The Last Dynasty WHAP/Napp

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“The Qing dynasty, Manchus from north of the Great Wall, captured the government of China in 1644 and secured the southeast coast in 1683. They established the ‘Canton System,’ restricting European traders to the area around Canton (Guangzhou), and entrusting their supervision and control to a monopoly of Chinese firms called the Cohong. Because of these restrictions, and because of the vast size of China, European merchants had little effect on China.

Although most historians have emphasized the role of Europe in enlarging the world economy through its overseas voyages, some are beginning to see it was the vast internal markets of China and the wealth of its luxury goods – along with the spices of India and the Spice Islands – that attracted the Europeans. According to this perspective, the dominate economic force in the world economy between 1500 and 1776 was not the vigor of European exploration and trade but the richness of Asian markets that attracted them in the first place. The ‘pull’ of the Chinese market attracted the ‘push’ of the European merchants.

The Qing expanded the borders of China, more than doubling the geographical size of the country. They conquered and controlled Tibet, Xinjiang, Outer Mongolia, and the Tarim Basin, the heartland of the old silk routes. One of their most important European contacts was with Russia, and disputes between the two empires were negotiated in the Treaty of Nerchinsk (1689), the first Chinese-European treaty negotiated on terms of equality. The treaty facilitated trade between China and Russia and delimited their border along the Amur River, although the border between Mongolia and Siberia was not fixed.

The country’s population began to grow again in the eighteenth century. This was made possible by the introduction of new crops into China from the New World. Crops from the Americas helped to improve the health of China’s rural workers and, because the crops grew well, even in poor and hilly land, they enabled the population to increase rapidly. Yet some scholars believe that the very size and power of China created a sense of invulnerability among its leaders that sometimes led the country to ignore threats from outside until it was too late. The emperor Qianlong (1736-95) wrote a letter to the king of Britain in 1793 stating that the permanent representation by a European power at the Chinese court was inconceivable (King George III had dispatched a mission under Lord George Macartney to open trade and diplomatic negotiations with China.). The emperor’s letter expressed the emperor’s continuing belief in China’s central position in the world, and his lack of appreciation and understanding of the changes that were taking place in the West in the early stages of the industrial revolution.” ~ The World’s History

1-Describe the Canton System. ______

2-What was the dominate economic force in the world economy from 1500 to 1776? ______

3-Why was the Treaty of Nerchinsk significant? ______

4-Why was the eighteenth century a time of change for China? ______

  1. The Manchus
  1. From Manchuria, north and east of China itself
  2. Forced Chinese to wear certain clothing and hair in long braids or queues
  3. Established the Qing (or Ch’ing, 1644-1911) Dynasty
  4. Also controlled or added to their tributary system Mongolia, Tibet, etc.
  5. Foreign trade was closely regulated by state (by 1750s) through port of Canton
  6. Along with silk and porcelain, China’s most important commodity was tea
  1. Qing Emperors
  1. Emperor Kangxi (1662-1722) was a skilled general, lawgiver, and sponsor of culture
  2. Kangxi: patronizing Confucianism, emphasis on respect for authority
  3. Qianlong (1736-1795), was last dynamic ruler Qing had
  4. Strengthened China’s borders, economic growth, promoted scholarship
  5. Great Chinese novel: Cao Xueqin’s Dream of the Red Chamber (1791)
  1. First Stages of Qing Decline
  1. After Qianlong, quality of Qing rulers declined
  2. Chinese population grew due to the introduction of new crops from the Americas
  3. Government became riddled with corruption and border defenses were expensive
  4. A revolt occurred – the White Lotus Rebellion (1796-1804) but failed
  1. The Rise of the West
  1. Chinese accepted only a tiny selection of Western goods in trade
  2. But West paid China vast amounts of silver bullion for Chinese goods
  3. Westerners complained about conditions and requested changes
  4. In 1793, British delegation led by Lord Macartney made request, but denied
  5. Macartney was compelled to lower himself onto one knee (kowtow)
  6. Qianlong’s reply, “Your country has nothing we need.”
  1. The Opium Trade
  1. British found a clever, if unethical, way to break into Chinese markets: opium
  2. A prime source of opium was northeast India, part of Britain’s empire
  3. In 1820s and 1830s, British began to flood China with opium
  4. Opium became drug of choice and addiction became widespread in China
  5. Balance of trade swung suddenly in Britain’s favor
  6. Now, silver bullion, instead of flowing into China, was flowing out
  1. Opium Wars
  1. In 1839, Chinese navy blockaded Canton and war began
  2. First Opium War (1839-1842) was between Britain and China
  3. British won easily, then forced humiliating Treaty of Nanking on Chinese
  4. China was required to open five more ports, lower tariffs, grant extraterritorial rights to British in China (British, not Chinese law prevailed in these areas)
  5. In addition, China had to surrender Hong Kong to Britain
  6. Second Opium War occurred shortly and more treaties were signed
  7. Taiping Rebellion: 1850-1864, leader of rebellion – failed civil service exam and convinced Jesus Christ’s younger brother – but ultimately failed to create “Heavenly Kingdom of Supreme Peace”
  8. Empress Dowager Cixi, who “ruled” China from 1878 to her death in 1908 strongly opposed modernization
  9. Boxer Rebellion: 1900 – anger at foreign influence but also failed

1-Who were the Manchus and how did they change China? ______

2-Identify the dates of the Qing Dynasty. ______

3-How was foreign trade in China regulated? ______

4-How did the Qing increase their tributary system? ______

5-What were important Chinese commodities desired by Europeans? ______

6-What did Qing rulers culturally promote? ______

7-Why were Kangxi and Qianlong significant Qing emperors? ______

8-Why did China’s population grow during the Qing dynasty? ______

9-Why might population growth create problems for Qing rulers? ______

10-Why might some Chinese believe Qing rulers were losing the Mandate of Heaven? ______

11-Why did the Chinese accept only a tiny selection of European goods in China? ______

12-How were Europeans required to pay for Chinese goods? ______

13-What did Lord Macartney request? ______

14-What was the emperor’s response to the request? ______

15-How did the British finally enter the Chinese market? ______

16-Why was this commodity effective in increasing European sales in China? ______

17-How did the trading relationship between China and Britain begin to change? ______

18-What was the response of Chinese officials to this new trade? ______

19-What was the Opium War? ______

20-How did the Opium War change China? ______

21-Explain the provisions of the Treaty of Nanjing (Nanking) and extraterritoriality. ______

22-Identify the causes and effects of the Taiping Rebellion. ______

23-Identify the causes and effects of the Boxer Rebellion. ______

  1. Upon what religious-philosophical tradition did Qing rulers rely to strengthen their imperial authority in China?
(A)Confucianism
(B)Daoism
(C)Pure Land Buddhism
(D)Hinduism
(E)Shamanism
  1. Who is considered to be the most successful Qing ruler?
(A)Wu
(B)Yongle
(C)Kangxi
(D)Chung-cheng
(E)Cixi
  1. Which of the following is true about the Qing dynasty?
I. The Qing rulers were ethnically distinct from most of China’s inhabitants.
II. The Qing came to power in China by peaceful means.
III. The Qing forced ordinary male citizens to wear their hair in queues.
IV. The early Qing rulers were militarily active.
(A)I and II only
(B)I and III only
(C)I, III, and IV
(D)II, III, and IV
(E)All of the above /
  1. Which of the following best explains the reason the British turned to trading opium in China?
(A)Firsthand experience supplying mass opium addiction in the thirteen colonies proved the profitability of the trade.
(B)British merchants could find no other commodity the Chinese needed.
(C)Successful expansion of the opium trade in India provided a model for replication.
(D)Imperialist designs for direct rule in China would be more easily attainable over a population pacified by narcotics.
(E)British monarchs wanted to share the benefits of widespread medical and recreation use of opium they had experienced in British society with the Chinese.
  1. Which of the following does NOT belong in a list of nineteenth-century challenges to the rule of the Qing dynasty in China?
(A)Floods
(B)Peasant rebellion
(C)Foreign invasion
(D)Corruption in the bureaucracy
(E)Expanding influence of communism in China
  1. Which of the following does NOT belong in a list of Chinese movements resentful of foreign domination?
(A)Boxer (B) Taiping
(C) Tanzimat (D) Nationalist

Thesis Practice: Comparative

Analyze similarities and differences in methods in responses to foreigners under the Qing Dynasty in China and the Meiji Restoration in Japan. ______