Qing Dynasty
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The Qing Dynasty (Chinese: 清朝; pinyin: Qīng cháo) was a dynasty of rulers of China from 1644 AD to 1912 AD. The dynasty was founded by the Manchus and so its other name is Manchu Dynasty. The surname of the Qing emperors was Aisin Gioro.
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[change] Rise of the Manchu State
In 1580 AD, Nurhaci became the Jian Zhou general of the Ming Dynasty. He unified the Manchu tribe and organised the Eight Banners. In 1616 AD, Nurhaci declared himself Khan (King) and founded the Jin Dynasty in Liao Ling. In 1626 AD, Nurhaci led armies to attack Ning Yuan. Unluckily, Nurhaci was wounded by Yuan Chonghuan's Portuguese cannon and he died 2 days later. Huang Taiji, the son of Nurhaci, then succeed to the thrown and became the Khan of the Manchu trible. In 1643 AD, Huang Taiji was dead, caused by apoplexy. Shunzhi Emperor inherited Huang Taiji's throne. Prince Dorgon became the regent. In 1644 AD, the Manchu armies fairly conquered the north of China. The capital was changed to Beijing. The Ming Dynasty was overthrown.
[change] Emperors of the Qing Dynasty
[change] Early-Qing
[change] Late-Qing
[change] Rebellion
[change] External Pressure
[change] Restoration
[change] A. The Self-Strengthening Movement (1861 - 1895)
- Main article: Self-Strengthening Movement
The Self-Strengthening Movement (Chinese: 洋務運動 or 自強運動; 1861 AD - 1895 AD) was a reform organised during the late Qing. With the defeat in the Opium Wars and the outbreak of Taiping Rebellion, the emperor and the imperial officials realised that it was necessary to improve the country's statement with a series of reforms. Therefore, the Self-Strengthening Movement was started.
The movement could be divided into three phases: the first phase (1861 AD - 1872 AD), the second phase (1872 AD - 1885 AD) and the third phase (1885 AD - 1895 AD). The Major Leaders are Yixin, Prince Gong (Chinese: 恭親王), Wenxiang (Chinese: 文祥), Zeng Guofan (Chinese: 曾國藩), Li Hongzhang (Chinese: 李鴻章), Zuo Zongtang (Chinese: 左宗棠), Shen Baozhen (Chinese: 沈葆禎) and Zhang Zhidong (Chinese: 張之洞). However, owing to the conservatives opposition and the problems of modernization, it failed finally.
[change] The Reforms
- National Defence
- Arsenals were built in Shanghai and Xiamen.
- Shipyards were built in Fuzhou and Tianjin.
- The Beiyang Fleet was organized by Li Hongzhang.
- Industry and Trade
- Modern banks were built.
- Many idustries were built in the South of China.
- Diplomatic Modernization
[change] B. The Hundred Days' Reform (1898)
- Main article: Hundred Days' Reform
With the failure of the Self-Strengthening Movenment, the defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War and the scramble for concessions, many Chinese leaders realised that reforms were urgently needed. Thus, the Hundred Day's Reform (Chinese: 戊戌變法; 11 June 1898 - 21 September 1898) was started in 1898 AD. The leaders of the reform were Guangxu Emperor, Kang Youwei (Chinese: 康有為) and Liang Qichao (Chinese: 梁啟超). Eventually, it ended in a coup d'état led by Empress Dowager Cixi.
[change] The Reforms
- Policial Reforms
- Useless government posts were to be abolished.
- Economic Reforms
- Modern banks would be built.
- Railways were to be built.
- Military Reform
- The army and navy were to be equiped with modern weapons.
- A national militia would be organised.
[change] C. Late Qing Reform (1901 - 1911)
[change] Fall of the Qing Dynasty
[change] Revolution
[change] Qing Government and Society
[change] Politics
The Manchus changed their ways to be more like the Chinese in order to rule them better. The Manchus started wearing Chinese clothes and writing in Chinese. They began to enjoy Chinese food and art. One of the Manchu emperors, Qianlong Emperor, began to worry about how much like the Chinese the Manchus were becoming and he tried to get Manchus to be more Manchu. Qianlong Emperor made Manchus ride horses and shoot bows and arrows so that they would remember where they came from. The Chinese people used different types of clothes like maccukau,konaha,schinin and sakahn.
[change] Military
[change] Population
[change] Regional Development
- Guangdong
In the early Qing, Guangdong was a province. There are totally 79 counties. In 1911 AD, it was checked that there were 5,041,780 households, approximately 28,001,564 people. The famous mountains in Guangdong are Lingchau, Huangling and Luofu. Dongjiang, Beijiang and Xijiang are the most important rivers in Guangdong. Guangzhou, Zhaoqing, Xiamen and Fujian were the major Guangdong cities.
[change] Further Reading
- History of Ming, compiled under Zhang Tingyu in 1739 AD.
- Draft History of Qing, compiled under Zhao Erxun in 1927 AD.
[change] See Also
Taizu Emperor | Huang Taiji | Shunzhi Emperor | Kangxi Emperor | Yongzheng Emperor | Qianlong Emperor | Jiaqing Emperor | Daoguang Emperor | Xianfeng Emperor | Tongzhi Emperor | Guangxu Emperor | Xuantong Emperor
