Decline of the Qing
•
•
•
•
•
•
Late 1700’s
Army in disarray
Bandits roam countryside
Civil-service exam corruption
Flooding in the 1870’s
Population explosion – 430 million
Foreign Devils
• Barbarians
– Rude, uncultured
– No use for European goods
• British
– tea
• Restricted Trade
–
–
–
–
Single port – Guangzhou
Heavily taxed
Paid in silver
Huge trade imbalance in China’s favor
Reversal of Fortune
• Americans and British discover Opium
trade
• Grown legally in India
• Sold for silver in China
• Reversed the trade imbalance
– Now China is losing money to Europe
Opium War
• Chinese resist, crack down on Opium trade
• 1839 – Britain declares war
• Terms of Surrender
– Free trade
– Huge indemnity
– Hong Kong to Britain
Things Fall Apart
• “Unequal” treaties
– Britain, France, U.S.A, Russia, Japan
• Chinese resist again
– British gunboats offshore
– Use of force 1858-1860
– British/France occupy Beijing 1860
• Extraterritoriality
– Western law for Westerners in China
Taiping Rebellion
• Qing in trouble
• Hong Xiuquan
– Chinese Christianity
• Rebellion in Southern China
– Equality, Women’s Rights, Footbinding, Moral
behavior
• Declares Taiping Dynasty in 1850
– Controls nearly half of China
Qing Response
•
•
•
•
•
•
Loyal Confucians
Crushes rebellion
Western Technology, Warfare tecniques
Millions die
Ends in 1864
Further weakens China
Tongzhi Restoration
• A response to troubles
• Western Ways
– Public works
– Tax reform
– Communications
• Modern army
• Education
– Trying to preserve Chinese culture?
Empress Cixi
• Anti-Westernization
– Conservative
– Prevented reforms
– Spent naval money to rebuild Summer Palace
• Witness to Opium War
• Lived in Beijing during occupation
• Ruled as Regent for 40 years
Boxer Rebellion
•
•
•
•
•
Society of the Harmonious Fists
Rebelled in 1900
Began anti-Qing, became more anti-Foreign
Wanted to “cleanse” China
8 weeks of violence
– Missionaries, Journalists, Merchants
– Siege of Beijing Diplomatic Community
• Cixi eventually supports the Boxers
European Response
•
•
•
•
•
International Response
German-led army takes control
Thousands found dead
Chinese Christians, Foreigners
Empress Cixi flees
Empty Palace
•
•
•
•
Cixi returns to the throne in 1902
By 1906, she promised reforms
She dies 1908
3 year old Emperor
Revolution
•
•
•
•
•
•
Western educated young leaders
Organized in 1905
Civil service exam disappears
Overthrow the Qing 1911
Proclaim the Republic of China 1912
Can’t control countryside, nation slips into
chaos