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Home , Qing dynasty

Imperialism in

Spheres of Influence • Chinese emperors placed strict limits on foreign traders. European merchants were restricted to a small area around the city of in southern China. • China sold , and tea to the merchants in exchange for gold and silver. This was a favorable balance of trade- exporting more than importing- for China. Guangzhou- port city in southern China • Westerners were angry because they had a trade deficit with China, buying more from the Chinese than they sold them. • In 1793, the British requested increased trading rights. The emperor Qianlong refused, saying that there was nothing in the West that China needed. • By the late 1700’s, China was in a period of decline. The created a need for new markets for European goods. European countries had the newest military technology. Trade

• British merchants made huge profits by trading opium grown in for , which was popular in Britain. Many Chinese became addicted to opium. • The Chinese government outlawed opium and executed Chinese drug dealers. They asked the British to stop the opium trade and Britain refused to stop selling the drug.

Opium

• In 1839, Chinese warships clashed with British merchants (traders). British gunboats with the latest technology, bombarded the Chinese coast. With outdated weapons and fighting methods, the Chinese were easily defeated. • Mankind: Story of US – History of Opium http://www.history.com/shows/mankind-the-story-of-all-of-us/videos/opium-in-china

• Opium https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6p9ox_T8LE Unequal

• In 1842, Britain made China accept the of . It was the first of a series of “unequal treaties” that forced China to give up rights to western powers. Unequal Treaties

• Britain was given , or payment for war losses, the island of Kong, open 5 ports to foreign trade and grant British citizens living in China , the right to live under British laws and tried in British courts (even though they were in China!!!).

The Qing lost the (1800’s) • Flooding of the He River. • Population explosion that led to peasant starvation. • The emperor and his court were corrupt. • The rich wouldn’t pay their . • system was rocked with bribery & cheating scandals. The

• As poverty increased, the peasants revolted. The Taiping Rebellion lasted from 1850 to 1864. The rebels won control of large parts of China for 14 years. Eventually, the government crushed the rebellion. • Result: 20-30 million Chinese were killed during the rebellion. Sino-Japanese War

• In 1894, the industrialized Japanese pressured China into a war. The modern country of Japan quickly defeated China, gaining the island of off the coast of China. Spheres of Influence

• The war with Japan revealed China’s weakness. Western powers moved quickly to carve out spheres of influence along the Chinese coast. • In 1899, Americans called for a policy that would keep Chinese trade open to all western powers on an equal basis. This was known as the .

The Crumbles

• The Chinese resented Christian missionaries who belittled Confucian philosophy. • Foreigners were protected by extraterritoriality and could ignore Chinese laws and live in their own protected communities. In their parks, signs said “Dogs and Chinese Not Allowed”.

• In 1899, a group of Chinese formed a secret society called the Righteous Harmonious Fists. Westerners watching them train, called them . Their goal was to drive out the “foreign devils” who were polluting their land. • In 1900, the Boxers attacked foreign communities across China. In response, the western powers and Japan crushed the Boxers. The Result

• China started to westernize and industrialize. • Women were allowed in school. • Math and science replaced Confucian philosophy. • Mining, shipping, railroads, banking grew. 3 Principles of the People

• increased and reformers wanted to strengthen China’s government. • Yixian wanted to rebuild China on “Three Principles of the People”. • Nationalism, democracy & livelihood (jobs). • In 1911, Sun Yixian became the president of the new Chinese Republic.