Week 4
Describe the Taiping Rebellion
-Bloodiest rebellion that cost about 20-30 million lives -Occurred after the Opium War -The founder was Hong Xiuquan, who thought he was Jesus's younger brother -Ordered his men to abandon the Manchu Queque and grow hair long -Went across China spreading Christianity and destroying local temples and villages -Qing sent troops to shut down the Taipings, but the Qing troops were defeated -Taipings had very anti Manchu feelings -Taipings made Nanjing their capital, and had plans for equality to men and women -Taipings were eventually weekend by internal conflicts within leaders of their groups -Taiping movement seen as very bizarre and horrific to Chinese elites due to the women soldiers and unfamiliar gods Qing needed new strategies to defeat the Taiping. General Zeng Guofan organizes local defense in a new way, and it takes them 12 years before they cab defeat the Taipings.
Describe the Treaty of Nanjing
1842 An unequal treaty that was concluded at gun point -provided benefits for Britain but not China Stated that: 1. The island of Hong Kong will be owned by the British 2. The British will be repaid with 21 million silver dollars to cover their war costs 3. 5 ports will be opened to international trade in China 4. There will be ambassadors in Beijing 5. There was a fixed tariff on imported goods at 5% 6. British subjects living in China did not have to follow the Chinese law, only had to follow the British law
Coolie Labor in Cuba
1860s Abolition Movement Rights for "coolies" Chinese laborers, or "cimarrones," in Spanish Cuba during the 1850s and '60s
What is Nanyang?
China's southern ocean Maritime trade and China's connections to the Nanyang First wave of migration in mid-1600s Followed by major wave in the 1800s Establishment of economic and cultural sphere "Sinophone" identity
What did the Opium war expose about the Qing military?
Exposed that the military forces were weak and no match for the British -they had no navy -used swords, spears, clubs rather than the rifles the British had (had some firearms but were muskets that constantly needed to be reloaded)
Chinese Emigration and Diasporic Communities
Growth of Chinese population in 19th c. puts enormous pressure on land Many Chinese decide to go abroad to: Southeast Asia and Indonesia; Latin America; and Hawai'i and Western United States Establishment of Chinatowns Qing government lobbies on behalf of its citizens, opening up new diplomatic channels with US, but despite attempts to advocate for Chinese immigration, reducing Chinese immigration a central issue in American politics. E.g. Chinese Exclusion Act, signed in 1882
Describe the first Opium War
Occurs during the Qing The Daoguang emperor appoints Lin Zexu to go to Canton and work to eradicate the Opium trade (1838) This is during the age of Western Imperialism (1800s-1900s) The British finally found a good that the Chinese people were interested in buying. Opium was made from poppy plants and was highly addictive (and detrimental to health). The Daogang emperor was enraged when he found out that high officials were also users. People were so addicted they would pawn their personal belongings and sell their children. The Chinese government tried banning Opium in the early 1800s, but the East India Company licensed private traders (British and Americans) to bring the drug to China. Chinese smugglers bought Opium from British and American traders off the coast, and they distributed it to dealers illegally. Competition among traders led to price wars that drove costs of Opium down, and spread addiction further. General Lin Zexu argued that the government needs to go after those who are providing the drug. He arrives in Guangzhou and arrests 1700 Chinese dealers and seizes 70,000 opium pipes. He demanded that foreign firms give up their Opium stores in exchange for tea. This attempt failed. He then decided to put a trade block with Western Merchant. After 6 weeks, the Merchants relented and turned over 2.6 million pounds of Opium. Lin Zexu and his men destroyed all of it and dumped it into the sea. The British saw Lin Zexu's acts as threatening and a call for war. The British saw China's actions as out of line, for all the other civilized countries practiced free trade. The British sailed north and shut down major ports of Ningbo and Tianjin. This forced the Qing to negotiate. An agreement called for giving up Hong Kong to the British, repaying the British the cost of their war expedition, and allowing direct diplomatic intercourse between the countries. After Lin Zexu's failure, the Daogang emperor withdrew his support for him and exiled him far away. The British also sent a larger force to attack Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Nanjing Many Qing officers committed suicide when they saw they could not repel the British
Describe the Self Strengthening Movement
Period when China realizes they need modern reform to catch up with Western powers Feng Guifen writes an essay urging for reforms. He makes points that: 1. China was way bigger than these European countries that are small and strong, but why is China so large and weak? That does not make sense. 2. Called for setting up shipyards at each major port. 3. Proposed setting up translation bureaus to translate Western books on math and science 4. Wanted Westerners to be hired to teach Chinese boys Western languages 5. Wanted Chinese to learn from the barbarians and surpass them 6. Proposed implementing elections/voting to broaden political participation like in the west Guns and ships represented the Western economic strength It was also realized that China needed to initiate new industries such as: -railway lines -steam navigation companies -coal mines -telegraph lines -cotton spinning factories Newspapers started covering more global affairs There was still conservative resistance to this modernization
Describe Lin Zexu's "Communication to Queen Victoria"
Starts off relatively polite and addresses her "queen of your honorable nation" Brings up the importance of trade with China to Britain: the source to which your country has gained wealth Transitions to a more condemning tone by talking about how opium has negatively impacted the Chinese people -"poison" Refers to the British as "barbarians" -Says that everyone who sells or smokes opium in China should receive the death penalty -Brings up how everything that the Chinese export are all safe and useful, such as tea and silk. Proposes what if we cut off trade? Talks about the goods they import from China are again sold to other countries for a "triple profit" Barbarians who bring Opium to China will receive "decapitation or strangulation" in response "must cut off permanently the source of Opium for your wicked people" Instructs her to give a props reply to his letter Tries to close in a friendly manner by saying let the two countries enjoy together the blessings of peace
Summarize Yung Wing's story "My Life in China and America"
Story of a Chinese student who goes to America (with 2 other students) to attend a prep school. Decides he wants to stay in America and attend Yale college. Talks about his financial and college struggles, but how the American (Christian) people were very virtuous and kind to him. Barely passed by school with very low marks. After he graduates, he thinks about what he wants to do with his liberal education. After 10 years, he returns to China. He could not recall his Chinese in order to interpret for the Captain. Others on board made fun of him for being Chinese and not being able to speak Chinese. Went to see his mother. She is very happy to see him. He tells her about America and that he is the first Chinese graduate from Yale college. Tells her that he will always look after her and he obeys her when she tells him to shave his face. She is still satisfied that he has not lost his obedience to his mother. He goes back to Canton to regain his dialect and further his Chinese studies. While he is there, he is horrified by the bodies he sees as 75,000 innocent people were executed. For a minute, he thinks that maybe the Taipings has justification to overthrow the Manchu. Considers joining rebellion, He then realizes he just wants to do things in a calmer way. Wanted to recover his Chinese and accomplish the objectives he had at heart regarding spreading his education to China?
First Opium War, 1839-1842 & Treaty of Nanjing
•1839: Lin orders Canton trade board to cease all foreign trade, and quarantines all foreigners •1840: British blockade Canton, Ningbo, Tianjin •1841: Qing negotiates peace, agrees to pay a heavy indemnity, reopens trade in Canton, cedes Hong Kong •1842: British forces lay siege on Nanjing, Qing government sues for peace, and both sides agree to Treaty of Nanjing •Establishment of "treaty ports" •American presence, and signing of Treaty of Wanghiain 1844
Establishment of the Zongli Yamen in 1861
•Abbreviation for "Office for the Management of the Business of All Foreign Countries Formal means for negotiating with foreigners Directed by the emperor's uncle, Prince Gong•Hire Western navy forces to help fight the Taipings Sponsor translation of International Law works, esp. Henry Wheaton's Elements of International Law (orig. 1836), trans. with the help of W.A.P. Martin in 1862 1862 translation school, which grows into a comprehensive college
The Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864)
•Hong Xiuquan(1814-1864) •Has a visionary dream which he later interprets as a message of God that Hong is the younger brother to Jesus Christ •Begins to preach in the 1840s and gains many converts•1851 Hong declares the Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace with himself as king. •1852-1853, a series of military victories and the Taipingscontrol a large territory in E. China, including Nanjing •Establish Nanjing as capital until 1864
Self-Strengthening Movement , 1861-1895
•Zeng Guofan Restore Chinese greatness by building schools and re-investing in Confucian training Restore agricultural production and resettle immigrant populations Pursue an agenda of "self-strengthening" through modernization: studying foreign languages, science, mathematics .. And through manufacturing armaments and building up the navy Feng Guifen: "If we can manufacture, repair, and use them, then they are our weapons. If we cannot manufacture, repair, and use them, then they are still the weapons of others." (De Bary, 237)
