Download I. Ming Foreign Policy

UNIT 4: THE AGE OF EXPLORATION & EXPANSION
CHAPTER 17: ASIA IN TRANSITION
Section 1: The Ming and Qing Dynasties
I. Ming Foreign Policy

the Chinese had the most skilled sailors in the world, they built large, sturdy ships that the
Europeans called - junks

the Chinese had been using the compass (which they probably invented) for more than 400 years

Chinese had the ability to become a great seafaring power
A. Attitudes Toward Trade
o
Ming emperors tried to rid China of all Mongol influences
o
restored Confucianism as the official philosophy of the government
o
Confucian philosophy divided society into four classes

Scholar-Gentry

Farmers

Artisans

Merchants
B. The Northern Frontier
o
Ming strengthened the Great Wall of China
o
Moved the imperial capital from Nanjing in central China to Beijing in the north
o
overseas expeditions were very expensive, and the Ming chose frontier defense over trade and
sea travel
II. Founding the Qing Dynasty

in Manchuria, a chieftain named Nurhachi unified many tribes into a single people, the Manchu
o
his son then captured eastern Mongolia and Korea and declared the beginning of a new
dynasty, the Qing

then went on to capture Beijing

Qing emperors were not Chinese, but they adopted Chinese ways

Hsüan-yeh – Qing emperor

tried to keep the Manchu people, a minority in the empire, separate and distinct from the far
more numerous Chinese
o

Manchu had to study Manchu language and traditions, marry only Manchu women, and set
Manchuria apart as a tribal homeland
required all Chinese men to wear their hair tied in a queue (tail) – a style that was common
among the Manchu (symbolized Chinese submission to Manchu rule)
III. Economy, Culture, and Society
A. Economy
o
some areas began to specialize in products, like cotton
o
although cities grew, most of China’s people still lived in the countryside
o
began planting new crops like peanuts, sweet potatoes, and tobacco – introduced from the
Americas; along with the traditional rice, wheat, and tea
B. Popular Culture and Society
o
writings of this period realistically portrayed Chinese society and family life
o
philology – the history of literature and language
o
society continued to be based on the family and each person had a role in life
IV. Decline of the Qing Dynasty

Qing found it difficult to manage change and growth

corruption at court and government inefficiency became more widespread (bribes)

in 1796, discontent over increased taxes and growing government inefficiency led to a peasant
rebellion – White Lotus Rebellion
o

government restored order in the early 1800s
rebellions occurred frequently after about 1850, the Qing dynasty was clearly in decline
Decline of the Qing Dynasty
Cause
Effect
overpopulation
lack of food for peasants
government inefficiency
political unrest
natural disasters
social turmoil
Section 2: China and Europeans
I. The Portuguese

built trade ties with China and established a trading station at Macao

Jesuit missionaries used their knowledge of astronomy to get close to the emperor
o
they gained great power – economic and political, as well as spiritual

emperors began to realize that the religion expected converts to promise faith and allegiance to
the pope and not the emperor

fearing they would undermine his power, the emperors denounced Christianity as anti-Confucian
and converts dwindled, they also deported European missionaries to Macao
II. The British

established a trading port at Guangzhou

British East India Company monopolized the new trade in Chinese teas

Chinese regulations demanded that the British trade only with a small number of merchants

new ideas about trade and the sale of opium damaged relations between China and the British
tea
opium
India
Great
Britain
opium
China
silver
A. Free Trade Ideas
o
concept of free trade – governments should not restrict or interfere with international trade

many resented the monopoly of the British East India Company
o
in an effort to help the debate, Britain asked China to open more ports, when that failed,
they abolished the British East India Company’s monopoly and they faded from power
B. The Opium Trade
o
British had been trading cotton for tea, but the Chinese no longer needed cotton, so they had
to find a new product to exchange for tea

they chose the addictive drug, opium
o
the Chinese worried that they were losing silver and also about the increasing addiction rate
o
demanded that opium sales stop and that all opium cargoes be turned over to them
C. The Opium War
o
Chinese tried to forcibly stop the opium trade and war broke out

the Opium War lasted from 1839 to 1843
o
the Chinese were no match for the more experienced British army and navy
o
Treaty of Nanjing – China gave the island of Hong Kong to the British and opened up five more
ports to British trade under a fixed low tariff

British subjects in these ports would be governed by British, not Chinese laws

tried in British courts

extraterritoriality – requirement that foreigners must follow the laws of their home
country instead of the laws of the country in which they live
D. More Concessions
o more Western powers began demanding trade treaties with China and the Chinese signed
these treaties under the pressure of defeat and fear of further invasion

“unequal treaties” – most of the benefits of these treaties went to foreign powers
o after another trade dispute, the British and French once again beat China in war and opened
an embassy in Beijing

the Chinese government had to also agree to protect Christian missionaries and their
converts in China
III. Rebellions

Taiping Rebllion – was led by Hong Xiuquan who had been influenced by Christian teachings, said
it was his mission to establish a new dynasty of a “Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace”
o
caused terrible destruction and millions were killed, cities and farmlands destroyed
o
Muslims in central and western China also launched rebellions
o
the Rebellion and other revolts seriously weakened both the Qing dynasty and the nation as a
whole
o
foreign interference weakened China’s sovereignty and undermined the power of the emperor

reduced the country’s control of its economy

the independence of China was viewed as a sham by Western powers
Section 3: The Tokugawa Shoguns in Japan
I. Founding the Tokugawa Shogunate

disputes over who would be the next shogun of Japan caused 100 years of bitter, widespread, and
almost constant warfare

local daimyo fought for control of the country

three daimyo emerged supreme and established themselves as overlords of the others, building a
centralized feudal system in Japan
A. Oda Nobunga
o
Oda Nobunga – first of these overlords, captured the city Kyoto, ended the Ashikaga
shogunate

when one of his own vassals attacked him, a wounded Nobunga committed suicide
B. Toyotomi Hideyoshi
o
Toyotomi Hideyoshi – led Nobunga’s army and succeeded him
o
forced other daimyo to pledge their loyalty to him

o
weakened them by reducing the size of their territories so that they could not
threaten him again
disarmed peasants in a “sword hunt” – peasants could no longer become warriors
C. Tokugawa Ieyasu
o
Tokugawa Ieyasu – Hideyoshi’s most powerful vassal who succeeded him as overlord
o
established his capital at Edo (Tokyo) and became shogun
o
was prepared to expand or reduce the size of daimyo’s territories in the future to maintain
his rule
o
established a government known as the Tokugawa shogunate
Tokugawa Shogun
samurai
daimyo
samurai
daimyo
peasants
samurai
peasants
peasants
daimyo
samurai
peasants
daimyo
samurai
peasants
daimyo
samurai
peasants
D. Tokugawa Rule
o
political system was a cross between feudalism and a central monarchy
o
did not rule the entire country directly

o
to maintain dominion over the daimyo they were prohibited from forming alliances with one
another and had to spend every other year in Edo, when they returned to their land they
were forced to leave their families as political hostages

o
maintained some decentralization
this proved to be very expensive
also set trade restrictions and limited contact with foreigners – achieving almost complete
isolation from Europe
II. Foreign Contact
A. The Portuguese in Japan
o
traders brought two items new to the Japanese – muskets and Christianity
o
samurai did not approve of the musket, it violated the traditional samurai fighting ethic of
skill
o
Jesuit missionaries came to convert daimyo and then the people of that domain

converted as many as 300,000 Japanese to Christianity
B. Closing the Country
o
shoguns concluded that Christianity was an undesirable threat to their rule

taught loyalty to a power other than the Tokugawa shogun
o
forced Portuguese traders and missionaries to leave the country
o
Dutch – accepted a strictly controlled trading relationship with the Tokugawa shogunate

o
only Europeans allowed to trade in Japan after the 1630s
to keep Japan isolated they banned most overseas trade, prohibited traveling abroad,
concentrated on domestic affairs and tried to ignore the outside world

was able to achieve a high degree of isolation
III. Life in Tokugawa Japan

concept of stability was more important to the Japanese than change
A. Social Classes
o
samurai  peasants  artisans  merchants
o
person’s social class was determined by birth, sons followed the occupations of their fathers
o
samurai became officials by heredity alone and not through examinations
B. Change and Culture
o
change - internal trade expanded, specialization in certain crops and handicrafts
o
culture - rise of popular culture, new forms of art, literature, and theater
IV. The End of Japan’s Isolation

government refused to give shelter to ships from other nations during storms

President Millard Fillmore – sent Commodore Matthew C. Perry in 1853 and a powerful naval
force to Japan
o
there to negotiate a treaty that would guarantee the safety of US sailors and open Japanese
ports to American trade with heavily armed steam-powered warships

shogun worried about the threat of naval attack and reluctantly agreed to negotiate with Perry

Treaty of Kanagawa – Japanese opened two ports to let Americans obtain fuel, shelter, and
supplies; permitted trade between the two nations
o
Japan signed similar treaties with Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Russia
o
allowed to establish consulates – diplomatic offices headed by consuls

many Japanese were against these arrangements and civil war broke out in the 1860s

anti-Tokugawa forces overthrew the shogunate in 1867 – restored the power of the emperor, who
began Meiji rule