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CHINESE  HISTORY:  SECOND  PERIOD  17
and  Mechanics,  gained  considerable  influence  at  the  Court  of
Peking.
Altogether  the  Ming  Dynasty  lasted  nearly  three  hundred
years,  and  then  fell  before  the  inroads  of  the  Manchus.  The
latter  were  a  clan  of  Tartars,  living  to  the  east  of  the  city  of
Moukden.  They  were  incited  to  attack  the  Chinese  because
the  Emperor,  Wanli,  espoused  the  cause  of  a  certain  chieftain, ­
  named  Nikan,  the  principal  adversary  of  the  Manchu
ruler,  Nurhachu.  In  1618  Nurhachu  invaded  the  Liaotung
Peninsula  with  a  large  force,  and  put  to  rout  the  Chinese
army  sent  to  oppose  his  progress.  When  the  Manchus  took
the  city  of  Liaoyang  they  forced  the  Chinese  inhabitants
to  shave  the  front  part  of  their  heads  and  to  adopt  the
queue.  This  is  the  first  instance  of  the  adoption  of  this
style  of  head-dress  in  China.
The  Manchus  were  unable  to  take  the  city  of  Ningyuan,
which  they  attacked  on  their  march  towards  the  Great
Wall.  It  was  ably  defended  by  the  Chinese,  who  made
good  use  of  cannon  brought  from  Macao.
While  this  dreaded  foe  was  attacking  China  from  the
north,  the  country  was,  unfortunately,  rent  by  civil  dissension. ­
  Two  rebels,  Li  Tze-ching  and  Chang  Hsienchung,
  starting  from  Shansi  and  Shensi,  overran  a  large
part  of  the  Empire,  and  the  former,  elated  by  his  success,
assumed  the  title  of  Emperor  and  advanced  on  Peking.
The  last  Emperor  of  the  Mings,  Chwang  Lieh-ti,  in  despair,
committed  suicide,  and  the  city  fell  into  the  hands  of  the
rebels.
Li  Tze-ching’s  triumph  was,  however,  but  of  short
duration,  for  a  Chinese  General,  Wu  San-kwei,  determined
to  avenge  the  death  of  his  Sovereign  and  to  prevent  the
country’s  coming  under  the  rule  of  the  rebels.  To  effect
this  object  he  entered  into  an  alliance  with  the  Manchus,
who  were  only  too  glad  to  obtain  an  opportunity  of  interfering ­
  in  the  affairs  of  China.  Wu  San-kwei,  with  the
assistance  of  the  Manchus,  gained  a  decisive  victory  over
the  forces  of  the  rebels.  While  he  was  absent  from  Peking
on  the  pursuit  of  the  rebel  army,  the  Manchu  Regent,