The Fall of the Qing Dynasty

It was a failure for the Qing in the long term for it aroused Western

Over a span of several decades, Wu Zetian inalterably changed life in China for woman as well the clergy and the poor. By doing so, she left a perpetual footprint on China’s long history that transcends the mere fact that she was the first woman to rule the “Red Dragon”.

Isolation of China by the Qing Dynasty did not benefit the country in the end. Removing itself from other nations had been in the works since the Ming Dynasty had ruled, and the emperors of the Qing Dynasty supported isolation as well. China also had strict restrictions with their trade, which scared many other countries away. In the 1800s, numerous countries finally attempted to escape China’s trade restrictions. These effects helped to collapse the already cracking country.

Ineffective leadership and very luxurious living of the emperors and government officials also led to the collapse of the Qing Dynasty. Officials were left in charge of the administration of the dynasty because the two emperors of the time, Tongzhi and Guangxu were still children, and this lack of imperial control gave Cixi the ability to ‘rule from behind the curtain’.

The Han Dynasty lasted from 206 B.C. until 220 A.D., making them one of China’s longest lasting empires. Their power and reputation rivaled that of the Roman Empire, which was also around at the same time. With only a few moments when they had some difficulties, they lasted four centuries that went through the times of B.C. and through the A.D. times. The Han Dynasty was thought to be the golden age of the Chinese, with their main points of development being in politics, technology, and the arts. Every following Chinese dynasty looked to the Han dynasty as their role model.

The Qing dynasty (1916-1912) is the last imperial dynasty of China, it was consider as the most powerful country during the “golden age” ruled by Kang Xi and Qian Long, and it has over 400 million population and has the 1st ranked GDP in the world at the moment. The Qing has the supreme power at the time and has the significant influence in East Asian. However, the collapse of the Qing Dynasty made a humiliate history of China. The Qing dynasty doesn't fall suddenly, and the collapse of Qing is not just simply because domestic revolution and alien invasion. The failure of the Qing government is worthy to study, we need to take a deep step and explore the root cause of the collapse of Qing.

The Han dynasty was a golden era for China. It saw the greatest land confiscation of the nation’s history and economic success. In this paper I will be focusing on the structure of the national government, the monopolizing of iron and salt, the Yumen Pass and the Yellow Turban rebellion. Join me as we take a trip back in time to visit a time in Chinas history that is highly revered.

Many people argued that Empress Dowager Cixi accelerated the speed of the demise of the Qing dynasty. Cixi might be a blasting fuse but she was not accounted for the final fall of the dynasty. The actions Cixi took had profoundly changed the foundation of feudal China so as to push China forward into a modern stage. Although many historical data suggested that whatever Cixi had done were to consolidate her authority and personal status. But no matter what, the impact on the country was obvious. Cixi broke the previous traditions from Confucianism that had been lasted for centuries. Tensions between the Manchus and Han Chinese had been greatly improved, which made a great contribution to China for later unification. Under the reign of the Empress Dowager, the social structure had undergone a series of changes. Qing 's demise is doomed, this was resulted from issues that had stacked up from previous generations. Moreover, Cixi did her best to secure China’s status in the world in such a chaotic period in history. She made undeniable contributions to China.

The failing government of The Romanovs in Russia and Chiang Kai Shek in China ultimately led to the collapse in China and Russia. This is because the people in Russia were losing faith in the Romanov's , as they were later replaced with Tsar Nicholas. This led to the Russian Revolution, an internal struggle among the people in Russia. The leader of the republic, Chiang Kai Shek was replaced with Mao Zedong as he tried to transform China into a communist country. Zedong’s rule led to many deaths and ended with internal struggle within the country.

Han dynasty of China acknowledged the strength, size and endurance of western horses from Ferghana Basin in Central Asia. The early Han emperors were keen to promote trade with the West and first sent an imperial envoy out to Ferghana in the second century BC. Zhang Qian in The Silk Road: Two thousand years in the heart of Asia was the first reported that the horses of Central Asia were the much more important to Han emperors as the most formidable aspects of the Xiongnu invasions of China had been their superior steeds and superior horsemanship. Thus, they decided to import these horses through trade along the Silk Road. The Celestial Horse is a bronze statue created in 25-220 CE that represents one of the “heavenly horses” in Eastern Han

China has been in a state of revolution and reform since the Sino-Japanese war of 1895. As a result of Japan’s victory over Russia in 1905, China’s constitutional reform movement gathered momentum. This forced the Manchu government by public opinion to make gestures of preparation for a constitutional government, an act to which reformers in exile responded enthusiastically by establishing a Political Participation Society (Cheng-wen-she) (1, pg.84).

The 19th century had sparked a time period of bloody revolution, social and political reform, and both economic and financial problems for China. Though the cause of many of these problems could be rooted to internal conflict, foreign influence on Chinese ways proved to be disastrous. During the early 19th century the population was growing, the economy seemed stable and generally people seemed content with China’s economic progress. However these feelings of success would soon end as overpopulation would cause widespread poverty and famine. At that point in time China’s rulers had been Manchu; the Qing dynasty had been in rule but even its

In 1949, after a long lasting contest for leadership, the Communists were able to gain power. In 1900, China was ruled by the Manchu dynasty, however less than in half a century a completely new government came into power. The Qing government had already been weak due to European countries because they gained great influence in China’s affair by using forces. They became so unpopular that people plotted to overthrow them. Despite the fact that the revolution of 1911 failed to overthrow them, it made the government collapse. People needed changes. But none of the leadership or the Party government could achieve what they promised in order to make the lives of people better in China. The Communist

The important decrees in relation to education included the establishment of a system of modern schools, the abolition of bagu wen 八股文 (the eight-legged essays) in the examinations, the introduction of short, practical essays upon subjects suitable to modern needs and conditions, and the dispatch of young Manchus abroad for a western education (Ren, 1936, 1974, pp. 325 – 326). However, the reform was short-lived and suppressed by the Empress Dowager Cixi in September 1898. The outbreak of the Boxer Uprising in 1900 further disrupted educational reforms. After putting down the rebellion, the Empress Dowager Cixi was forced to resume educational and governmental reforms under the pressure of public opinion. The first significant reform decree was issued in January 1901. It demanded all officials at home and abroad to investigate western methods of governing and report their findings within two months. Zhang Zhidong and Liu Kunyi (1830 – 1902), Viceroy of Liang Jiang , submitted three memorials that formed the basis for the subsequent reforming decrees. The first memorial was on education. According to Zhang and Liu, the most efficient and effective means to make a “self-strong” nation included: 1) establishing modern literary and military schools; 2) changing and improving literary examinations; 3) abolishing military examinations; 4) encouraging students to go abroad (Shu, 1933, 1990, vol. 1, pp. 77 – 94. Trans. by Teng & Fairbank, 1967, pp. 197 –

In nineteenth-century China the idea of reform was beginning to develop, especially, with the introduction of the Westerners and their technology. Reform and self-strengthening in China were seen as a beneficial concept to some Chinese leaders. Many scholarly Chinese had different opinions about reform and Western methods. Woren greatly opposed Western reform and the self-strengthening movement, but several people felt that it was good in moderation, such as Xue Fucheng, Zhang Zhidong, and Wang Tao. Tan Sitong and Liang Qichao, who were considered "radical" reformers, loved the idea of reform and were all for the Western methods. These six reformers debated and fought for what they truly believed but the reform of China was inevitable and