China Resists Outside Influence Ch.28 section 1

China and the West  Chinese looked down on all foreigners because of pride in their own culture  an ambassador from England met with the Chinese  They were unimpressed with the goods England had to offer and rejected trade  China was self-sufficient and didn’t need to trade  Rice, corn, sweet potatoes, and peanuts fed their large population  Mining and manufacturing industries in salt, tin, silver, iron  Production of cotton, silk, and porcelain  The British were buying large quantities of Chinese tea in exchange for silver

First Opium War ( )  The British attempted to open trade in the 1700s by smuggling in opium for non-medical uses  Addicting the population would increase demand  By 1835 about 12 million Chinese were addicted to opium  The emperor of China protested to Queen Victoria, who ignored him  His argument was that since the drug was illegal in England, England should not sell it to another country  A primarily naval war ensued with China suffering defeat and Britain gaining Hong Kong and extraterritorial rights

Taiping Rebellion  Hong Xuiquan recruited followers during the 1830s to build a “Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace”  Taiping means “great peace” in Chinese  All would share in China’s wealth and no one would live in poverty  By 1850, Hong had an army of 1 million  Nanjing was captured and declared Hong’s capital  Internal feuding and defeats by Chinese imperial troops, British, and French forces ended the rebellion  At least 20 million died in the rebellion

Boxer Rebellion  Poor peasants and workers in China resented special privileges given to foreigners  They also hated Chinese Christians for adopting a foreign faith  Some peasants and workers soon formed a secret society called the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists (Boxers)  In 1900, Boxers surrounded the European section of Beijing and kept it under siege until a combination of foreign troops defeated them  Many Chinese still felt they needed to rid their country of foreign influence

Beginnings of Reform  In 1905 members of the royal court took a world tour to study different governments  They recommended that China restructure its government after Japans and become a constitutional monarchy  Changes were slow and China continued to experience civil unrest for the next four decades

Homework  Read Ch.28 section 1 and answer questions 3-7: Due Friday