How Did The Economic Pressure From The West Forced China
China Resists Outside Influence (p. 368 - 375)
Economic pressure from the west forced China to open to foreign trade and influence.
The Chinese looked down on all foreigners, out of pride in their ancient culture. When the Qing emperor agreed to receive an ambassador from England, the emperor was not impressed because they already had everything. The European merchants were determined to find a product that the Chinese would purchase in large quantities. Eventually, the Europeans found opium, which is a drug that millions of Chinese people became addicted to. The Qing emperor was upset and sent a letter to Britain to stop trading opium with them, but they refused.
It led to the Opium War of 1839, which was the clash between the British and
the Chinese. The
Chinese were defeated; In 1842, they signed the Treaty of Nanjing, which gave Britain the island of Hong Kong, and in 1844, the United States and other foreigners received extraterritorial rights. The Taiping Rebellion was caused by a young man who wanted all Chinese people to share China’s wealth so that no one would live in poverty. In 1853, Hong captured the city of
Nanjing and declared it his capital. Many problems in China arose, and many foreign countries took advantage of it, creating a sphere of influence (an area in which the foreign nation controlled trade and investment). In 1899, the United States declared the Open Door Policy, proposing that China’s “doors” are open to merchants of all nations. Some Chinese peasants became fed up of the privileges that were granted to foreigners, and they came together and became the Boxers. They also started the Boxer Rebellion, where they went against the Dowager
Empress’s rule and foreigner privileges. At a certain point, China decided to restructure its government and started making reforms.
Economic pressure from the west forced China to open to foreign trade and influence.
The Chinese looked down on all foreigners, out of pride in their ancient culture. When the Qing emperor agreed to receive an ambassador from England, the emperor was not impressed because they already had everything. The European merchants were determined to find a product that the Chinese would purchase in large quantities. Eventually, the Europeans found opium, which is a drug that millions of Chinese people became addicted to. The Qing emperor was upset and sent a letter to Britain to stop trading opium with them, but they refused.
It led to the Opium War of 1839, which was the clash between the British and
the Chinese. The
Chinese were defeated; In 1842, they signed the Treaty of Nanjing, which gave Britain the island of Hong Kong, and in 1844, the United States and other foreigners received extraterritorial rights. The Taiping Rebellion was caused by a young man who wanted all Chinese people to share China’s wealth so that no one would live in poverty. In 1853, Hong captured the city of
Nanjing and declared it his capital. Many problems in China arose, and many foreign countries took advantage of it, creating a sphere of influence (an area in which the foreign nation controlled trade and investment). In 1899, the United States declared the Open Door Policy, proposing that China’s “doors” are open to merchants of all nations. Some Chinese peasants became fed up of the privileges that were granted to foreigners, and they came together and became the Boxers. They also started the Boxer Rebellion, where they went against the Dowager
Empress’s rule and foreigner privileges. At a certain point, China decided to restructure its government and started making reforms.