More Ming and Qing Opium Wars, Boxer Rebellion, Fall of the dynasties
The first Ming emperor, Hongwu sought to improve the lives of the peasants through support of agriculture, the development of public works, opening new and untaxed lands, lowering forced labor demands, and the encouragement of skill-based industries that could supplement household incomes
The early Ming period was one of economic growth and unprecedented contacts with overseas civilizations. The commercial boom and population increase of the late Song period continued. Chinese manufacturers were in demand throughout Asia and Europe. Europeans were allowed limited trade with the Chinese. Merchants gained significant profits, a portion of them passing to the state as taxes. Much of the wealth went into land, which was considered to be a measure of status in the country.
The economic strength allowed generous patrons to support the arts. Painters focused on improving established patterns. Major innovation came in literature, assisted by an increase in availability of books through the spread of woodblock printing, with the full development of the novel.
Hegemony is defined as the social, cultural, ideological, or economic influence exerted by a dominant group resulting in influence or authority over the weaker, less powerful group. During the Ming Dynasty, Chinese hegemony grew in areas of Southeast Asia, India, Arabia, and Africa. The Ming Dynasty s primary goal was to encourage a system of tribute in which the less powerful nation would send gifts to the government to show their recognition of Chinese superiority
With all of the economic strength, it is important to note that the economic benefits provided by the Ming Dynasty were often overshadowed by the growing power of rural landlords allied with the imperial bureaucracy. Peasants were forced to become tenant farmers or landless laborers. The Ming period continued the subservience of women to men, and youths to elders. Severe laws forced obedience. Adversaries of the ruling parties often had to flee their homes to improve their conditions.
Women were confined to the household; their status was tied to their ability to bear male children. Upper class women might be taught reading and writing by their parents, but they were barred from official positions. Nonelite women worked in many occupations, but the main way to gain independence was to become a courtesan or entertainer. By the late 1500s the dynasty was in decline. Weak leadership allowed increasing corruption and led to administrative decline.
The failure of public works projects, especially on the Yellow River, caused starvation and rebellion. Ultimately, the Manchus (from Manchuria) took control of the government and established the last imperial dynasty, the Qing Dynasty.
Causes of Decline In 1800 the Qing dynasty of the Manchus was at the height of its power. ß After more than a century of Western humiliation and harassment, the Qing dynasty collapsed in the early 1900s. ß Internal changes also played a role in the downfall of the Qing dynasty.
Causes of Decline It began to suffer from corruption, peasant unrest, and incompetence. ß Rapid population growth 400 million by 1900 along with food shortages and regular famine made these matters worse. ß The ships, guns, and ideas of foreigners probably hastened the end of the Qing Era.
The Opium War In 1800 European merchants in China were restricted to a trading outlet at Guangzhou. The British were not happy with the arrangement. ß Britain also imported more from China than it exported to China, giving Britain an unfavorable balance of trade as its hard currency was paid to China.
The Opium War Negotiations to address the trade imbalance failed, and Britain turned to trading opium to address their economic concerns. ß The British East India Company grew the opium in India and shipped it to China, where its use skyrocketed. ß Soon silver was flowing out of China to Britain.
The Opium War (cont.) The Chinese knew of the dangers of this highly addictive drug and had made its trade illegal. ß At first they appealed to the British government on moral grounds to stop the export of opium into China. Britain refused to stop. ß The Chinese government blockaded Guangzhou to force the traders to surrender their opium, and Britain responded by starting the Opium War (1839 1842).
The Opium War (cont.) After the British fleet sailed almost unopposed, China made peace. ß The Treaty of Nanjing (1842) opened five coastal ports in China to British trade, limited taxes on imported British goods, and gave the British the island of Hong Kong. ß The Chinese also agreed to pay for the war. ß The treaty did not mention opium.
The Opium War Europeans lived in the five ports in their own sections and were not subject to Chinese laws. The end of the Opium War marked the beginning of strong Western influence in China. ß China offered the same concessions to other Western nations it had to Britain, and soon the five treaty ports were booming with trade.
Opening the Door to China Great Britain and the United States feared other nations would overrun China should its government collapse. ß In 1899 the U.S. secretary of state John Hay proposed equal access to the Chinese market for all nations. ß No nation disagreed, and Hay declared that the foreign states agreed China should have an Open Door policy.
The Boxer Rebellion The Open Door policy did not stop the Boxer Rebellion, however. ß Boxer was the popular name for members of the secret group called the Society of Harmonious Fists, who practiced a system of exercise they thought would protect them from bullets.
The Boxer Rebellion (cont.) The Boxers were upset over foreign influence in China. ß They especially disliked Christian missionaries and Chinese converts to Christianity. ß They killed Christians and foreigners, including the German envoy to Beijing.
The Advance of Imperialism (cont.) The Empress Dowager Ci Xi, the emperor s aunt, also opposed the reforms. ß With the help of the army, she imprisoned the emperor and ended the reform efforts. ß She ruled China for almost 50 years.
The Boxer Rebellion (cont.) In response an allied army of the Western powers and Japan attacked Beijing in 1900. ß It restored order and demanded more concessions from the Chinese government, which was forced to pay a heavy indemnity payment for damages to the powers that had ended the rebellion. ß The Chinese imperial government was weaker than ever.
The Fall of the Qing After the Boxer Rebellion, China desperately tried to reform. ß Even the Empress Dowager now embraced educational, administrative, and legal reforms.
The Fall of the Qing (cont.) The emerging elite of merchants and professionals was angry on learning that the new assemblies could not pass laws but could only advise the ruler. ß The reforms did nothing for the peasants, artisans, and miners, whose conditions worsened as taxes rose.
The Fall of the Qing (cont.) A Western educational system replaced the traditional civil service examination educational system. ß
The Fall of the Qing (cont.) The emerging elite of merchants and professionals was angry. Assemblies could not pass laws but could only advise the ruler. ß The reforms did nothing for the peasants, artisans, and miners, whose conditions worsened as taxes rose.