Chapter 12The New Imperialism

Section 5 China and the New Imperialism

Setting the Scene: By the 1830s, British merchant ships were arriving in China loaded with opium to sell to the Chinese. One Chinese official complained bitterly to Britain's Queen Victoria. "I have heard that smoking opium is strictly forbidden in your country” he wrote. "Why do you let this evil drug be sent to harm people in other countries?“For centuries, Chinese regulations had ensured that China had a favorable balance of trade with other nations. By the 1800s, however, western nations were using their growing power to gain more influence over East Asia.

I. The Trade Issue

Prior to the 1800s, Chinese rulers placed strict limits on foreign traders and China enjoyed a trade surplus

I. The Trade Issue

Two developments occurred - China entered a period of decline and the Industrial Revolution created a need for expanded markets

A. The Opium War

British merchants made huge profits by trading opium grown in India for Chinese tea

A. The Opium War

The Chinese outlawed opium and executed Chinese drug dealers, but Britain refused to stop the trade

Chinese couple smoking opium in 1887

A. The Opium War

In 1839, Chinese warships clashed with British merchants but the Chinese were defeated

B. Unequal Treaties

In 1842, Britain made China accept the Treaty of Nanjing and gained the island of Hong Kong

B. Unequal Treaties

The treaty required China to pay an indemnity and gave British citizens in China extraterritoriality

B. Unequal Treaties

During the mid-1800s, Western powers forced China to open more ports and to let missionaries preach in China

II. The Taiping Rebellion

The Taiping Rebellion (1850 to 1864) almost toppled the Qing dynasty and killed between 20 million and 30 million Chinese

II. The Taiping Rebellion

The Qing government survived, but it had to share power with regional commanders

III. Reform Efforts

In the 1860s, reformers launched the "self-strengthening movement” and imported western technology, industry, and science

III. Reform EffortsThe movement made limited progress because the empress Ci Xi was committed to Confucian traditions

Empress Dowager Tzu His (Ci Xi) (1835-1908)

III. Reform EffortsWhen China was defeated by Japan in 1894, Western powers carved out spheres of influence along the Chinese coast

III. Reform EffortsIn 1898 emperor Guang Xu launched the Hundred Days of Reform to modernize China, but was imprisoned by the conservatives

Emperor Guang Xu

IV. The Qing Dynasty FallsAnger against Christian missionaries, foreign troops, and extraterritoriality resulted in the Boxer Uprising in 1900

Boxer rebels, 1900 photograph

IV. The Qing Dynasty Falls

The goal of the Righteous Harmonious Fists, or Boxers, was to drive out the "foreign devils" who were polluting China

United  States Marines fighting the Boxer rebels

IV. The Qing Dynasty Falls

The Boxer Uprising failed but Chinese reformers gained a constitutional monarchy and called for a republic

IV. The Qing Dynasty Falls

In 1911, Sun Yixian became president based on the “Three Principles of the People” - nationalism, democracy, and livelihood

"Nationalism" involved the overthrow of the emperor and the ending of international hegemony over China

"democracy" meant a republican, elected form of government

"people's livelihood" called for extensive land reform based on socialism.

Sun Yat-sen 1866–1925