In the late 1700s, China was self-sufficient. It had a strong farming economy based on growing rice. Other crops, introduced from the Americas, helped to feed its large population. Industry made silk, cotton, and ceramics. Mines produced salt, tin, silver, and iron. China needed nothing from the outside world.
China allowed only limited trade with European powers, and it all had to come through one port. The British were eager to find something that the Chinese would want in large quantities. In the early 1800s, they found it the drug opium, shipped mostly from India. Soon millions of Chinese were addicted to opium, and the Chinese government complained. When the British refused to stop the trade, war broke out. Because British ships had more powerful guns, China lost the war. As a result, in 1842, the British took possession of Hong Kong. Later, the United States and European nations won the right to trade in five ports. The Chinese resented these treaties but could not stop them. In the late 1800s, European powers and Japan each won a foothold in China a “sphere of influence.” This is a region in which a foreign nation controls trade and investment. The United States opposed these steps. It urged an Open Door Policy, in which all powers had equal access to Chinese markets. While the Europeans agreed, the result had little benefit for China. Though it was not formally carved into colonies, it was clearly dominated by foreign powers. The Empress Cixi ruled China in fact, even though younger emperors ruled in name. She supported some reforms. She backed the self-strengthening movement, which produced new ships for China. The program was not a complete success, though. In 1898, her nephew, the young Emperor Guangxu, tried to put in place broader reforms. Conservatives didn’t like this. The retired Cixi had him arrested and took back control of the government. China had lost a chance to change. Many Chinese grew increasingly resentful of foreign influence. They formed the Society of Harmonious Fists, known as the Boxers. They wanted to get rid of all Western influence including any Chinese who had accepted Western culture or the Christian religion. In early 1900, an army of Boxers surrounded Beijing’s European section. After many weeks, they were finally driven out by a multinational army of soldiers.
Luis Rafael Acta 10A
One reason in which China didn't need or want anything from the West was because they were self-sufficient. In a letter from the Qing emperor to the ambassador of England, he explained that they already have everything they needed, and they didn't need help from anyone. China's rice production increased greatly and it helped them to feed their huge population growth. They also had extensive mining and manufacturing industries, rich salt, tin, silver, and iron mines produced great quantities of ore, land the mines provided work for tens of thousands of people. The only place that they traded with foreign nations was in southern Guangzhou, and it was always in China's favor because they earned much more for its exports than it spend on imports. China had a lack of interest in trading with other nations, so they didn't pay much attention to foreign countries. Problems started when Qing Emperor heard that English merchants smuggled opium into China for nonmedical use and neraly 12 million Chinese got addicted to it. Qing Emperor sent a letter to Queen Victoria complaning about the sell of opium since it was forbidden in their country. England didn't end the trade because they made huge fortune out of it. They went to war, and Britain won because Chinese fighting weapons were nothing comparing to the technological advanced fighting machines that Britain had. As a result of the defeat, they signed the Treaty of Nanjing that authorized Britain to take over Hong Kong.
Problems started in the mid-19th century when the population of China increased dramatically and the food production wasn't enough. the hunger spread and it led to rebellions. A well-known rebellion was the Taiping Rebellion, meaning "great peace" translated in Chinese. With the Treaty of Nanjing, the external influences increased because these Chinese in Hong Kong were exposed into Western way of life everyday. With the sphere of influence, China became everyday weaker so other nations took advantage of that and started to take control of China's economy. Reforms started to take place as a result of the unfair foreign privilages and the external influences that have changed Chinese's way of life. Some Chinese were converted into Christians and adopted western ways of living while others resented the outside influence and led a movement called the Boxer Rebellion.
Saluna Chow 10a
The West made China some offers that they rejected mainly because they were self-sufficient. They explained to England that since they had everything they needed, they didn´t need help. This self-sufficiency was mainly due to its rice production, they could feed the population because the production was growing too fast. Another reason they were extremely self-sufficient was their rich salt, tin, silver, and iron mines that produced great quantities of ore, plus beautiful silks, high quality cottons, and fine porcelain. Due to their self-sufficiency they didn´t traded with nowhere else rather than Guangzhou. China earned more on their exports more than what they spent in their exports. European merchants found opium and began to sell it in China as nonmedical use and 12 million people became addicted to it. England didn´t stop selling opium to China, even though Queen Victoria has been warned about it, because they were obtaining huge profit out of it. Britain took over Hong Kong because they won the Opium War and signed the Treaty o Nanjing, which stated it.
In the late 19th century, China´s population grew dramatically and they didn´t have enough food production to feed the whole population. As a result, people rebelled. One of the most common rebellions was the Taiping Rebellion, “great peace”. China became weaker and weaker and other nations began to take control of parts of China and China´s economy. Foreign countries were taking advantages of China´s way of life so reforms started. Some Chinese denied the external influences and started a movement called the Boxer Rebellion while other Chinese adopted the ways of living and became Christians.
Gabriela Elias :D
China had been long resisting outside influence. This was mainly due to the fact that the Chinese produced everything they needed, from agricultural products to agricultural goods. As a result of this trade wasn’t necessary. The Chinese also wanted to keep their own order; they didn’t want any exterior influence that would bring a change in this ancestral order. The only port were foreign trade was allowed in was the port of Guangzhou. In order to take advantage of trade with the Chinese the Europeans began trading with opium at Guangzhou. Many Chinese became addicted to the opium, therefore the opium trade increased considerably. The Chinese authorities told the British to stop this trade, but they refused. China and Britain went to war. China was defeated and forced to give up Hong Kong.
The open door policy was passed in order to prevent the colonization of China by any European country. This policy opened China to trade with all nations. Other reforms were also taking place in China. Under the rule of the Empress Cixi reforms in the areas of education, diplomacy, military, and industry were taking place. China was no longer untouched by foreign influence.
Claudia Franjul
chinese thought they have all the need. china was self-sufficient, because of its healthy agricultural economy. also it had mining, manufacturing industry, rich salt, tin, silver, and iron mines, which provided work for thousands of people, beautiful silks, high-quality cottons, and porcelain. as they were prosperous they dont need anything from the west at larger quantities. Europeans were determined to find a product the Chinese would buy in large quantities. so they did and in 1835 as many as 12 million people were addicted to opium. the chinese emperor got angry and, after nothing happen when they try to stop this by word, there was a clash between the British and Chinese. the Chinese were defeated and in 1842 they signed a peace treaty britain control over Hong Kong. so they basically lost. because their population grew too much they didnt have supply for the big demand of food. soon opium addition rose steadily and people rebel against the Qing Dynasty. all those problems helped other nations to step in and take increasing control over China's economy. humiliated by their loss of power, many Chinese pressed for strong reforms. chinese people were frustrated with the situation and result into rebellion, also caused by foreigners privileges and chinese christians. this result in a strong sense of nationalism. reform began when the Qing court realized that china need to make profound changes. even though Dowager Empress convened a national assembly to establish a full contitutional government, the turmoil in china did not end.
China was totally opposed to outside influence mainly because they thought they had all they needed. In fact, at the time, they were going good because they had their own agricultural methods, and they produced cotton, silk, rice and many other goods, which basically fed china's enormous population. Also, china was rich in tin, salt and iron, which helped produced big quantities of ore. This mines were very important at the time because they not only produced ore, but they also provided jobs for thousands of people which helped the people mantain economically. Because of this china thought that they dint need outside influence to maintain their country. Eventually something attracted the Chinese people, and it was the opium, European merchants started to sell big quantities of opium to china. This drug had such an impact on the Chinese, that by 1835, about 12 million of Chinese were smoking this drug and becoming addicted to it. Because of this great quantity of people that smoked opium, the Chinese emperor was very upset, and demanded Europeans to stop trading this drug, and of course they refused causing the start to what was called the opium war. but what the Chinese didn't know was that the britains were very advanced in technology which led them to defeat the chinese. after many years later, the chinese were conscious that they needed to make changes to maintain their people so in 1905, they sent a group of officials to study the way of government of many important countries. when they came back, they recommended to restructure their government based on a constitutional monarchy of japan, and it was accepted, and from there on, many reforms were passed to make this country, a bigger country than what it was.
Tiffani Chalas
China was very prosperous when it came to food. With their main crop as rice and also producing peanuts, cotton, silk, salt, and silver as well. They didn't need any imports from anyone for the Chinese lived well. China was very skeptical about trading and only had one route. Britain bought large amounts of tea from China. So large in fact, that they had nothing to give back and desperately searched for something to export to China. Soon Britain started shipping Opium brought from India. Opium is a very dangerous drug and China tried to make them stop. This caused the Opium War. Soon Britain took over Hong Kong following the USA, and other European nations taking over other parts of China to make more trading routes. China could do nothing but let it go on. China's government was not fit to solve this situation due to the problems already existing. Also, the population in China grew way too fast. Soon the Taiping Rebellion led by Hong Xiuquan, which led millions of peasants to help and fight against outside countries controlling China. This destroyed many of the farmland leaving at least 20 Million people **dead*. After many different affairs including the Boxer Rebellion China was still unable to stop the trading but reformed.
- Tiffani Chalas
-China was able to resist these offers from the west because it was largely self sufficient. The basis of this self-sufficiency was China’s healthy agricultural economy. Because of their self sufficiency, the Chinese had little interest with the west. European merchants were determined to find a product the Chinese would buy in large quantities which was the opium. This growing supply of opium caused great problems for China. British refused to stop trading opium. The result was the opium war in which China was defeated leading to the extraterritorial rights.
-Growing internal problems put tremendous pressure on the Chinese government and also foreign pressure on China started to increase. During the 19th century resisted foreign change but knowing this the foreign countries took advantage over china an attacked them. After ceasing control of the area in china the nations got the economic power over the region. Since the US was a trade partner with china they made the open door policy so they could protect their trade.
Kendrick Abreu Grullon
During this period, China was able to resist the offers from the west. The basis of this self-sufficiency was China’s healthy agricultural economy. China was in good conditions in which because of this it had little interest with the west. China was traditionally not interested in the West because it was already largely self-sufficient.The fact that China is the biggest producing rice country, people wanted to make trades with them. The fact that they were not having problems they decided to not to, until the European then decided to make trade with them with the Opium. The Opium is like a medicine doctors in China used for hundreds of years. When British refused to continue trading with them, the Opium War began. However they than began to do treaty in which one of them was to give Britain the island of Hong Kong. The growing of the population increased however the food wasn't. Although Guangxu’s effort at reform failed, China ended up establishing a full constitutional government.
Natasha Chami
