This period in Chinese history has been compared to Europe’s Middle Ages. After the Han collapsed, civil war broke out and for the next 350 years, China saw almost constant warfare. Never again would the country go through such a long period of disunity and confusion. A Period of Division This chaotic period inspired a […]
THE QING DYNASTY [1644-1912 ]: Part III
JAPAN RISING 1870s:A newly modernized Japan—which has been quicker in adapting to the West—starts flexing its new muscles in Taiwan and Korea, which had long been one of China’s tributary states. 1894-95: THE SINO-JAPANESE WAR Another humiliating rout for the Chinese. The superior Japanese military kicks Chinese ass on land and sea—the war is over […]
THE QING DYNASTY [1644-1912 ]: Part I
The Manchus contend that the Ming had lost the Mandate of Heaven, and declare a new dynasty, the QING (“pure” or “clear”). China is again ruled by non-Chinese foreigners, this time the northern Manchurians, who would stay in power for another two and a half centuries. For first 150 years—unchecked by foreign aggression—the Qing enjoyed […]
THE QING DYNASTY [1644-1912 ]: Part II
THE COLLAPSE OF EMPIRE [ 1842-1911 ] In the second half of 19th century, China was called “the sick man of Asia”. Karl Marx said that China was bound to disintegrate when it met the glare of outside light, like “any mummy carefully preserved in a hermetically sealed coffin.” But once again, history’s turbulence contained […]