The Sui Empire was not able to maintain their authority in China because they could not support the massive undertakings in military expansion and public works that was required. This overextension led to the transition to the Tang Empire. The changes in this period of Chinese history was the reunification of China, and the massive public works projects that they undertook including the Grand Canal, irrigation projects and improvements to the Great Wall. The continuity that took place during this era was a return to the Confucian state philosophy and the strong political influence of the Buddhist philosophy. In 618 the powerful Li family ended Sui rule and created the Tang Empire.
These great empires’ falls were similar in many ways, and also different in numerous ways. The Roman Empire and Han China were similar in their falls because they both crumbled from internal problems, such as their corrupt governments; however, their falls were different in that the Roman Empire fell from outside invasions while the Han Dynasty fell from an internal revolt of the Yellow Turbans. Both the Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire suffered from political issues in their declines. Both Empires had corrupt bureaucracies that led to their deteriorations. The Roman Empire’s major reason in why it failed politically is that the Empire was never able to find an effective way to pick the proceeding emperor resulting in the empire having crazy, profligate emperors.
After several victories and captures of cities by the Taipings the Chinese government eventually got tired of it and sent out for help from the west. They contracted a man named Frederick Townsend Ward and another named Henry Andreas Burgevine to form a mercenary force of people to assist the Chinese government force (FTW). With the help from the west, the Chinese government was able to stop the Taiping Rebellion. But what if the west hadn’t of helped? If the west hadn’t of helped I think that the Taiping Rebellion would have continued to take over provinces and eventually the Chinese government.
Culturally this was also the last century before the tradition of foot binding was outlawed. Opium Wars Before the imperialist treaties, foreign trade was restricted to the Guangzhou port of Canton. At this point China was still a self-sufficient agrarian society with no demand for foreign goods. England, France, Russia, Japan, and America were the Imperialist nations requesting more trade ports to be opened, however the British Empire were the most aggressive. The British owned East India Company, was already conducting illegal Opium trade across the China Indian border.
1. Compare and contrast the Roman and Chinese empires. Which do you find more striking their similarities or their differences? After hundreds of years fighting the Qin dynasty defeated everyone which unified north China and created first Chinese Empire. During this time China created political and cultural forms that would last a very long time even till this day.
Tang and Song Dynasty The Han Dynasty declines in the A.D 200’s and china separates. In 600’s a young general names Tang Taizong came to power and created the Tang Dynasty, which lasted from 618-907. The Dynasty built a vast empire very quickly. Tang rulers forced Vietnam, Korea, and Tibet to be their tribute countries. They stayed independent, but in order to do that they had to pay tribute or extra tax money.
China was in a hard time beginning with the political corruption of Manchu government. Defeating Japan in the year of Jiawu war , which is called Sino-Japanese War later , the Chinese ambassador , Li-Hong Zhang , signed up the treaty , and announced that Taiwan was ceded to Japan. Also, the compensation of treaty of Shimonoseki was cost two hundred million Sanqian million teals , which is three times of three hundred and sixty million yen . This made Taiwan having a dramatically changed. Before Japan’s dominion in Taiwan, Taiwan name all tenants on the land belong, in fact, control is by the small tenants.
The changes of the 13th and 14th century greatly affected the Chinese and changed China forever. It was the first time ever that the Chinese had been ruled, watched over, and governed by non-native Chinese people. Also, it discontinued the ‘art’ of foot binding for most of the population. The system of government created by Kublai Khan was made up of a deal made between Mongolian feudalism and the traditional Chinese autocratic-bureaucratic system. But still, socially the educated Chinese elite were in general not given the degree of esteem that they had been accorded previously under native Chinese dynasties.
The walls of the Forbidden City are meaningful as they seem to act as a barrier to segregate the inside and the outside world which makes China having no improvements throughout the hundred years. It also explains why China was defected in the later wars because of its backward idea. Besides, the word ‘Forbidden’ fully explains why it was segregated from the outside world as people were forbidden to enter the palace easily in the past. Therefore, it would be impossible that new elements can be inserted to the area. On the one hand, the Forbidden City represents the traditional and old side of China.
The British government retaliated with much force, resulting in Chinese defeat, which then forth became the Treaty of Nanking. The Treaty of Nanking is labeled as one of the “Unequal Treaties” for many reasons. When Britain implemented the Treaty of Nanking, much of the life that China knew would soon be no more, the island of Hong Kong was forced over to British ownership and control, rights were taken away, tariffs implemented, and the destruction of Opium by Lin caused a six million dollar “refund” to England. Since China was a closed nation, with an old-fashioned way of life and military technology, this caused a great disadvantage for them, trying to fight against what British was doing to their country. China had no say or control to what Britain was doing to them, and no way of fighting back or retaliating.