IMPERIALISM IN CHINA
Although the ancient culture of China was known for its learning and art, the country had not started to
industrialized by the 19th century. The Ch’ing, or Manchu, emperors were not interested in learning about
Western technology. They did not feel that the European barbarians could teach them anything. As a
result, the Chinese lacked modern weapons. This left them unable to resist the demands of Western
nations for more trading privileges in China.
Europeans were attracted to China by the rich profits they hoped to make there. The huge Chinese
population offered a supply of cheap workers and a market for European goods. Also, natural resources,
such as coal and iron could be developed.
Modern imperialism began in China with
the Opium War (1839-1842). Opium, a
habit-forming drug, was produced in India.
British traders sold great quantities of it in
China and many Chinese became
addicted. Large amounts of money flowed
out of China into British hands. In 1839,
Chinese officials tried to stop the opium
trade. They destroyed 20,000 chests of
the drug and imprisoned the British
traders who were selling it. The British
replied by sending an invasion fleet to
China. Without a navy and modern
weapons, the Chinese could not hold out
against the British military power. China
was defeated. Its government was forced
to sign the Treaty of Nanking in 1842.
As a result of this treaty, the British and other foreigners gained new privileges in China. Foreign traders
had been permitted to live and work in the port of Canton. The treaty forced the Chinese to open four more
ports to Westerners. The island of Hong Kong was given to Britain. Tariffs were reduced. Extraterritorial
rights were granted to foreigners living in treaty ports. This meant that foreigners accused of crimes could
be tried in their own courts and by their own
laws rather than by those of China.
China’s troubles did not end with the 1842
treaty. In 1850, the Taiping Rebellion broke
out. The rebels wanted to overthrow the
emperor because the Manchu had allowed
China to become weak. It took the
government 14 years to crush the rebellion,
and it had to ask the Westerners to help. In
the midst of the civil war, in 1856, the British
again attacked China. The British wanted
additional trading rights, as did the French,
who joined the fight. Together, they easily
defeated the Chinese. The Treaty of Tientsin
(1858) made the Chinese open 11 more
ports to Westerners. Also, foreign traders and
missionaries were allowed to move into the
interior of China. The treaty also provided that opium could once again by imported into China.
During the second half of the 19th century, China lost colonial states all around its borders. Britain took
Burma, and France assumed control of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Russia gained territory in the north
and the right to run a railroad through Manchuria.
In 1894, China and Japan clashed over Korea. Japan easily defeated the Chinese forces. The peace treaty
in 1895 awarded Taiwan and some nearby islands to Japan.
The USA did not take control of any portion of China. But Americans did a great deal of business in China.
The United States government wanted to protect this trade. In 1899, Secretary of State John Hay asked
the European nations and Japan to agree to respect each other’s trading rights in China. This desire of the
United States for equal rights for all nations
with interests in China was called the “Open
Door Policy”.
Many Chinese hated the foreigners who had
humiliated their country. A group called the
“Righteous and Harmonious Fists” formed
to drive all “foreign devils” out of China.
Westerners called the members of this
group “Boxers.” The Boxers killed a number
of Europeans and Americans. In 1900,
Boxers attacked embassies in Peking.
European and American troops in Peking
held of the attackers for several weeks.
Finally, an international force of American, British ,French, German, Russian and Japanese troops marched
on Peking. They saved the embassies and crushed the Boxer Rebellion. To make peace, the Chinese
government agreed to pay a huge sum of money to the foreign nations and to give them additional
privileges in China.
Patriotic Chinese blamed the Manchu ruler for China’s troubles and demanded reforms. They wanted
China to industrialize and to have a government more responsive to the wishes of the people. In 1911, a
revolution led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen overthrew the Manchus and made China a republic. The Kuomintang, or
Nationalist Party, tried to follow Sun Yat-sen’s “Three Principles of the People” as it set up the new
government. The principles called for freeing China from foreign control, establishing a democratic
government, and improving the economy. The Chinese had a difficult time putting these ideas into effect.
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:
1. Explain how each of the following events helped foreigners gain power and land in China
a. Opium War
b. Treaty of Nanking
c. Treaty of Tientsin
2. What was the “Open Door Policy”
3. Why do you think Dr. Sun Yat-sen is called the “Father of the Chinese Republic”?