Contrasting Responses To Western Penetration During The 19th Century

Japan and China both had contrasting responses to the Western Penetration during the 19th Century. China rejected the idea of westernization, while Japan embraced it, and used it to their advantage. When western technology was introduced, China resisted it, while Japan gladly accepted it. When it came to trade China only accepted a small amount of goods while Japan accepted a wide range of goods. In the long run China isolating itself did not have a positive turnout, but Japan flourished and was successful because it embraced westernization. On March 31 the Treaty of Kanagawa was signed, which opened Japan to trade with the United States, and thus the West. In April 1860, the first Japanese diplomats to visit a foreign power reached Washington,