China and New Imperialism

1. China and New Imperialism 24.5

2. Trade Between Britain and China • China had a favorable balance of trade with other nations. China sold more goods than it imported and enjoyed a trade surplus. Western nations that bought lots of Chinese goods and sold very little, worked under a trade deficit. This trading patterns shifted in the 1700s when China began to decline and European nations started producing more goods due to the Industrial Revolution.

3. The Opium War • British merchants began to trade Chinese tea to India in exchange for Indian opium. This opium was then sold in China. Chinese opium users paid in silver which took money out of the nation’s economy. • China outlawed the drug and executed Chinese drug dealers. • Britain was asked to stop the trade, yet they refused. In 1839 Chinese warships began attacking British merchant vessels carrying opium. The British military was better equipped and easily defeated the Chinese.

4. Results of the Opium War • In 1842 The Treaty of Nanjing ended the war and established an indemnity for Britain, or payments for losses in war. • Britain gained Hong Kong, 5 ports were opened for British trade, and British citizens living in China were allowed to live under their British law through extraterritoriality. A few years later Russia, France, and the U.S. pressured China to open up for trade and to allow Christian missionaries.

5. Taiping Rebellion • By the 1800s the Qing Dynasty was declining. Poorly monitored infrastructures led to floods, the Chinese population had exploded, the ruler spent money lavishly, officials were corrupt, and the rich did not pay taxes. Peasants were fed up with this practice and from 1850-1864 they led the Taiping Rebellion. • The leader Hong Xiuquan wanted to end the Qing Dynasty. • Regional governors and leaders put an end to the rebellion , but 20-30 million people died due to the rebellion.

6. Launching Reform Efforts • Empress Ci Xi gained power in the late 1800s and stayed true to traditional Confucian views. In the 1860s the “ self-strengthening movement” sought to westernize the nation. Their efforts failed because they were not supported by the government. • Japan modernized during the 1860s and sought to gain land for their empire. The Sino-Japanese War(1894) ended in a Japanese victory. Japan took Taiwan from China. Later Britain took the Chang River valley, France gained land near Indochina, and Russia took land in northern China. America took no land, yet pushed China for equal trade with everyone through an Open Door Policy. • In 1898 emperor Guang Xu launched the “100 Days of Reform” as an attempt to modernize the government, military, and education system. Conservatives took back control, imprisoned the emperor and put Ci Xi back on the throne.

7. The Qing Dynasty • The Boxer Uprising came about due to anti-foreigner sentiment. The Righteous Harmonious Fists were dubbed “boxers”. The group attacked foreigners and had to be defeated by Western and Japanese forces. • Following the uprising western reforms were introduced to China. Women were allowed to attend school, focus on math and science education increased, and industry expanded. • Sun Yixian was a leader in the movement for a Chinese republic. His “three principles of the people” included: ending foreign domination, democracy, and economic security for all Chinese. • When Ci Xi died in 1908 the nation slipped into chaos. In 1911 Sun Yixian was named president of the new Chinese Republic.