China enjoyed a number of technological advances over Europe in the period running up to the 15th century, most significantly the development of gunpowder, compasses and printing. These inventions revolutionised European technology facilitating exploration, conquest and literature. Unlike in Europe, these inventions were not put to such use by the Chinese who held a fairly isolationist view. Meaning that they did not involve themselves in trade to nearly the same degree as many Europeans. In this essay I will be assessing China’s technological lead over Europe before the 16th century and commenting on the extent to which they held this lead. I will then go on to consider the main events, which took place in China, and particularly in Europe …show more content…
‘It is only because of Needham's work that the Western academic community has become aware that until Europe's takeoff China was the unrivaled world leader in technological development.’ (Lynda Shaffer, World History Bulletin, Fall/Winter 1986/87). The suggestion here by Shaffer is that Chinese technology was at a far greater level than that of European technology, only because of Needham’s work, specifically in Chinese technology, did the advancement of this technology become apparent. Implying that China enjoyed a technological advantage over Europe before the end of the 16th …show more content…
This can be contributed to the fact that China did not utilize their inventions to nearly the same extent as Europe. Lynda Shaffer is to a broad extent in agreement with this as she argues that ‘Needham's question can thus be understood to mean, Why didn't China use gunpowder to destroy feudal walls? Why didn't China use the compass to cross the Pacific and discover America, or to find an all-sea route to Western Europe?’ (Lynda Shaffer, World History Bulletin, Fall/Winter 1986/87). This can broadly be explained by the fact that ‘long historical unity of China, covering a large land-mass, meant that it was mostly self-sufficient. China did not need the outside world, which was inferior anyway’. (Roy Bailey, EC120, week 3). Moreover, ‘China was never exposed to the fiercely competitive states system of Europe’ (Roy Bailey, EC120, week 3), which would have demanded China to remove itself from an isolationist position in order for the country to survive. In contrast to this, European countries took advantage of the newly discovered technologies. The use of gunpowder in Europe made castles and other such structures associated with the medieval period obsolete, as castles were no matches for something, which could destroy their walls. This helped to free Europe from its feudal
While under the rule of the Emperor Qianlong, China’s foreign policy and trade was beginning to unfold and open up to Europe. Qianlong, however, still maintained a strict and regulated administration of all foreign trade and foreign ability to exist within China. “ It is true that Europeans, in the service of the dynasty, have been permitted to live at Peking, but they are compelled to adopt Chinese dress, they are strictly confined to their own precincts and are never permitted to return home.” All outside interactions with China could only be permitted if ‘in the
The author also mentions that China-based their economy on the exchange of silver. Another important thing in this chapter was the role of the Chinese voyages in the history of China and the entire world. The voyages that were created around the 1400s were used for three reasons,
During the 15th and 16th century, exploration became the new norm of society. Each individual country had their own motives, reasons and goals regarding voyages across land and sea. For instance, Christopher Columbus, in the name of Spain, voyaged out to find an alternative route to Asia. The Portuguese, tried to increase their knowledge about trading. Moreover, while some traveled to increase their powers, Zheng He, of China, traveled to discover raw resources and generate more capital into China’s economy. If we compare the maritime policies of the kingdom of Spain and Portugal on the one hand and the Ming Empire on the other the differences in motives clearly outweigh the similarities between these two societies. For example, the Kingdoms of Spain and Portugal traveled to spread Christianity, to gain land, to rule over new subjects and to spread their power throughout the different continents, while as the Ming Dynasty was only interested in capital and new/raw resources.
Chinese practice found technological advances to be a huge success when it came to growth of the country. Legendary rulers of china were the ones credited with the development of large technologies. One example includes the introduction of bronze tools. They were used to clear forest and harvest agricultural products. About a thousand years later, iron was invented. Iron proved to be a better form of metal to work
Imagine living in America and it not being well America. There would be different ways of agriculture. Different languages. Different religious beliefs. Having a different way of living in society, economically and politically. Everything would be different if China would have went about and conquered Western Europe during the 14-1500’s.
China before the 1800s was very isolated. The West comes in and gains control by selling Opium to the Chinese for tea and silk. This was nowhere fair, eventually, China wanted to ban this trade that led to war. The Royal Navy’s modernized ships versus poor china’s unadvanced ships, I wonder who won. China was forced into the world of modernization. The British came in and reshaped China like it was clay, with no regard to the natives. This eventually leads to some failed rebellions. These past three examples are how western modernization helped or ruined countries, and that it isn't always black and
WHG 6.1.5 Interpreting Europe’s Increasing Global Power – Describe Europe’s increasing global power between 1500 and 1900, and evaluate the merits of the argument that this rise was caused by factors internal to Europe
22. What political and cultural differences stand out in the histories of fifteen century China and Western Europe? What similarities are apparent? Why?
The civilization of ancient China was the most successful civilization with their inventions,food,and religion. They had the best inventions like fireworks these were amazing because some inventions they’ve made are fireworks. Fireworks were used for many things in China, and now in many countries. reason we use them is for celebrations or 4th of July. China made fireworks around 2,000 years ago. people say that a chinese cook created it in a field kitchen and accidentally mixed, charcoal, sulphur, and saltpeter. Which he found in his kitchen all so commonly to make something so amazing that we use today.
In the historical reading When America First Met China by Eric Jay Dolin, one could say that the context of this historical reading goes into great depth when explaining the trade networks between China and the rest of the continent, particularly in the Americas right after the American Revolution ended in 1783, in comparison to many other sources that did not go into great depth.
The Great Divergence is term used to portray the gradual shift of dominance that Europe gained by establishing itself as the most powerful world civilization by the 19th century. While a case could be made that the Great Divergence occurred because of the pre-eminence of Europe and Britain, as well as their supposed superiority in invention and innovation above anywhere else in the world, this argument is flawed. A more compelling argument would be to state that it was rather through the geographical advantages that Europe obtained that lead it into eventually becoming the most powerful civilization after 1500 A.D., as this essay will strive to demonstrate.
During 600 BCE to 600 CE, an immense amount of empires emerged around the world. In order for these empires to prosper and control their conquered masses, the use of technology played a key role, whether militarily or merely public works. However, the rise of different philosophies/beliefs and the emergence of empire's social structure played a key role in shaping the attitudes of some empires towards technology. This technology led to benefitting economies since it encouraged and helped trade. It also had many other uses as well. The Persian Empire created the "royal road" enhancing trade, but provided unity to the empire. Two other such empires that had views on technology were Han China and the Roman empire.
Furthermore, this experience led to the discovery that the key to success is control over regions that produced valuable goods, since control over trade routes ultimately leads to their change.1 China with its warfare and seafaring technology never claimed to take control over the sea even after Zheng He’s voyages, since they had enough, if not more resources than everyone else, unlike Europe. The conclusive thought is that Europeans were poor, and in order for them to succeed in an otherwise rich world, force was the only option. The bias is therefore in the fact that Europeans had no
In my opinion, the main reason that China fell behind Europe in the 15th century is the closing down of itself with other civilizations and the banned international trades strategies which severed the communication and connection of the Chinese people with the outside world. And in the same time the rapid growth of the European countries had boosted those civilizations in the other direction thanks to the newly discovered resources on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. I would like to explain these ideas from the following aspects:
England tired of the strict regulation of the Canton system, what they believed to be the Chinese undeserved entitled attitudes, and the need for new markets, used gun diplomacy to force China to accept unequal treaties and open its foreign trade. This was China’s introduction to ‘modernity’, but in truth it was the imperial nations craving up of China for their benefit and labeling it as bringing