Final winner of Three-kingdoms Family of Sima History Research Paper

Qing Dynasty

Name

Institutional Affiliation

Qing and Ming Dynasties

Statement of Purpose

The rule of different dynasties marks ancient Chinese history. The Qing Dynasty was the last to implement the dynasty rule in China. Its rule was marked by victories and losses that came to define modern-day China. This makes the Qing dynasty an important element of Chinese History. The Ming dynasty came before the Qing dynasty. Its reign made the Chinese economy one of the largest in the world. Both these dynasties had an impact on Chinese culture, which sparked my interest in researching the topic to obtain more insights on the topic. Using the qualitative approach, I have located some sources on the topic crucial in analyzing the paper. The article seeks to highlight the history and the impact that the Qing and Ming Dynasties had on China.

Introduction

The Qing Dynasty marked the end of imperial dynasties in China. The dynasty had its reign lasted from 1644 up to 1912. The Qing dynasty rule is remembered for its initial years that were filled with prosperity and its final years marked by hardships. This period is noted as being the second time the Han people were not at the forefront of China’s leadership. In his article, Udry (2011) gives a detailed history of the Qing dynasty with an account of the impact the dynasty had over the empire. The Ming Dynasty held the lead before the Qing Dynasty while the Republic of China came to succeed the Qing dynasty. Jayne illustrates the history of Ming China in the article “In Defense of The Ming Dynasty” while also giving an account of the achievements the dynasty had over China (Jayne, 1990)The Qing Empire held its reign for close to three centuries, and it consolidated the territorial boundaries of modern-day China. The Qing Dynasty is ranked as the fourth biggest empire in the world. This article will compare the achievements both dynasties had and point out which was more influential.

The Ming Dynasty

The Ming dynasty ruled over China for 276 years. Also referred to as the Great Ming Empire, the dynasty was the last in China to be headed by the Han Chinese. During this period, the Chinese empire held the largest economy worldwide with an expansive land and more competent peoples' literature wise than there was in any other country. Various projects were conducted under the Ming dynasty such as the construction of the Forbidden City, a palace complex that was used to house emperors in the middle of Beijing and the Great Wall of China built along the East-West line to protect the empire from the frequent raids by neighboring countries. The Ming’s capital of Beijing fell to an uprising in 1644 that was spearheaded by Li Zicheng also known as the Dashing King. He replaced the Ming dynasty with the Shun Dynasty that would later be replaced by the Qing dynasty. Li Zicheng had a short rule that came to an end a year later due to his death (Meskill, 1982).

The Qing Dynasty

The Qing Dynasty traces its roots to the clan of Manchu Aisin Gioro that resided in Manchuria. Nurhaci, one a Ming vassal started banding up military banners. These banners were social units of the military that was comprised of Mongol, Manchu, and Han clans. Nurhaci orchestrated the unification of these Manchu clans. One of Nurachi’s sons, Hong Taiji had started to edge the Ming group out of liadong after which he created the Qing Dynasty. In the year 1644, Li Zicheng spearheaded a revolt of peasant rebels who took over the capital of Ming, Beijing. Wu Sangui, a Ming general, was not pleased by the invasion and refused to serve them. He instead chose to build an alliance with the Manchu clan and granted the Banner military access through the Shanghai pass. The conquest was under Prince Dorgon and resulted in the Banner armies defeating the rebels and taking over Beijing (Buoye, 2014). The transition of the Ming Dynasty to the Qing dynasty was significantly slowed down due to rebellions. The resistance stemmed from the Southern Ming and the eight-year revolution led by Wu Sangui. The revolutions slowed down the dynasty transition by nearly forty years. The Ming-Qing transition only came to completion in 1683 under the rule of the Kangxi Emperor. The Qing dynasty extended its territory and control further into Asia under the rule of Qianlong Emperor through his series of banner campaigns that lasted from the 1750s to 1790s.

During Qianlong Emperor’s era, the Qing Dynasty reached the height of its prosperity. This climatic period was, however short-lived as the dynasty started experiencing a decline in its economy and its control. The empire’s population reached a high of more than 350 million people, but a fiscal crisis eventually took place due to low taxes and government incomes. Corruption became rampant which undermined the empire’s credibility. The leadership was also under attack by rebels who were against the dynasty rule. The rulers of the dynasty held a closed mindset in a changing world. This rigidity made the government less flexible toward emerging issues that needed a fresh view. After the opium wars, European nations enforced what the Chinese refer to as Unequal treaties, trade policies that did not put restrictions on the importation and exportation of goods, extraterritoriality and ports in Chinese and Japanese cities open to trade due to the unequal treaties under international regulation. The dynasty withstood more rebellions. The Taiping Civil War was waged between 1850 and 1864 between the Qing Dynasty and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The Dungan Revolution that took place from 1862 to 1877 was another uprising that the Qing Dynasty faced. These revolutions were devastating To the Central Asia region that they took place as they claimed the lives of more than 20 million people. Most of these losses were not as a result of physical battle, but as a result of famine, that was caused by the war. These disasters led to what was the beginning of the decline of the Qing Dynasty. The government was aware of this decline, and it sought to arrest it through the Tongzhi Restoration. This was an attempt by the Qing Dynasty to bring reforms that would restore conventional order in China. Han Chinese nobles rose in defense of the Qing rulers in support of restoring the traditional order to the country. The results of the reforms were, however short lived as the country was faced by another uprising, the First Sino-Japanese war that was battled between the Qing Dynasty and the Japanese empire over the imperial control of Korea (Lieberman, 2008). The war weakened the Qing Dynasty’s influence as it lost control over Korea and it no longer possessed Taiwan. After its defeat, the Qing dynasty formed what was called the Newly Created Army in the year 1895. The dynasty was set to impose an ambitious Hundred Day Reform project, which was a 103-day reform movement in its political, cultural and education sectors and was set to take place from 11 June to 22 September 1898 spearheaded by the Guangxu Emperor. This did not come to bear fruit due to the coup that was staged by the Empress Dowager Cixi. The foreign powers seized China after the Scramble for Concessions catalyzed the violent Boxers which was a Chinese secret society that started the Boxer rebellion. Cixi declared war on these foreign powers but was no match. Her defeat led to the imperial being forced to flee to Xi’an.

The dynasty sought to implement new policies after conceding to sign the Boxer Protocol, an agreement between the Qing Dynasty and the Eight-Nation Alliance. These new policies, also known as the Late Qing Reforms touched on matters regarding elections, fiscal issues, administrative reforms and abolition of China’s exam system. Leaders competed to transform the Qing Dynasty into a modern country. 1908 marked the deaths of Cixi and the Guangxu emperor. The Wuchang rebellion that took place in October 1911 against the Qing Empire in Wuchang, Hubei, China lay the foundation for the Chinese Revolution or the Xinhai Revolution that overthrew the Qing Dynasty and established the Republic of China. The resignation of the final emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Puyi, was presided by General Yuan Shikai on February 12, 1912 (Zhang, 2000).

Comparison of Major Achievements

Ming Dynasty

Great Wall of China

Construction of the Great Wall of China begun towards the end of the third century under the rule of Qin Shi Huang, the first Chinese emperor. Not much of that wall is present today as it was renovated by the Ming authorities. This was as a result of the constant attacks by the Mongolian tribes. The wall was constructed for close to eighty years. It was extended and strengthened through the use of granite, limestone, clay and sticky rice. The wall was much taller and thicker than its predecessor. It covered the distance from the Bohai Sea, located in the east of the Western Jiayu Pass. The wall was fitted with watchtowers and barracks in case a threat was detected. Most of the Present day Great Wall was constructed in the Ming era (Jayne, 1990).

Chinese Medicine

One of the greatest pharmacologists and doctors in China had his career span in the Ming era. Li Shizhen during this period curated the most detailed medical book in Chinese medicine. The book has 1,892 records, information on over 1,700 drugs that came with more than 1,000 illustrations and over 10,000 prescriptions. It describes more than 1,000 herbs, including details such as the type, application, and flavor of these herbs. Corrections w...