Structures - Yousef
Which of these was the most powerful in China's political structure?
-Province
-Ministry
Province.
Emperor > Province > Ministry.
He was the most corrupt official in Chinese History.
Who was Heshen?
Where did Lord Macartney see Emperor Qianlong?
Emperor Qianlong's Summer House
A series of military operations that Emperor Qianlong launched across China's borders, suppressing rebellions and establishing Qing dominance in the region.
What were the Ten Campaigns?
What are the two main parts of the tribute system that foreign countries had to perform?
Foreign countries needed to perform the series of bows, the kowtow, and give their gift of tribute to the emperor.
What was the Mandate of Heaven?
The Mandate of Heaven was a Chinese concept that granted Dynastic rulers the divine right to rule China, and its strength would fluctuate based on the Dynasty's ability to maintain peace and prosperity. Corruption and the declining of a dynasty would experience disasters like floods/famine and revolts/rebellions. This would lead to this Dynasty losing the Mandate of Heaven, where a new Dynasty claims they have it and that new Dynasty gains power, restoring peace.
This was a result of overpopulation without proper land distribution, peasants were unable to provide for themselves so these incidents occurred.
What are Peasant Rebellions?
In response to Lord Macartney's embassy, Emperor Qianlong wrote this rejection to the requests.
Letter to King George III
Manchu households were categorized based on these, which later became elite Qing military forces
What were the Eight Banners?
Foreigners were not allowed to live in Canton as part of the Canton System. Where did they have to live?
a. Shanghai b. Beijing
c. Ningpo d. Macau
d. Macau
Describe the Meritocratic System within China.
China followed a system of Meritocracy. This meant no more jobs in the government simply because your parents worked there. You had to pass a civil service exam, where you would be quizzed on Chinese history, as well as other topics relating to the country as well as Confucianist values. If you passed, you could work in the government, and you could keep getting higher government positions by passing more difficult exams. Women could not take exams though.
The trade of this foreign substance led to high corruption. It even caused a war after Qianlong.
What is Opium?
Identify one request Lord Macartney's Embassy submitted to Heschen.
- Opening of Trade ports: Chusan, Ningpo, and Tientsin.
-Warehouse in Beijing for merchants selling goods.
- An unfortified island near Chusam where the British merchants could live and store their goods.
- Freedom of movement between Macau and Canton.
- Publish imperial tariffs.
This campaign was conducted in 1787 to suppress rebellions by indigenous Austronesian peoples.
What was the Taiwanese Campaign (1787-1788)?
What did foreign countries indirectly receive from the tribute system, other than trade with China?
They indirectly gained prestige from a subordinate association with the Middle Kingdom, China.
Identify AND Explain the many reasons as to why the Mandate of Heaven was Weakened and Strengthened from Emperor Qianlong's decisions.
Strengthened:
Canton System: This was an economic decision that limited trade to the city of Canton. It restricted western trade to the city of Canton (Guangzhou.) It helped keep a steady flow of silver into the Chinese economy, while also making sure to keep in check the spread of Western influence via religion and culture, as it made foreigners stay locked in that city and not roam freely.
Suppression of Rebellions: Emperor Qianlong eliminated many Anti-Qing rebellions as well as many other rebellions that threatened people and the loss of territory, such as those that erupted in Taiwan. There were those who also threatened Chinese conservative traditions, such as the Taiping rebellion which was suppressed by the government.
Weakened:
10 Military Campaigns: These campaigns were foreign affairs campaigns, which ultimately led to the loss of great land and resources. The loss of resources was due to many circumstances acting upon each other. The affairs themselves soaked up resources from the government, but at the same time Emperor Qianlong got rid of land tax for 1 whole year at the same time, which led to even more loss of money for the government. At the same time, the Burmese army which ultimately defeated the Chinese army had much stronger European military technology, which was undermined and led to a devastating loss. These campaigns also led to distrust between the Emperor and the military, as the generals of the military lied to the emperor about the success of these foreign affairs in fear of death, leading to a weakened military.
Corruption: There was a stupendous amount of corruption during Qianlong's late years as an emperor. A notable corrupt official was Heshen, who took many bribes and stole money from the military funds as well as many other funds from the government due to having a close relationship with the Emperor. Emperor Qianlong also tried to burn books that were Pro-Ming or Anti-Qing after the 10 Campaigns in fear of outlash from the people. The land tax collectors also did not follow the rules and took more than they were supposed to, leading to famine in many places and towns that could not fund themselves, which is a sign of a declining dynasty.
The public lost trust in the dynasty by the end of Qianlong’s time. Explain 2 of the reasons behind their change in opinion.
Higher taxes from officials that were corrupt led the public to lose their trust. People began to completely lose their hope as they would have to give up their food that they needed just to pay the taxes to avoid the punishments.
Overpopulation led more people to become homeless and poor. The population growth did not match the land, meaning many people were left without jobs or food, something the government should have changed.
The failure of the Chinese military also made people lose their trust. After the massive losses/wastes of funding in the military, people began to believe that their military could not protect them when it mattered. This furthered the already growing anti-Manchu sentiment.
How does Emperor Qianlong portray a sense of superiority in his letter to King George III?
- He wrote abut how they had self sufficiency and possessed "all things in prolific abundance"
- Referred to China as the "Celestial Empire."
- Considered the relationship with Britain a tributary relationship: "submissive loyalty", "allow your barbarian merchants", "importrune my ear", "Tremblingly obey".
Name two of the Ten Campaigns which initially resulted in costly losses for the Qing
Burmese Campaigns, Vietnamese Campaign.
Identify two main reasons for these limitations to trade in the Canton System.
They believed they were self sufficient and did not need to trade to survive.
They were scared that too many foreign Christian missionaries would come into China with merchants and spread Christianity.
Explain how China's Political Structure as well as the prominent belief systems and Social Structure impacted Emperor Qianlong's actions in foreign affairs.
Emperor Qianlong's actions in foreign affairs such as the 10 Military Campaigns were greatly influenced by the culture and traditions rooted in China. The generals that were involved with these campaigns stopped their line of trust with the Emperor, as they feared the power granted to him. They lied about the outcome of the campaigns. This distrust between the Emperor and the Generals combined with the incompetence of the Generals led to the downfall of the 10 Military Campaigns. Another example would be the Letter to King George III, in which the Emperor is not afraid to threaten him and speak to him as if the King was below him, as in his eyes, the King was. The Emperor saw China as above Britain, and the people of Britain as barbaric. He saw that they needed China in trade, but not the other way around. This superiority complex led to the letter to King George III being created in a condescending manner, sparking trouble with Great Britain.
The imperial soldiers who fought in the White Lotus Rebellion experienced a plethora of challenges. Explain 2 of those challenges.
The soldiers struggled to differentiate rebels from citizens as they blended in well. This meant they were struggling to fight properly as they wouldn't want to hurt civilians.
The soldiers were underfunded and under-resourced. Heshen was prolonging the war in order to pay himself, making soldiers suffer as a result. They were forced to rob and loot locals in order to survive, which also made the peasents join the rebels.
The soldiers were also fighting in an unfamiliar area. Most soldiers did not know the mountainous region they were fighting in at all, making the Guerrilla tactics of the rebels incredibly effective. This made soldiers struggle even further.
One reason why the Western Trade Missions did not work.
A few examples:
- Clashing ideologies: China was isolationist, while Britain was trying to expand.
- Opposing worldviews: China thought they were the Middle Kingdom, Britain considered them equals.
- Britain failed to respect/change Chinese culture and social norms (refusal kowtow, for example).
These wars lasted decades and over a large area of modern-day China and Mongolia, and eventually led to the incorporation of Outer Mongolia, Tibet and Xinjiang into the Qing.
What were the Dzungar Campaigns?
What specific area within Canton was trade restricted to?
Within the Thirteen Factories area.