Vous êtes sur la page 1sur 4

Up to 1750 or so, the commercial development and economic prosperity in China

was equal or higher than that of Europe

Sugar: Average 36 lbs per capita consumption in Britain 1850


Tobacco: Also used, like alcohol, in lubricating trade ties
Coffee: the second most valuable traded commodity today

All are addictive to some degree and alter bio-chemistry and they are expanded
from luxury goods in the 16th century to mass consumer goods by the 19th century.
All came to be massively produced on plantations, and most came to be used to
promote labor productivity in some way
Background to Opium War
Portuguese settlement in Macao: 1557
1690s-1840: European trade is NOT governed by tribute system
1760-1840: European trade restricted to the port of Canton
British East India Company: established 1600 have a government granted monopoly
on trade between Asia and Britain. Monopoly ends 1834
Britain becomes addicted to tea because it is marketable to all classes of consumer
AND no domestic competition. In 1760s: 1/6 of British government income is from
the Tea Tax.
Britain now as an issue that they are losing money because they keep buying and
not selling which causes them to lose millions in silver. To fix this issue, they start
selling opium. British merchants on the other hand try to open more ports with
Macartney in 1793 which ultimately results in no change.
Size of trade keeps increasing but flow of silver reverses
Silver scarcity makes it very hard for Qing peasants to pay taxes, and losing silver
and taxes from spending on opium was a big problem for the Qing
Commissioner Lin Zexu arrives in Canton in 1838, and confiscates British opium
First Opium War 1840-42: British gunboats decimate Chinese defenses
Treaty of Nanking/Unequal Treaties 1842
Second Opium War (Arrow War) 1856-60

Opium legalized
Legation established in Beijing
Emigration allowed
10 more treaty ports opened

Missionary activity allowed


Culminates in destruction of the Summer Palace

Meanwhile, in 75% of Qing territory, internal rebellions in the 1850s-70s


Taiping Rebellion 1850-1864: South China, 20-30 million killed
One cause behind Taipings: major economic dislocations in S. China from opening
new ports, shifting trade to Shanghai etc.
Missionary presence also plays role (Christs younger brother)
Nian Rebellion 1851-68 in North-Central
Muslim Rebellions 1862-73 in Northwest (and Southwest)
Factors why there were so many rebellions and instability: Qing decline, rich/poor
gap and population pressure, ethnic tensions within and without the Qing, foreign
pressure, etc.
ALL the big rebellions of mid 19th century are put down. The Qing is not so weak that
it falls yet; and the Han are not so angry that they attack the Manchu rulers.
1880s sees big push toward more direct rule of peripheries
1884 Xinjiang becomes province
Taiwan
1620-1650s Dutch and Spanish build settlements
1650s-80s Taiwan controlled by Zheng
1683 Qing take control of Western Taiwan
1700s-1860s Attempt to control migration unsuccessful as there are conflicts
between Han settlers and native Austronesians, so Taiwan has the status of a
prefecture under Fujian
1871-74: Ryukyu incident
1884-5 Sino-French War
1885: Taiwan becomes a province
By the late 19th century the Qing, under force or the threat of force is being
compelled to adopt Western modes of diplomacy:

Borders must be clearly delineated


Tribute relations replaced by principle of equality of nations

Qing subjects allowed to legally migrate abroad


Foreign embassies and consulates established

In many respects this involves adopting nation-states forms


Other aspects that will soon follow are that subjects becomes citizens (mass
education) and leveling of subjects before the law (uniformity of admin)
Sino-Japanese war 1895 conflict over domination of Korea
Japanese decimates Chinese military
Triple intervention (Germany, France, Russia) oppose Japans claim to Liaodong
peninsula
Japan takes Taiwan as a colony
Japan rejects all Chinese culture in an attempt to shift away from being Asian deasianization
Han migration/ immigration
Migration (domestic) and immigration (to foreign lands) are in many ways very
similar and in some cases domestic/foreign hard to tell apart
Taiwan population: 1700: about 100,000 1811: 1.9 million
Manchuria and Mongolia: most cities 80% Han by 1800s
Sojurning in and out of China
Officials: leaving home to serve in the provinces or capital
Merchants: Trade and markets
Huiguan: Guilds for provincial sojourners
Common folks: seeking land and jobs
Sending money home (remittances) plan to return
Sojourners are mostly male
With the influx of new crops, the population increases exponentially but
land per person drops drastically. As a result, this puts extreme pressure
on resources so people start migrating out.
By 1860 about 30,000 Chinese in US, mainly California, attracted by gold strike

1854: Chinese barred from testifying against Whites in CA courts; filling the labor
gap due to abolition of slavery and slave trade
Anti-Chinese riots: LA in 1871, SF in 1877, Rock Springs 1885, 1882 Chinese
exclusion act
Driven out of construction, factory work, and into Chinatowns
A mostly male society: population declines from 130,000 in 1883 to 90,000 in 1900

Vous aimerez peut-être aussi