1. Qing Dynasty
Main Idea: The Qing Dynasty was a powerful government led by the Manchu that dealt with Christian missionaries and trade issues.

2. The Beginning
The Manchu had some resistance when they took over the Ming Dynasty
Some rebels seized Taiwan
To be able to identify rebels,
the Manchu made people follow
their dress
They had to shave their foreheads
and braid their hair into a pigtail
The pigtail is called a queue

3. Government Troubles
The Qing kept the Ming political system but had troubles
They were ethnically and culturally different than their population
Did two things to deal with this problem

4. Solution One
The Manchu were only 2% of the population but wanted to preserve their group
Made themselves legally distinct from everyone else
Had large landholdings and got money from the state treasury
Created a separate military unit that became the chief fighting force
Called the banners or bannermen

5. Solution Two Brought Chinese into the government
Chinese held 80% of the lower posts in the government
Only held a small portion of the top positions though
This method won over the support of many Chinese

6. Reign of Kangxi Known as possibly the greatest ruler of China
He started his reign in his teens and ruled for 61 years
He was known for being a hard worker and fair
He allowed Christian missionaries in
Many leaders and subjects became Catholic
When he died, Christianity was suppressed

7. Qianlong Qianlong was also a great ruler
He expanded China to its large size and had great prosperity
But the dynasty showed its first signs of decay under Qing
There were corrupt officials and high taxes
The population grew too much causing economic troubles
Peasants led a revolt

8. Trade Issues Trade was very limited during the Qing Dynasty
Trade allowed with Europe only on a small island outside of Guangzhou
Only allowed from October to March
British and Chinese wanted to be able to trade more
The British had an unfavorable balance of trade
British requested more trade and the Qing denied it