China. After Zheng He’s voyages in the 15th century, the foreign policy of the Ming dynasty in China became increasingly isolationist. The Hongwu Emperor was not the first to propose the policy to ban all maritime shipping in 1390.

When did China isolate itself?

After a period of maritime explorations (see Zheng He) in the early 15th century, the Ming Dynasty started shutting the Middle Kingdom out of the rest of the world. This of course continued with the Qing, and the empire remained largely isolated until the 19th century, because of foreign “initiative.”

Why did China stay isolated for so long?

The geography of China isolated it from other cultures because there were the Himalayan Mountains, the Tibet-Qinghai Plateau, the Taklimakan Desert, and the Gobi Desert. Cold climates also kept invaders out. … These physical features made Inner China a better place to settle down and grow crops.