THE QING DYNASTY
Map of the Territorial Extent of the Qing Dynasty
This map shows the accomplishments of the Qing Dynasty that they were able ot conquer such a large amount of land. This map shows that they conquered the entire of the current China and parts of Mongolia.
Technological/ Economical Advances:
This picture shows the Book of History in Manchurian and Chinese Characters which was printed by the improved printing press.
During the Qing Dynasty China was technically more advanced than the West. Several great advances took place during this period. Qing porcelain, textiles, tea, paper, sugar, and steel were exported to all parts of the world. The papermaking industry was also established in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. It flourished tremendously during the Qing Emperor Qian Long's reign (1736-1796). During this time every household had an adequate amount of paper which was used for several purposes. There was also a great advancement in literature. Several encyclopedias of Chinese Writings including Confucian classics, history, philosophy and belles-lettres were established. During the Qing times, there was also a great advancement in printing technology. Several new printing techniques such as movable printing were established. There was also a major advancement in agriculture. This was the development of the faster-ripening strains of rice. This way more crops were produced which sustained more people from the same amount of land. During the Qing dynasty there was a rapid population growth and prosperity, however there was a lot of corruption and favoritism too. Peasants and middle classed people suffered, since the economical standards during the 18th century were high but they didn’t meet the need of the increasing population. During the Qing dynasty, copper and silver coins were preferred to be used rather than paper money. During the late 18th century and early 19th century, Qing China ran into a financial crisis after several decades of prosperity.
Social Changes
This picture shows how a man and woman would look like during the Qing Dynasty.
The Kuang-hsü emperor wanted to improve condition in China so he led the “The One Hundred Days of Reform.” During this period several social change were made. Western studies were included in all Chinese education, a public school system was adopted, these was an establishment of popularly elected local assemblies, the national parliamentary government was created, the Chinese bureaucracy was westernized, and there was a development of official ministries to promote commerce, industry, and banking. The Wing dynasty influenced the Chinese society in several ways. Males had to wear Manchu clothes whereas woman still adapted the same style of dressing as the Ming dynasty. Foot binding for women was also prohibited during this period. Language was also affected, people were required to use the Manchu language instead of Chinese. There was also a different style of hair during this time. Men were required to shave the hair off the front half of the head and were required to braid the remaining hair into a pigtail.
Government
This is a picture of the eight banners.
The Qing Dynasty adopted a similar form of government as the Ming Dynasty. They developed good relations with the Chinese during their rule. All the government positions were dual positions, a Manchu and Chinese would have the same position. During the rule of the Manchus the capital was moved from Shenyang to Beijing in 1644. The Qing dynasty had some changes in the government from the Ming Dynasty. The male relatives of the Manchu emperor were allowed to be in the central government. The next successor of the throne was nominated just a little earlier than the death of the emperor. Unlike the Han and Jin Dynasties princes were not given territories so rebellions against the emperor would be avoided. The central government was lead by the Grand Secretariat, which was a concept adapted from the traditional Chinese government. However at the beginning of the 18th century, the influence of the Grand Secretariat decreased. In place of the Grand Secretariat, the unofficial Council of State took over the government. The council was controlled by a prince and lead by five Grand Ministers of State. The Censorate was similar to that of the Ming Government, and their job was to maintain the discipline over the people. The imperial administration’s task was to manage problems of communication, administration, imperial sacrifices, state banquets, astronomy, and education. The translation bureau was a very important for the Qing Empire because it published dictionaries for several foreign countries. All the official posts were organized in a nine rank system, which was adapted from the Tang Dynasty. The Qing Dynasty had a very organized military system. There were eight Manchu banners, which were distributed among provincial cities. There was a recruitment system into the government (the civil service examination) which was adopted from the Ming Dynasty. These exams were highly competitive and when a person was appointed for a certain position, they usually held it for three years.
Religon/Philosophy
Confucianism was the official religon on China during the Qing Dynasty
The official religion during the Qing Reign was Confucianism. Neo-Confucianism was the dominant philosophy. Confucius was respected as the greatest of Saints. The three main religions were Daoism (Daoism Daojiao), Buddhism (Buddhism Fojiao) and Confucianism (Confucianism Rujiao). Confucianism also had a great influence on the way the government ran. The Qing used Daoism only because they wanted to protect their government from underground religious organizations, which were said to be very rebellious against governments. The Qing emperors who made an alliance with Mongols followed Tibetian Lamasim for political reasons. Christianity was also introduced during this dynasty. However the type of Christianity used didn’t obstruct any Chinese customs and beliefs.
Great Leaders/Contemporaries
The Kangxi Emperor (May 4, 1654 – December 20, 1722)
Reign: 1661-1722
The Kangxi emperor was the fourth emperor of the Qing Dynasty. He took over the throne when he was only eight years old and he ruled for 61 years. This made him the longest reigning Chinese emperor in history. He is also known to be the greatest Chinese emperors in history. Several improvements were established during the reign of Kangxi. The Treat of Nerchinsk was signed with Russia, Mongolian territories were added to China’s territory and the Qing control was extended to Tibet. He also made several changes within the country for the betterment of the people. He ordered to repair the Grand Canal to help transportation of rice, which would help feed the northern population. This act also helped prevent the Huang He River from destructive flooding and banking. Kangxi also reduced taxes several times and opened four ports to foreign ships, which helped expand trade. Even though he followed Neo-Confucianism he welcomed Jesuit Missionaries, this helped increase Roman Catholicism in China. He also established several books, including the Kangxi Dictionary and A History in the Ming Dynasty.
Empress Dowager Cixi (1835- 1908)
Reign: 1850- 1861
"Never again allow a woman to hold the supreme power in the State..."
-Empress Cixi's final words
The Emperess Dowager Cixi succesfully controlled the Qing Dynasty and held a lot of power. She was a very powerful and charismatic ruler of the Manchu Dynasty. she ruled China for 47 years. However she was said to be very greedy for power, which resulted in a corrupted China. She once claimed to be the most powerful and wealthiest sovereign on earth. However she led several establishments that led to the prosperity of China. She led a coup d’etat to expel the regency led by the Sushun. She also ressited foreign invasion by encouraging the unsuccessful Boxer Rebellion. In her last few years of reign, she took several modernizing measures. She Established schools, civil service examinations were stopped, the building of the railroad building was encourages, and opium cultivation was suppressed. The last official action was to appoint Pu Yi as an emperor.
Benjamin Franklin( January 17, 1706- April 17, 1790)
“ If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth readings, or do things worth the writing.”
Benjamin Franklin was one of the most renowned Founding Fathers of United States. He held several professions, he was an author, politician, printer, scientist, philospher, publisher, inventor, civic activist, and diplomat. He was a major figure in the history of physics because of his discoveries and theories about electricity. He invented the idea of an American Nation and secured the French Alliance that helped lead America to independence. He also invented bifocal eyeglasses and the Franklin stove. He was also a very famous writer. His notable writings include The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin and Poor Richard’s Almanac. He signed the Declaration of Independence (1776) and negotiated with France and Britain on behalf of the new government of the United States. He also signed the Treaty of Paris (1783) and the U.S. Constitution (1787).
Marie Curie
(November 7, 1867 - July 4, 1934)
“I am one of those who think like Nobel, than humanity will draw more good than evil from new discoveries.”
Marie Curie was a Polish-born French physicist chemist. She studied at the Sorbonne where she was searching the presence of radioactivity. She married her fellow physicist Pierre Curie, together they researched on radioactivity. In the year 1896 she successfully discovered radioactivity. She invented the word radioactivity and invented a device that measured it. Marie Curie was the first person to ever discover that thorium is radioactive. In 1903 her husband Pierre and her won the Nobel Prize for Physics. She then became the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize. Later in 1911 she won a Nobel Prize for Chemistry for discovering polonium and being able to isolating pure radium. Unfortunately she died of leukemia in 1934, which was caused by her long exposure of radioactivity.
Summary in Seven Main Points
The Government used during the Qing dynasty was same as the Ming Dynasty with a minor adjustments. The government was ruled by a dual system, where one Manchu and one Chinese would hold the same position. The military system was very organized and was divided into eight banners which were divided among provincial states.
Other Facts about the Qing Dynasty
· The last dynasty of China, since it was overthrown by nationalist revolutionaries.
· The word Qing means “pure”, and it was used to add legitimacy to a foreign rule.
· Even though it was a foreign control it was very successful because the Manchus cooperated with the Chinese.
· The Manchus were from Manchuria and they first established a dynasty called the Chin (gold) Dynasty in Manchuria which was a major threat to China.
· The Qing dynasty was a period in which China came in a major conflict with Europe
· There were Opium Wars between the West and China. These wars took place because the British smuggled opium into China, getting many Chinese addicted. To stop this the Chinese send officials to confiscate opium from Chinese trade ports. This caused both countries to have conflicts resulting in the opium war.
Timeline:
1644: Establishment of Qing (Manchu) Dynasty, when the Manchus caputed Beijing.
1708: Jesuit missionaries draw the first accurate map of China
1728: The Encyclopedia was published.
1839-1842: The First Opium War takes place.
1898: The "Hundred Days' Reform", launched by emperor Guang Hsu to modernize China, fails when the mother of the emperor, Empress Dowager Cixi has him arrested and imprisoned in the Forbidden City.
1900: The anti-western Boxer (Yihetuan) Rebellion is crushed by foreign troops (Russia, Britain, France, Japan, USA) and Empress Dowager Cixi flees to the mountains
This picture shows the Book of History in Manchurian and Chinese Characters which was printed by the improved printing press.
This picture shows how a man and woman would look like during the Qing Dynasty.
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