CHINA The struggle for modernization, 1860 to 2000

1. CHINAThe struggle for modernization, 1860 to 2000

2. THINK, PAIR, SHAREWhen you think of China’s role in the world today, what words come to mind?

3. In 1750 China had the largest economy of any country on Earth, the largest population, and one of the highest standards of living. But by 1900 China was a backward nation largely controlled by outsiders.

4. Today China is again one of the world’s leading economic powers, a rising giant of the 21st century. How did China recover from its earlier collapse?

5. In this unit you will analyze primary sources to learn about six Chinese efforts to modernize between 1860 and the present. But first, some background information on China in the early 1800s.

6. The Manchurians, China’s neighbors to the northeast, conquered China and established the Qing dynasty in 1644. They ruled until 1912. Although they incorporated many Chinese officials into government administration, the Manchus kept themselves apart from the Chinese and the Chinese saw them as foreigners.

7. “… the emperor was the absolute ruler in every branch of the regime, whether executive, legislative, or judicial. He governed without even a prime minister …” Most of the actual work of government, both national and local, was done by the “gentry.” Membership in the gentry was based on success in the government’s examination system. – Historian Immanuel C. Y. Hsü

8. Under Manchu rule, China prospered until the late 1700s. Source: http://etcweb.princeton.edu/asianart/timeperiod_china.jsp?ctry=China&pd=Qing

9. Peace and prosperity prevailed within the country, and numerous nearby states came to pay tribute. Dozens of nations in East, Southeast, and Central Asia acknowledged Chinese superiority, from Korea in the northeast, to Vietnam, Burma, and Thailand in the south, Bhutan and Nepal in the southwest, and a number khanates in Central Asia … – Historian Immanuel C. Y. Hsü

10. By the late 1700s the Qing dynasty had ruled for 150 years. Corruption and inefficiency in government had begun to set in. In Europe, meanwhile, the Industrial Revolution was creating a wealthy new economy that generated substantial international trade in raw materials and manufactured industrial products.

11. Great Britain had developed a large appetite for Chinese tea (remember the Boston Tea Party in 1773?) and wanted to pay for its tea imports by selling manufactured goods to China. But China, unaware of the transformation taking place in Europe, severely limited trade. The British became more and more frustrated at having to pay for all their tea in cash (gold and silver).

12. In the early 1800s, the British came up with a plan to sell opium, which they grew or purchased in India, to the Chinese. Opium is an addictive drug, which made it a great product to sell but a terrible product for Chinese society. The Chinese had outlawed opium 100 years earlier. They resisted the British plan, even to the point of seizing and burning the opium that British traders brought to sell in China.

13. In 1840 the British launched a military assault on China to impose new trading conditions. They knew that their steam-powered warships and industrial-strength cannons and guns would quickly defeat the pre-industrial Chinese army and navy. They were right.

14. The British were allowed to establish a colony at Hong Kong, an island on China’s south coast. • Five Chinese cities were opened to British trade, meaning that foreigners could establish control over certain areas in the cities. • The tariff (tax) foreigners paid on imports was fixed at a low rate. • China had to give Britain a lot of cash to pay for the war. By 1842 the British forced the Chinese the sign a treaty with huge concessions:

15. Chinese leaders saw their loss in the Opium War as a fluke rather than an indication of how far the Industrial Revolution had advanced other countries. It wasn’t until a second series of military conflicts in the late 1850s that some people began to understand that the world was changing and China needed to change, too. Their first effort at modernization is called the Self-strengthening Movement.

16. You are going to study six efforts at modernization that eventually led China back to world prominence. One of the questions you’ll investigate is “Why did it take China 150 years to modernize?” Two things before we get started. First: What do we mean by “modernization”?

17. Chinese historian QianChengdan says:“Modernization is a transformational process whereby old civilizations are replaced by new ones … “Modernization means replacing agricultural productivity with industrial productivity, which serves as the foundation for social change on a large scale.”

18. You are going to learn about Chinese modernization by reading primary sources created by Chinese people who participated in the modernization process.You are going to use four skills to analyze these documents like a professional historian.

19. 1. Sourcing – Who wrote the document? Why did they write it?2. Contextualizing – What else was going on when they wrote the document?3. Close reading – What can I figure out about China’s modernization by reading this document carefully?4. Corroborating – What can I figure out by comparing several documents on the same topic?Let’s get started!