Adam Brand, In the Presence of the Qing Emperor in Beijing, 1706
Problems of foreign encroachment… By the seventeenth century, European traders trying to increase contact with East Asia and China Can Chinese leaders find a way to deal with foreigners outside tributary system?
First Opium War, Treaty of Nanjing leads to unequal treaties and compromises Qing sovereignty
China in the age of imperialism
Taiping Rebellion ( )
How would China modernize? Goal of a wealthy nation, strong military Chinese officials trying to find a way to modernize within tradition – preserve Confucianism, but adopt technology
Chinese POWs in Japanese captivity after the war Late-Qing cartoon: temperatures rising, constitutionalism gaining
Fall of the Qing & Republic ( ) Sun Yat-sen emerges as national leader Drive to repair China’s international stature, reclaim lost territory Nationalism Socialism Democracy—after a period of military tutelage
Which revolutionary path to follow? Chiang Kai-shek & Mao Zedong: both favor state-led development Skeptical of democracy Significant western & Soviet support Different views of top- down or bottom-up development
Nationalist Government ( ) Warlord Period ( ): semi- independent territorial leaders Chiang Kai-shek leads Nationalist Party to military victory, reunifies country Focuses on state- led modernization; attacks Communists
Rapid economic, social, cultural modernity Rise of print media, film, music leads to tremendous cultural change Changing values place the individual at heart of political and social activity Rights of women & impoverished become focus of national concern Pages of Ling Long magazine, early 1930’s
Japanese troops enter Shenyang, Manchuria, 1931 Battle of Shanghai and Rape of Nanking, War with Japan,
The establishment of the PRC and Maoism ( ) Development based on government control of economic growth; high resource control, low taxation
Post-Mao: Deng Xiaoping reforms Light industry gains renewed focus Private control over agriculture and service-industry sectors Low taxation leads to low social services and loss of government control
Ongoing political and social issues As China modernizes, how will longstanding problems be resolved Change and growth versus stability Domestic integrity versus foreign contact & relations with East Asian / Pacific neighbors The problem of “virtuous rule” – does the PRC government still have legitimacy?