L8 & L9: Imperialism in China

1. L8 & L9: Imperialism in China • Agenda • Objective: • To understand… • The history of European intervention in China. • The troubled relationship between Britain and China. • How China attempted to resist European intervention. • Schedule: • Opening activity • Lecture, Group Work, and Discussion Homework: Consult Unit Schedule for Background Reading on Japan. Reading on Chinese Resistance to Imperialism: Due Lesson 9 (Tues 12/4) A. Be able to describe: Taiping Rebellion, the Self-Strengthening Movement, and the Boxer Rebellion B. Note any themes/trends. 3. Prewriting Check-in Due: Friday 12/7

2. China under the Manchu (Qing) Dynasty • China was ruled by the Manchu (Qing) Dynasty since 1644 • What do you remember about China under the Manchu (Qing) Dynasty?

3. Early Trade Between China and Britain • China was largely isolationist • Looked down on Europe and didn’t want to interact with them • Chinese restricted European trade to a single port city: Canton • British hoped to trade manufactured goods for tea, porcelain, and silk from China • However, the Chinese were not interested in European goods. They only wanted silver or gold

4. Chinese Emperor Qianlong’s Letter to England’s King George III (1792) • In 1792 the King of England sent an envoy to China to convince the Chinese Emperor to open up northern port cities to British trade • In response, the Emperor wrote this letter to the King • Task • Read the letter • In your small group answer the questions based on your reading. • Whole class discussion

5. The British Have a Problem… • They want to trade with China, but China doesn’t want to trade with them • If you were a British merchant, what might you do about this? How can you get the Chinese to trade with you? • Talk with your group and brainstorm possible ways you could get the Chinese to trade with you…

6. Britain’s Solution: Sell the Chinese Opium! • Opium • Highly addictive drug derived from the poppy plant • British grew opium in colonial India • Use and sale of opium was illegal in China (and in Britain!)

7. The Opium Trade • British began to forge links with Chinese opium dealers • Started to illegally trade opium for Chinese goods • By 1820, 80% of all people living in Canton were addicted to opium • Britain essentially was a huge international drug dealer

8. The Opium Trade Discussion • What is your reaction to British actions? • We see the British encounter a similar problem in China to that which they have encountered in Africa and India: How do we get the goods/resources we want from this region? How did they deal with this problems in (1) Africa, (2) India? • Why did they choose the particular methods that they did in (1) Africa, (2) India, (3) China?

9. The Opium Trade: Discussion • How is the opium trade a form of control? What is being controlled? • Is this an act of chemical warfare? • Is this an act of cultural warfare? • Is this an act of economic warfare? • Is it terrorism more so than warfare?

10. Letter from Lin Zexu to Queen Victoria (1839) • Alarmed by the epidemic of addiction, the Chinese government attempted to end the opium trade • Lin Zexu (ambassador for the Chinese government) wrote a letter to Queen Victoria, the Queen of England demanding an end to the opium trade • It is unknown whether the letter ever reached the Queen • Task • Read the letter • In your small group, answer the questions based on your reading • Whole class discussion

11. The Opium Wars • Chinese government ordered British merchants to surrender all opium cargo to government officials • Britain agreed, but rather than hand it over directly to the Chinese government, the merchants gave their opium to British naval officers in Canton harbor • This made the opium the property of the British government • When Chinese officials seized it and drowned 20,000 chests of opium, Britain said they had committed an act of war

12. The Opium Wars • War between Britain and China 1839-1842 • British called it the “Trade War” • Chinese called it the “Opium War” • Chinese were no match for the British navy and were defeated, despite much fighting

13. Treaty of Nanjing (or Nanking) • Treaty which ended the First Opium War • Fundamental purpose of the treaty was to change the trade relationship between China and England • Task • Read the letter • In your group answer the questions based on the reading • Whole class discussion

14. China: Now What? • Following the Treaty of Nanjing, what problems is China facing? • If you were a Chinese government official, what would you advise China to do? • In short, how can China resist imperialism?

15. Resistance • Last night you read about three acts of resistance by the Chinese people and/or government: The Taiping Rebellion, the Self-Strengthening Movement, and the Boxer Rebellion. • Today we will discuss these actions and their efficacy and what they mean for imperialism more broadly.