Encounters in East Asia By Morgan Uerling

European Trade with China Ming dynasty ended oversea explorations in mid 1400s Confucian officials wrote in a Ming document ◦ “Since our empire owns the world, there is no country on this or other sides of the seas which does not submit to us.”

Strict Limits on Trade Portuguese traders reached China in 1514 European textiles and metalwork were not as good as Chinese products ◦ Chinese demanded payment in gold or silver The Ming then allowed the Portuguese a trading post at present-day Guangzhou Foreigners could trade only at Canton under strict supervision

Scholars and Missionaries Jesuit priest Matteo Ricci made a positive impression on Ming China Ricci learned to speak and dress Chinese in the 1580s Ricci and other priests had little success spreading their own religions although it was welcomed by Chinese rulers

The Manchu Conquest By the early 1600s the Ming dynasty was decaying Manchu invaders from the north pushed through the Great Wall ◦ Manchus ruled a region in the northeast that was influenced by Chinese civilization 1664, Manchu armies seized Beijing and made it their capital

Qing Rule Manchus set up a new dynasty called the Qing ◦ Qing meaning “pure” To keep their distinct identity, Manchus banned intermarriage between Manchus and Chinese They won support from Chinese scholars-officials because they adopted the Confucian system of government One Manchu and one Chinese were chosen for each top government position Local government remained by the Chinese but were supervised by Manchu troops to ensure loyalty

Qing Rule (cont.) Kangxi ruled from 1661 to 1722, the most brilliant age of the Qing ◦ He was an administrator and military leader He extended Chinese power and promoted Chinese culture into Central Asia Kanqxi’s grandson, Quianlong reigned from 1736 to 1796 ◦ Retired after 60 years because he didn’t want to rule longer than his grandfather had Expanded Chinese borders to rule the largest area in the nation’s history

Prosperity Chinese economy expanded under both emperors Crops from the Americas boosted farm output ◦ Corn and potatoes ◦ Contributed to a population boom Population rose from 140 mil. in 1740 to 300 mil. by 1800 This encouraged further growth in silk, cotton and porcelain

Response to Westerners Europeans kept pressing to expand trade to cities other than Guangzhou 1793, Lord Macartney brought samples of British goods to show the Chinese the advantages of trading with westerners ◦ Chinese thought they were crude products Macartney refused to perform the traditional Kowtow ◦ Touching his head to the ground to show respect to the emperor

Response to the Westerners (cont.) The negotiations between the Chinese and Macartney faltered ◦ Offending the Chinese by speaking of the natural superiority of the English In a letter to King George III, Qianlong rejected the request for trading rights This eventually backfired on Qianlong ◦ The Chinese then had to learn about western advances the hard way

Korea and Isolation Korea restricted outside contacts in the 1500s and 1600s The Choson dynasty firmly embraced Confucian ideas ◦ Felt Confucian learning was the most advanced in the world Two other events led the Koreans to turn inward ◦ Japanese invasion in the 1590s and the Manchus conquered Korea in 1636 Korea then became a tributary state ◦ Run by its own government

Korea and Isolation (cont.) Excluded all foreigners except the Chinese and a few Japanese ◦ Others were imprisoned or killed Became known as the “Hermit Kingdom” 250 years of isolation ◦ Great age for Korean arts and literature

Japan and Foreign Traders At first welcomed the western traders Portuguese reached Japan in 1543 ◦ Then came the Spanish, Dutch, and English Quickly acquired firearms and built European designed castles European missionaries brought Christianity ◦ A growing number of Japanese adopted the faith

Japan and Foreign Traders (cont.) The Tokugawa shoguns grew hostile toward the foreigners They were threatened by the Japanese Christians because they seemed to owe their allegiance to the pope rather than Japanese leaders ◦ There were about 300,000 Japanese Christians ◦ They brutally persecuted Japanese Christians

Looking Ahead Japanese maintained strict isolation policy for more than 200 years Internal trade boomed By the early 1700’s present-day Tokyo had a population of 1 mil. In 1853 Japan was forced to open to the western world ◦ Helped Japan emerge as a major world power

People Matteo Ricci – Italian Jesuit priest who learned to speak Chinese Manchu’s – Invaded China from the North, set up the Qing dynasty after overthrowing the Ming dynasty. Kangxi – Ruled from , extended Chinese power into Central Asia and promoted Chinese culture Qianlong – Grandson of Kang Shee, ruled from retired after 60 years because he did not want to rule longer than his grandfather Hermit Kingdom – Korea chose Isolationism, excluding all foreigners except the Chinese and few Japanese Francis Xavier – Jesuit priest that went to Japan and found them eager to learn about Christianity

Review Questions What policies did the Ming and Qing dynasties follow regarding trade? They restricted trade to certain times. How was Korea similar to China? China controlled it, they had the same culture, government, etc. Under the Tokugawa shoguns what was trade like in Japan? They allowed trade at first and then refused to allow it.

Bibliography ltural_sphere ltural_sphere uest_of_China uest_of_China