Imperialism in China Learning Target #15: I can evaluate the ways in which British rule impacted China and led to resistance within China.

China Before Imperialism Before 1800, China was virtually the same as it was at the time of the birth of Jesus. China was orderly, proud, densely populated, and largely peaceful. Hardworking peasants and citizens, great scholars, great poets and thinkers. Many of our most important inventions have come from China Watches Paper Gunpowder Magnetic compasses Porcelain Silk In many ways, the Chinese Empire was superior to Europe. Europe wanted to learn from and trade with China. English asked for permission. Chinese Emperor Ch’ien-Lung declined “I pardon your understandable ignorance…Tremble at my orders and obey.”

First Opium War (1839-42) British longed to trade with China (for $$$ and resources) but had been declined by the emperor. British brought Opium (gathered from India) into China. Illegal in England, but many Chinese became addicts. 1839, Chinese authorities saw the dangers of Opium, and attempted to stamp out the trade. British were not happy, and came back with steamships armed with cannons. British defeated the Chinese and forced them to pay a huge sum of money and open their ports completely to foreign trade as punishment for the rebellion. Treaty of Nanking (1842)