Chinese Imperialism
Ryan Hamilton Daniel Woodruff Gabriel
Duarte Lucas Velasco Ben Chapman
The Qing Dynasty
China had a long history of trade with Europe
For most of this time China was self sufficient
China often gave Europe more than it received
Trade was carefully regulated by the Chinese imperial Gov.
The Qing (or Manchu) was the controlling for in China during the early
19th C
The Qing dynasty is also the last dynasty prior to the People’s
Republic of China
They required all foreign merchants to live in Canton, a Southern city
A local merchant monopoly was formed to strengthen the Gov.
The Chinese Forbade the foreign merchants from selling products that
could potentially harm their reputations
The Qing Dynasty Ctd.
During this time the British owned India, who presented Opium to the
Cantonese merchants
Opium was legally grown in India
Opium was smuggled into China by sea and bribing people in the right places
By 1836 the British merchants in Canton were trying to establish a British colony
in China
Because of this, the Qing’s realized Opium trade had to be stopped
They thought it was costly and negatively affected the populous
The Qing’s often wanted to prosecute Chinese drug dealers
In 1839, foreign merchants had to obey Chinese law
The Qing Dynasty Ctd.
By 1860, the Qing Dynasty appeared to be on the verge of collapse
After failings to repel foreigners, the dynasty was left weak
The Dynasty also called upon its strengths and manage to last another 30
years
This was due to:
Effective leadership from Tzu Hsi, the empress dowager who used
shrewd insight and vigorous action to bring the bureaucracy back
Destructive foreign aggression lessened
Europe had achieved it goals of diplomatic and commercial
relations
Stronger foreign ties were made
The Qing Dynasty Ctd.
The Sino Japanses War of 1894
This revealed China’s weaknesses
China searched for help by the European
powers but received very little aid
The Qing Dynasty Ctd.
China became desperate to revitalize as a nation
The Dynasty launched the 100 days of Reform as an attempt to meet
foreign change
Radical reformers such as Sun Yat-sen sought change through the
Manchus entirely and install a republic
Others reverted to individual isolationism
These people accused the others of destroying what China had come to
be
Imperialists reacted quickly and killed thousands
The Qing Dynasty Ctd.
Anarchy and foreign influence has spread
throughout China, making the Qing dynasty much
weaker
In 1912, a swift uprising would finally topple the
Qing Dynasty. When the nation would rise again, it
would the People’s Republic of China as it took on
the form of the European nations
Chinese and European
Trade
During the age of exploration, Europe looked towards all of Asia for new spices
and new gifts
Missionaries came back from Asia and spoke of its beauty and glory
Beginning in the 17th C, Chinoiserie, a French term meaning Chinese like,
became an overwhelming theme in Europe
Chinoiserie was largely promoted by philosophers such as Voltaire and
Montesquieu
Frederick II built an entire Chinese Village
Europeans began furnishing their homes with silk wall hangings, lacquered
furniture and delicate tea services
Rococo showplace, a Roman Celebration of Chinese culture in 1772
Chinese and European
Trade
Towards the end of the 18th C, Europeans lost focus in Chinese culture
Some Europeans disliked Confucianism because they believed it sparked
revolutions
Confucianism is centered around the idea that humans are not perfect and
that humans need to be taught and improved especially through personal
journeys
The Opium Wars
The British had become the dominant foreign trade group in Europe due to their
Opium trading
Opium is a narcotic made from processed sap from an opium poppy
First used in sourthern Asia and a recreational drug
Grown in British-owned India, the British monopolized drug trade
High desired product
Brought in through fast ships and bribing
Main trade in Canton
The Qing’s outlawed Opium, and attempted to stop British drug trade
The Opium Wars
After refusing to stop selling Opium, war broke out between the British and
Chinese
Britain easily defeated the Chinese and forced them to surrender
This was largely due to the use of Indian troops, advanced sea tactics,
and the previously occupied Chinese cities
This resulted in the treaty of Nanking in 1842
This forced the Chinese to forfeit Hong Kong and $100 mil to Britain
The British thereafter expanded Opium trade
The Opium Wars
The Second Opium war, or Arrow war, occurred in 18561860
Chinese rebellions against the British led to British and
French forces in Beijing burning the emperors summer
palace
This led to another round of harsh treaties designed to
benefit European powers and hurt China
Nationalism and the Last
Dynasty of China
The beginning of the 20th C was very unstable in China.
This was due to:
Incompentency in the Qing dynasty
Troubles with the Opium wars
Growing strength of Japan in their battle with Russia
Wars with France near India
Nationalism and the Last
Dynasty of China
The Wu-chang Uprising
This occurred because of dissatisfaction with a railway crisis, causing an
uprising against the Qings on Oct. 11 1911
Battle of Yang Xia- the most important battle during this period
This was a catalyst for the Xin Hai revolution
The revolution that dethroned the Qing dynasty ending 2,000 years
of dynastic rule in China and establishing the republic of China
Nationalism and the Last
Dynasty of China
Sun Yat-Sen
The elected president of the new ROC, where he pledged “to overthrow the
despotic Manchu government, consolidate the ROC and plan for the welfare
of the people.”
Troubles arose in removing the Manchu government
Realizing his inability to control an army in way he gave his presidency to
Yuan Shi Kai, an imperialist who had helped pus the Qing dynasty out
Yaun ignored the republic and declared himself emperor of China in 1915
and attempted to remove provinces and unite China as one province
Yat-Sen returned to Southern China and allied warlords under the
Kuaminatang, or Chinese Nationalist Party
Nationalism and the Last
Dynasty of China
The Communist party in China
In an attempt to unify China, Yat-Sen and his allied
warlords pushed north
The young intellectuals of northern China, specifically
Peiping, were upset by the poor dealings of the Treat of
Versailles in China by the local government
Nationalism and the Last
Dynasty of China
The Shandong Problem
the 156th article of the Treaty of Versailles (ended WWI in 1919) placed
Shandong, China in Japan’s control
This caused the May 4th movement where the upset students in Peiping
protested the local government and raising the nationalist feeling of the
poeple
This sparked the cultural movement in CHian and the increasing spread of
Marxism finally lead to the creation of the Communist party of China in 1920
Yat-Sen died in 1925 where Chiang Kai-Shek, his general, became
president leading up to WWII
“On the Adoption of Western
Learning”
Written by Feng Guifen, this was an account of how the Chinese viewed
western culture
This showed a negative connotation, but a sense of awe while talking about
Europeans
“Surely there are some who, having learned from barbarians, can surpass
them...”
“I have heard that with their new methods the Westerners have found that
the movements of the earth conform closely to those of the heavens...”
•
Works Cited
Educators of Columbia. "Excerpts from “On the Adoption of Western Learning." Columbia University.
Columbia University. Web.
<http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/ps/china/feng_guifen_western_learning.pdf>.
•
"May Fourth Movement." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Feb. 2012. Web. 06 Mar. 2012.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_Fourth_movement>.
•
McKay, John P., Bennett D. Hill, and John Buckler. A History of Western Society. Boston: Houghton
Mifflin, 1991. Print.
•
"Republic of China." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 03 May 2012. Web. 06 Mar. 2012.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_China>.
•
"Wuchang Uprising." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 03 Apr. 2012. Web. 06 Mar. 2012.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuchang_Uprising>.