China Limits European Contacts

Advances under the Ming and Qing Dynasties left China self-contained & uninterested in

European contact.

The Ming Dynasty & Exploration China was dominant power in Asia under the Ming Dynasty Tribute system China expected Europeans to also pay tribute Ming rulers protective of Chinese peace & prosperity after period of Mongol rule

Yonglo’s Curiosity

Emperor Yonglo & explorationCurious about the outside worldExpand tribute systemSpread Chinese superiority (impress the world)

Voyages of Zheng HeChinese Muslim admiral, Zheng He, led all of the 7 voyagesZheng He distributed gifts to show Chinese superiorityChinese scholar-officials thought voyages wasted valuable resources that could be used for Chinese defense against attacks

After 7th voyage, China withdrew into isolation

Ming’s Foreign Policies

Trade policies reflected China’s isolationKept influence of outsiders to a minimum

Only gov’t able to conduct foreign trade through only three coastal portsSmuggling occurred

Ming EconomyDemand for Chinese goods affected economyYet, China did not become highly industrialized1) Idea of commerce offended Confucian beliefs2) Chinese policies traditionally favored agriculture

The Forbidden City When Yonglo moved the Chinese capital to Beijing, he ordered the building of a great palace complex to symbolize his power and mightTook 14 years to build, with red walls 35 feet in heightKnown as the “Forbidden City” because commoners and foreigners were not allowed to enter

Rise of the Qing Dynasty Ming Dynasty weakening

Ineffective rulers, corrupt officials, lack of $ High taxes, bad harvests, rebellion

Manchus (of Manchuria to the north) invaded as the Ming collapsed

Seized Beijing, and took name of Qing Dynasty

China Under the Qing At first, the Chinese people did not accept the new rulers, who were not Chinese However, the Qing emperors won their support

Took steps to improve conditions in China Preserved Chinese traditions (such as Confucian beliefs)

Kangxi & Qian-long were the two most powerful Qing rulers

Society in Qing China

The production of rice & long period of peace gave people better lives (Nutrition improved, population doubled)

Women’s status (Chinese) continued to decline

Sons valued over daughters Many infant girls killed, daughters had few rights

China & Foreign RelationsChina saw itself as superior civilization

Looked down on foreignersNot impressed w/Western techChina was self-sufficient (farming, mining & manufacturing industries created jobs)

Trade with BritainOnly one port open to foreigners, closely monitored by gov’tBalance of trade was in China’s favor – Chinese exported (sold) more goods than they imported (bought).

Goods such as porcelain, silk

The British especially wanted Chinese tea.

Chinese Isolation Continues

If foreign states wanted to trade with China, they would have to follow Chinese rulers

Trade only at certain portsPay tribute through the “kowtow” ritual (kneeling before emperor to affirm his superiority)

Dutch willing to accept rules, became trading partnerEnglish did not accept, China did not back down

Tea-Opium ConnectionBritish needed to find Western product that the Chinese desired to trade for…

this product was opium, a habit-forming narcotic.

The British smuggled opium into China

by 1835 more than 12 million Chinese were addicted to the drug.

Opium comes from the

poppy-plant

Opium WarQing emperor wrote the British Queen requesting a stop to the opium trade.Britain refused to stop trading opium, which led to the Opium War between Britain and China.

Qing v. Queen Victoria“By what right do they [British merchants]

then in return use the poisonous drug to injure the Chinese people?...Let us ask, where is your conscience? I have heard that the smoking of opium is very strictly forbidden by your country; that is because the harm caused by opium is clearly understood. Since it is not permitted to do harm to your own country, then even less should you let it be passed on to the harm of other countries - how much less to China!"

~Lin Zexu, advisor to emperor

Results of the Opium WarBritain’s advanced navy crushed China’s outdated ships. China was forced to sign a peace treaty, the Treaty of Nanjing, which gave Britain the island of Hong Kong and opened more ports to trade.

Another treaty gave foreign citizens “extraterritorial rights”, meaning they were not subject to Chinese law at the ports where trading occurred. These “extraterritorial rights” led to resentment towards foreigners

Results of the Opium War

China’s Internal ProblemsChina’s HUGE population was outgrowing the food supply, and hunger was becoming widespread.Opium addiction continued to rise. The Chinese people began to rebel against the Qing Dynasty.

Taiping RebellionHong Xiugquan (Hong Shee-oo-choo-ahn) recruited followers to build a “Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace.”Goal - all people would share China’s immense wealth and no one would be poor.

Taiping RebellionIn this Taiping (means great peace) Rebellion, Hong’s peasant army captured the city of Nanjing. Hong made Nanjing his capital, but stepped back – other leaders quarreledBritish, French, and Qing troops launched attacks and brought down the Taiping government.RESULT = Loss of authority for Chinese

government (had to rely on foreign intervention)

Foreign Influence GrowsExternal pressure on China from foreign powers was increasing. Some officials wanted reform (to be like the West), while others clung to traditional ways.

China Struggles to ChangeDowager Empress Cixi (tsoo-shee) was committed to tradition, but was open to some reforms.She wanted to self-strengthen China by improving education, diplomatic service, and military.

China Struggles to Change Factories were created to manufacture steam-powered gunboats, rifles, and ammunition.Many were not happy about these reforms.

First Shanghai train

Open Door PolicyForeign nations took advantage of China’s vulnerability and set up spheres of influence to increase their control over China’s economy. The U.S. worried that other nations would soon divide China into colonies and prevent them from trading with the Chinese

Open Door PolicyThe U.S. declared an Open Door Policy, which opened China’s trade to all nations.The Open Door Policy protected the U.S.’s trading rights with China, and China’s freedom from colonization.

Chinese NationalismMany Chinese pressed for stronger reforms.Emperor Guangxu (Gwahng-shoo) wanted to modernize China, but Qing officials saw his reforms as threats to their power.The Qing officials brought Dowager Empress back to the throne and she reversed any of Guangxu’s reforms.

The Boxer RebellionWidespread frustration over extraterritorial rights & Dowager Empress’ rule led to violence.Poor peasants and workers resented the special privileges given to foreigners, as well as Chinese Christians who adopted a foreign faith.

The Boxer RebellionA secret organization was formed, known as the “Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists” or “Boxers”Their campaign against the Dowager Empress and foreign privileges was called the Boxer RebellionThe Boxers marched on Beijing shouting “Death to the foreign devils!”

The Boxer RebellionA multinational force quelled the revolt within months. A strong sense of nationalism grew out of the rebellion. The Chinese people believed their country needed to resist foreign intervention and that the government must be more responsive to the

people’s needs.

China’s ReformsIn 1905, Dowager Empress sent Chinese officials around the world to study governments. They recommended that China restructure its government like the constitutional monarchy of Japan. A national assembly was convened and stated that by 1917, China would be a full constitutional government.However, China still experiencedunrest for several more decades.