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Qing China And Tokugawa China

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For many students around the world, ethnocentrism is a real, serious issue that impedes understanding and success. One example of how this ethnocentrism invades the minds of the average American and distorts their thoughts is by asking them to compare different Asian histories or cultures, to which they will likely reply “they’re all the same.” In addition to being ethnocentric, this viewpoint is just plain wrong. Take, for example, Qing China and Tokugawa Japan. Though these two Asian empires had many things in common, they are far from being the same. Qing China refers to the period of Chinese history between 1644 and 1911, when the foreign Manchus established a dynasty and ruled over China, calling themselves the Qing. The non-Chinese tribes that came to power at this time were from the area that would later be called Manchuria. Geographically, Qing China grew three times the size of what it was under the Ming, expanding north to include areas of Mongolia and Manchuria, as well as west. The country was divided into provinces, with each province being managed and governed under tusi, or native chieftains. The region of China is largely mountainous, with the majority of the population densely packed near the coast and around the Yellow River Valley. After establishing their rule, the Manchus created a new dynasty and declared a new emperor, carrying on the traditional Chinese system of government and administration that had existed since the time of the Tang. Despite this,
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