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The Legacy of the Qing Dynasty

Decent Essays

Assess the Legacy of the Qing Dynasty
By Vanessa C. Song

INTRODUCTION
The Qing Dynasty lasted for 268 years and was the last dynasty in China and was declared in 1644 by the Manchurian people of outer China after the conquest of the Ming Dynasty. It fell in 1849 to the Chinese communist party (CCP) led by Mao Zedong. Throughout the beginning of the Qing dynasty, the public confusion in regards to the new “Alien Rulers” caused havoc and widespread chaos, small anti-Qing efforts were formed in order to secure surviving Ming princes and restore the Ming Dynasty, this of course failed. Despite the issues that arose in the first forty, starting years of the dynasty in regards to rebellions and rejection towards the new government through; …show more content…

Silk and porcelain industries in particular flourished; in Jingdezhen, porcelain-making industries recorded almost 100 000 workers and during the late 1600s became a main component of the trade between the east and the west, In Suzhou, Silk manufacturing industries had around 2330 workers and also became a viable item of trade, other places like Hangzhou and Nanjing also produced high quality silk, for which they are renowned for in modern day China. The early 1800s of the Qing era saw the development of “Remittance Banks” which allowed a merchant to exchange metallic currency for a remittance certificate, in which he could collect his money elsewhere; these banks became vital to the progression of commercial activity in China. Under the successful but unpopular Qing regime, new crops were established and sweet potato, maize and peanuts became introduced into the Chinese diet. During the reign of the Yongzheng emperor, the Qing Government also introduced a new tax policy that only allowed the payment of taxes through money (copper or silver, for larger transactions) rather than the previous “goods and wares” tax that allowed the Chinese to pay taxes in things like agricultural produce. The new amount of tax payed by civilians was almost entirely dependent upon the amount of land a person

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