The Mongol rulers of China, having since the time of Kublai Khan increasingly distanced themselves from their Chinese subjects and become more factionalized and dissolute, have by the 1350s lost all authority, are unable to contain or control the rebellions in the Yangtze River valley, and cannot prevent warlords from establishing themselves as independent rulers.

The Red Turban Rebellion is an uprising influenced by the White Lotus Society members that targets the ruling Yuan dynasty of China between 1351 and 1368, eventually leading to its overthrow.