Chinese and the Manchus

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer traces the evolution of Chinese attitudes toward the Manchus from 1644 to 1796. The writer looks at how these attitudes affected the course of the Qing government. The writer explains that the Qing, or Manchus, were responsible for overseeing China's last period of imperial rule. Furthe, the writer notes specific turning points and looks at what effects they had on policy. The writer also discusses that during the height of their power, the Manchus adopted many aspects of Chinese culture, won widespread Chinese collaboration and ruled China with a surprising amount of popular acclaim, while still retaining special privileges for their own people.

From the Paper:

"The early greatness of the empire fostered a sense of pride in all Chinese people and increased positive attitudes towards the usurpers of the Ming throne. Under the Manchu rule the empire grew to include a larger area than before or since. The Qing was the first dynasty to eliminate successfully all danger to China via the land. The Emperor K'ang Hsi, who reigned from 1661-1722, consolidated the Manchu regime by suppressing internal rebellions from 1673-81 and then defeated the Mongols and Tibetans. He also signed a peace treaty with Russia. This practice of effective relations with foreigners was cultural as well as political. At first, the Manchu emperors practiced toleration towards the West. They even accepted Jesuit missionaries into China, but when converts were told to reject Confucius, ancestor worship, and a cosmology that placed the Emperor at the center of the universe in terms of significance, this lead to the expulsion of the Roman Catholic missionaries in the early 18th century."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Nilsson, Jan-Erik. "Qing." Chronology. Text based on China: A CountryStudy by Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, Edited by Robert L. Worden, Andrea Matles Savada and Ronald E. Dolan. Research Completed July 1987. Created 2002. Updated 23 Feb 2007.<http://www.gotheborg.com/index1.htm?http://www.gotheborg.com/chronology/qing.shtml>
• Pamintuan, Tina. "Breaching the Great Wall: How the Manchu Took China." Humanities. March/April 2003. Volume 24/Number 2.<http://www.neh.gov/news/humanities/2003-03/greatwall.html>
• "Qing Dynasty." The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Columbia University Press, 2003. Answers.com 23 Feb. 2007. <http://www.answers.com/topic/qing>
• Woo, Philip. "The Chinese Revolution of 1911: Underlying Causes." The Corner. 23 Feb 2007 <http://www.thecorner.org/hist/china/chin-revo.htm#INTERNAL%20DECLINE%20OF%20THE%20CH'ING%20(Qing)%20DYNASTY>

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