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Opium War
This is a conflict between China and Britian. It lasted till 1842. This War was because the British Government did not respnd to China's demands. When the Chinese tried to forcibly stop the opium trade, war broke out. Chinese army and naval forces were no match for the better armed and better trained British. -
Treaty of Nanjing
British gained control of the region near Nanjing. At that point, Qing officals agreed to negociate on British Terms. Under the terms of the 1842 Treaty of Nanjing, China gave officals the island of Hong Kong to the British. It also opened five ports to British trade. In addition, British subjects in the ports would be governed by British; extraterritoriality was then the form of governing. -
The Treaty of Wanghia
The Treaty of Wanghia, signed on July 3, 1844 and ratified unanimously by the U.S. Senate on January 16, 1845, marked the beginning of formal Sino-American diplomatic relations. The Treaty of Wanghia allowed American citizens to merchandize equally in the five treaty ports. When in China, they would enjoy the right of extraterritoriality Americans could buy land and build. churches, hospitals, and burial grounds in the five treaty ports. -
The Taiping Rebellion
It lasted till 1864. It caused terrible destruction in southern China and the yangtze valley. Millions of people were killed. Cities and Farmlands were destroyed. To make matters more difficult for Qing rulers, Muslims in central and western China Launched their own rebellions at the same time. The Taiping Rebellion and the other revolts weakended both the Qing dynasty and the nation as a whole. -
Empress Dowager Cixi
Empress Dowager Cixi tried to modernize China. She failed to due this because people were clinging to their traditional values. The failure of China's modernization led to other countries colonizing China. This involved the spheres of influence which were areas that were not colonies or protectorates; it was an area in which one nation had a special interest, and other nations agreed to respect those special interests. -
Self-Strengthening Movement
The Self Strengthening Movement was a 19th century push to modernize China, particularly in the fields of industry and defense. They hoped to strengthen the nation by preserving Qing rule and maintaining traditional Confucian values, while embracing Western military and industrial practices. China had to actively engage with Western nations, examine their trade and technology, encourage the study of Western languages and develop a diplomatic service to connect with foreign governments. -
Sino-Japanese War
In 1894 a rebelllion broke out in Korea. The rebels wanted their people to be free from Chinese control. Japan and China sent armed forces to Korea. This created the war; foreigners predicted an easy victory for the large Chinese army. The Japanese, however, had done a better job of modernizing than China. They were well equipped and prepared. Japanese troops scored quick victories on both land and sea. in surprisingly short time, Japan had defeated China. -
Treaty of Shimonoseki
In 1895, the Treaty of Shimonoseki ended the Sino-Japanese War. China was forced to give Korea its independence. Japan gained control of the island of Taiwan and some other small islands next to it. Japan also gained control of an area along the coast of Manchuria. In addition, Japan won the right to trade in China. This war between Japan and China marked the beginning of Japan as a major world power. -
The Open Door Policy
Open Door policy, statement of principles initiated by the United States for the protection of equal privileges among countries trading with China and in support of Chinese territorial and administrative integrity. The statement was issued in the form of circular notes dispatched by U.S. Secretary of State John Hay to Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, and Russia. The Open Door policy was received with almost universal approval in the United States, and for more than 40 years. -
The Boxer Rebellion
A Chinese secret organization called the Society of the Righteous and Harmonious Fists led an uprising in northern China against the spread of Western and Japanese influence there. The rebels, referred to as Boxers because they performed exercises they believed would make them able to withstand bullets, killed foreigners and Chinese Christians and destroyed foreign property.By the terms of the Boxer Protocol, which officially ended the rebellion in 1901, China payed $330 million in reparations.
