China was completely contrary from Central Africa on economic, political, and cultural bases during the 1500-1800. From 1000-1500 China led the world in economic development and there after experiencing the trauma of rule by the Yuan Dynasty, China adopted policies that favoured Chinese political and cultural tradition. On the other hand, the kingdoms of central Africa had initiated commercial relations with Portuguese merchants and diplomatic relations with Portuguese monarchy. Portuguese traded for slaves and slave trade undetermined the authority of the King. The Kings were converts of Christianity just to establish closer relations with Portuguese whereas Chinese has great problems with the exclusivity of Christianity but the Jesuits were respectful of Chinese culture and won a few converts.
Increasing trade with all major regions of the world c. A dislike of the arts and sciences d. A powerful centralized government 18. A “dynasty” in Chinese history was a. Any emperor who lasted more than two decades b. A family that passed the imperial title from generation to generation c. Powerful bureaucrats who ran the state d. Big business families who monopolized trade 19. Merchants in China were considered low prestige according to Confucian ideals because: a.
Throughout the 19th century, American relations with China were restricted to a small but profitable trade a. The British, in competition with France, Germany, and Russia, took advantage of the crumbling Manchu dynasty to force treaties on China, creating “treaty ports” and granting exclusive trading privileges in various parts of the country. b. American attitudes toward the Chinese people reflected this confusion of motives. 2. The annexation of Hawaii and Philippines in 1898 and 1899 convinced Secretary of State Hay that the US should have announced a China policy.
The Chinese believed in strict social groups and people were expected to behave according to their social position. This belief was further reinforced by the Chinese philosopher Confucius, who taught that strict social order and discipline was the key to a successful society. Men and women in ancient China were not equal and men were afforded far more privileges than women. The Chinese strongly believed in the wisdom of the elders and, as such, grandparents were greatly respected beneath the emperor, there were four main social classes in ancient China. These four classes were nobles and officials, peasants, artisans and merchant.
Buddhism, another belief practiced by the great Asoka Maurya, did not support the caste system and was, just like the Chinese Daoism, a religion of pure salvation which practiced elimination of desire in order to achieve a higher spiritual status or nirvana. Spread by missionaries it was one of the most practiced religions of that time, both in India and China, but it had little political impact due to its nature. Like in China, Indian social and political structure depended on the belief system, but it was not influenced by the dynastic
Imperialism became a huge component of China’s history, from 1839 to 1935. China responded to it through various rebellions and wars, reform and modernization, and by developing a united front. Numerous rebellions and wars came as a result of imperialism in China. The first war event that took place was the Opium War. Early in the nineteenth century, the British had gained great influence and rule over China, for it was more modernized and developed, and consequently had more power.
These Chinese explorations were really helpful, but also really expensive because of the large timber ships that they built. The government put a policy shift against voyages, and put a greater focus on domestic matters. The Members of the Ming Court advocated a greater focus on domestic and continental matters, emphasizing agricultural production, internal stability, a military buildup and colonization at the edges of the Central Asian steppe, and refurbishment of the Great Wall, designed to repel invaders (DOC 3, 4). Even though China had earlier technological innovations than Europe did (DOC 2) Europe still succeeded because China was governed by ignorant
It attempts to examine the relationship between the changing location of the cities and their respective growth and structural change. 1. 1840-1949 Hong Kong After’s China defeat in the Opium War in 1842, Hong Kong was ceded to Britain as a colony. Since Hong Kong provided “political and social access to the governor to influence British policies regarding China trade” (Meyer, 2000, p.57), it was proclaimed as the headquarters and ‘the grand emporium of Eastern Asia’ (Fairbank, 1969, cited by Meyer, 2000, p.60). Since then, Hong Kong emerged as an important entrepot by the early twentieth century.
Sinicization is one of the most common doubts by historians who study about Qing Dynasty. Question like ‘How did the Manchu who were outnumbered by Han Chinese people managed to conquered and succeeded in ruling China for so long?’ lead one to wonder whether one of the reason for their success is sinicization. This doubt about sinicization has brought two historians to debate and attack each other opinion publicly. According to historian Ping Ti Ho, sinicization is undoubtedly the key to the success of Qing Dynasty but historian Evelyn S.Rawski did not agree about sinicization and argues instead that Qing was quite a multiethnic empire. In Ping Ti Ho 1967 paper, he stated 5 reasons why Qing Dynasty is one of the most important dynasty.
I would agree that China, although powerful, is currently only a partial power and is not yet a superpower. A superpower is a powerful state that is that has immense influence on global affairs, with a dominant position in international relations. It is able to exert influence and project power on a global scale. The US and the former Soviet Union were able to fall under this category, as they were unarguably the most powerful countries of that time both militarily, economically or politically, and each of them could exert influence over many countries. Comparing to them, China lacks far behind in many aspects, especially influence, and can only be considered a partial power now.