AP World History POD #13 – Mings, Qings & Mughals

1. AP World HistoryPOD #13 – Mings, Qings & Mughals Qing Dynasty

2. Class Discussion Notes Bulliet et. al. – “The Later Ming and Early Qing Empires”, pp. 561-569

3. Collapse of the Ming • Dalai Lama – the universal teacher of Tibetan Buddhism, gained much popular support Galdan – a brilliant leader who restored Mongolia as a regional military power • Manchus – an agricultural people who controlled the region north of Korea, grew stronger in the northeast • In the southwest, native peoples repeatedly resisted the immigration of Chinese farmers. Pirates based in Okinawa and Taiwan, many of them Japanese, frequently looted the southeast coast • Many southern Chinese migrated to Southeast Asia to escape these dangers and capitalize on the profit available from the Indian Ocean trade networks

4. Japanese Invasion • 1592-1598 • With the rebel leader Li Zicheng in possession of Beijing and the Ming emperor dead from suicide, a Ming general joined forces with the Manchu by the summer of 1644 • The Manchu’s used this as an opportunity to take control of China

5. Qing take China • The Qing (Manchu) initiated a 40 year period of conquest taking control of all Ming territory, as well as Taiwan, Mongolia and Central Asia • The Manchu (royal family & generals) comprised a small part of the population, while the overwhelming majority (bureaucrats, soldiers, merchants, farmers) of the people were ethnic Chinese • Like other invaders before the Qing, they soon adopted Chinese institutions and policies

6. European Interest in Chinese Trade • “For European merchants, the China trade was second in importance only to the spice trade of southern Asia. China’s vast population and manufacturing skills drew a steady stream of ships from western Europe, but enthusiasm for the trade developed only slowly at the imperial court.” (Bulliet, p. 563) • Despite earlier attempts, Portugal finally gained the right to trade in the port of Macao on the southern coast in 1557 • Spain and the Netherlands maintained trading outposts on the island of Taiwan, until losing control in 1622 as the Qing took over the island • The Dutch East India company invested time and energy in acknowledging the moral superiority of the emperor – they were rewarded by surpassing the Portuguese as the major European trader in the Indian Ocean

7. Emperors Kangxi & Qianlong • Kangzi (1662-1722) & Qianlong (1736-1796) • Oversaw an era of great economic, military, and cultural achievement • Repaired roads and waterworks, lowered transit taxes, cut rents and interest rates, established incentives for resettling areas devastated by peasant rebellions • Foreign trade was encouraged • Overland trade routes from Korean to Central Asia revived

8. Christianity In China • Franciscans and Dominican missionaries focused their conversion efforts on the commoners of society, while the Jesuits focused on the intellectual and political elite • Matteo Ricci – a Jesuit who became an expert in Chinese language and a scholar well versed in the Confucian classics – under his leadership, the Jesuits were able to adapt Catholicism to incorporate traditional Chinese cultural customs • The Jesuits also shared with the Chinese many of the newest scientific and technological innovations resulting from the Scientific Revolution • To win converts the Jesuits compromised allowing the Confucian practice of ancestor worship • By the 18th century the Christians became a persecuted group by the later Qing emperors

9. Asian Rivals • “In the north the Qing rulers feared an alliance between Galdan’s Mongol state and the expanding Russian presence along the Amur River. In the 1680s Qing forces attacked the wooden forts built by hardy Russian scouts on the river’s northern bank. Neither empire sent large forces into the Amur territories, so the contest was partly a struggle for the goodwill of the local peoples.” (Bulliet, pp. 564-565) • Jesuit missionaries helped negotiate the Treaty of Nerchinsk in 1689 to end the disputes between the Russians and the Qing

10. Political Philosophy • “Qing emperors ruled as benevolent despots campaigning against superstition and ignorance, curbing aristocratic excesses, and patronizing science and the arts. This image of a practical, secular, compassionate ruler impressed the French thinker Voltaire, who proclaimed that Qing emperors were model philosopher-kings and advocated such rulership as a protection against the growth of aristocratic privilege.” (Bulliet, pp. 566-567)

11. Tea Trade • Europeans were inspired by the Chinese inoculation (variolation) used to treat smallpox in Beijing • Europe desired silk, porcelain, and tea etc from China • Europe was limited to trading only in the Port of Canton – ultimately led to a trade deficit for Europe (especially the British) as the Chinese rarely bought anything in return

12. Macartney Mission • 1792 – Lord George Macartney was sent by British Parliament to China with the task of reversing the trade deficit • The entourage of scientists, artists, translators, guards and diplomats demonstrated the great interest and commitment to this task • “Tribute Emissary” – come to salute the 80th birthday of the emperor, but he refused to kowtow, instead bowing on one knee in the British tradition • Emperor refused to alter the Canton trading system, open new ports, or allow a permanent British embassy in Beijing as China did not feel a need to increase foreign trade

13. Imperial Crisis • Population had tripled in size since 1500 (350 million / twice the size of Europe) intensifying demand for food requiring more intensive agriculture • New world crops were adopted • Deforestation occurred, dams and dikes were not maintained, Grand Canal was in disrepair and unusable in spots • Rebellion and crime were on the rise as the people struggled to meet their survival needs