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Begining of the dynasty
In 1644 the Manchus invaded China, and setup a new dynasty known as the Qing Dynasty. Qing means ‘pure’ in Chinese -
Period: to
The Qing Dynasty
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Conquering of Mongolia, Taiwan, Tibet, and much of western Asia
Qing emperors used their military forces to extend their empire outward conquering Mongolia, Taiwan, Tibet, and much of the territory in western Asia that had long been inhabited by nomads. -
Population explosion to 300 million
Improved farming techniques under the Qing Dynasty allowed the population to explode reaching more than 300 million, and making China the most populous nation on Earth. -
The Portuguese establish a trading port in Macao
The Portuguese established a trading port in Macao in 1557, in order to help them secure their control over the Indian Ocean, and over trade between Europe and China. -
Decline of the dynasty
In the early 1700s the Qing Dynasty began a long slow decline. As the population of China grew, it became more difficult to rule them. -
China cracks down on opium smuggeling
In 1839, China enforced its prohibitions on the importation of opium by destroying at Guangzhou (Canton) a large quantity of opium confiscated from British merchants. Great Britain, which had been looking to end China's restrictions on foreign trade, responded by sending gunboats to attack several Chinese coastal cities. -
War breaks out
The First Opium War beginning date was March 18, 1839 -
The Taiping Rebellion
In 1850 a revolt known as the Taiping Rebellion greatly weakened the Qing Dynasty, and lead to their being overthrown a few decades later. -
China is defeated
After being attacked, China, unable to withstand modern arms, was defeated and forced to sign the Treaty of Nanjing (1842) and the British Supplementary Treaty of the Bogue (1843). -
The second war breaks out
In 1856 a second war broke out following an allegedly illegal Chinese search of a British-registered ship, the Arrow, in Guangzhou. -
Britan and France capture Guangzhou and Tianjin
British and French troops took Guangzhou and Tianjin and compelled the Chinese to accept the treaties of Tianjin (1858), to which France, Russia, and the United States were also party. -
Rewnewal of the war
Renewal of the war in 1859 -
End of the war
The Beijing conventions of 1860, by which China was forced to reaffirm the terms of the Treaty of Tianjin and make additional concessions, concluded the hostilities. -
British merchants begin smuggling opium
Early in the 19th cent., British merchants began smuggling opium into China in order to balance their purchases of tea for export to Britain.
