the world?

Question: Since the Chinese invented gunpowder, why didn't they take over the world!?
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

Contrary to what many are saying on here, the Chinese were early and heavy users of gunpowder for military purposes!.
Probably their greatest handicap was the nature of the Chinese state; massive, corrupt, monsterously beaurocratic and discouraging of individual intiative!. Conquest would be unlike the European conquests (the self-funding brainchilds of entrepreneurial individuals), Chinese conquest would have to be government led and would place a ruinously burden on state finances!.

Even with a local monopoly of gunpowder weapons China failed to overawe its direct neighbours!. Traditionally armed Mongol/Manchu armies regularly picked huge, expensive & firearm rich Chinese campaigns to pieces!. The expense and lack of long term success in curbing the northern threat eventually led to the Manchu being able to place themselves on the Imperial throne!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

When the Chinese invented gunpowder, it was primarily used in fireworks, and only came to have military practices much later after it was invented!.

Could they have conquered the world!? Probably not, the gunpowder weapons of that day and age were largely inefficient and unwieldy to use!.

A more plausible way for the Chinese to have conquered the world came with the building of their great fleet!. The fleet was massive, three times to size of the British fleet, and twice the size of the Spanish Armada! It is often left out of the history books, and for this reason everyone thinks that the British or the Spanish had the largest fleets!.

The fleet was built in the Ming Dynasty, an was commanded by admiral Zheng He, and they sailed around the known world at the time, rounding the tip of Africa, and was nearly halfway up Africa to Europe when Zheng He mysteriously died!.

Instead of continuing their voyage, the fleet turned around and went back to China, where it was destroyed by the emporer some time later in an attempt to seal China inside its own borders!.

The world would have been a very different place had they made it to Europe, thats for sure!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The chinese empire was immense, they developed not just gunpowder but magnetic compasses and had ships that dwarfed the caravels of the 15th century!. So really, why didn't they take over the world!?

It's honestly a complicated question with no easy answer!. Part of it has to do with the the very immensity of the empire!. As far as they were concerned they HAD conquered the world, at least the civilized world!. And really why would you want to conquer barbarians!?

The second problem has to do with the ascension of very different (and not always Chinese) dynasties with varying goals and ambitions!. When the capital moved from the coast to far inland it also drastically changed the emphasis from a strong navy to an inward approach!.

also, when you consider the priorities of Confucianism outward expansion could only go so far!. Many dynasties did expand past the traditional borders but had to ensure the stability of the interior or they faced losing the 'mandate of heaven'!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Well it's a very complicated thing!.!.!. the Chinese were very traditional people, even at the time when they were inventing everything!. What happened was a shift in focus during the Ming Dynasty from an outward people to an inward people!. The came to shelter themselves off from the rest of the world, and as a result the western world passed them by!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Yeah, they were the world!. Unto themselves!.

They were civilised!. And sufficiently progressive!. So they had many kinds of innovations, inventions, culture, etc!.

There was no need for conquest!. For territories!. In other words they were peace-loving people!. They felt that they have all they need or want!.

What is in your mind!? Conquest!? Ravage, kill, subdue, forceful acquistion!?

There is no need to takeover the world!. Just live your life, man!. That they had gunpowder, you can make guns, bombs, lethal weopons!. And so you progress!.

You want to be so progressive,you'll get nuclear bomb!. Bomb them fellas, is that what you want!? Hiroshima!? They die, they live and suffer, that's progress!.

Beware what progress brings ! Conquest for what!? Let man live!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

China is kind of the world ruler, but economically!. check the tag of your shirt chances are it says made in china!. where do Honda cars come from, China!. Where do all those toys little children get in goody bags, you guessed it China!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

They used gunpowder to scare the spirits and put it in fire crackers!. The problem is China was so large back then it took a really long time just to conquer all of China!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

They WERE the world!

Why meddle with the ignorant savages outside the only perfect kingdom on Earth!? Bah-not worth the time or effort to civilise them!Www@QuestionHome@Com

they used it for fireworks!. they didnt use it to make cannons and rifles like european countriesWww@QuestionHome@Com

The guys in the country up north wouldn't let them!. (The Huns and Mongols)Www@QuestionHome@Com

Wow, this is an incredibly naive question!.

1!. The Chinese had no intentions of taking over the world!.

2!. The Chinese invented gunpowder and used it to scare ghosts away, and had no intention to take over the world!.

3!. The Chinese invented gun powder and used it to scare ghosts away, and they were neither in the position to, nor did they ever have the intention to, "take over the world!."

4!. The Chinese invented gun powder and used it to scare ghosts away!. They were neither in the position to take over the world, nor did they ever intend to take over the world, since they believed they were the middle of the world, and the world would all come to them!.

5!. The Chinese invented gun powder and used it to chase ghosts away, they never had the intention to "take over the world" by using gun powder, since gun powder alone would not have been enough!. They were content to be the middle of the world and let the rest of the world come to them!.

Which answer do you prefer!?

Thanks for the thumbs down - it shows how little you know about the Chinese!.Www@QuestionHome@Com