The Reign of Kublai Khan in a Film About the History of the Mongolian Empire

The film focuses mainly on Kublai Khan, grandson of Mongol warlord Genghis Khan. He was described by Marco Polo as “a man of middle height with a figure of just proportion and a face that was somewhat red”. Much like his grandfather, Kublai was known to “crush his enemies with brute force”. In contrast, his own lands were ruled peacefully. He encouraged trade and culture and had systems of taxation and government. He was also the first significant non-chinese ruler and reigned in China until 1294.

What I thought was interesting was how the Mongols were nomads under a universal leader, Genghis Khan, as well as their reputation of war. The Mongols were legendary because of their reputation of brutality in war. It was said that the Mongols might cut off the heads of every man in a village, for example, if they had fought back in the Mongols siege. They had a reputation for this brutality and it was well known that if you would surrender, you could avoid these consequences.

Kublai Khan was different from previous leaders in the way that he ruled. His mother pushed him academically and he was taught confucianism-philosophy built on the principles of “harmony in the family, order in the state, and peace in the empire”. This influenced his rule greatly and his overall success as a ruler. Under Kublai’s rule, one of his focuses was on the lives of the poor which he did much to improve. He implemented a welfare system that relieved areas that suffered from war, famine, or drought until they could afford to pay taxes.

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Instead of paying taxes, they were given food or other monetary subsidies until they were back up to speed.

Another thing that the film addressed that I thought was interesting was that Kublai had a group of self-appointed advisors that he would use to make his decisions. Of the film, this is what interested me most-the way he ruled his people. His implementation of welfare and having advisors made his rule modern in that sense. His military, acceptance of multiple cultures, and his encouragement of commerce sound are all factors that sound similar to ours in the present. Kublai’s heavy confucianist influence made living conditions under his rule better than Mongoliathose of his predecessors. To me, his ideas implemented under his rule were impressive because they were ahead of his time.