Midterm

Question 1

Impacts of trade with the west on the economy, society and politics of the ming dynasty

Answer 1

Society: boom in textile, ceramic, silk, paper, cotton industries to meet the needs of urban residents.
Economy: expansion was possible because of international trade.
Politics: missionaries came to China and played a crucial role in introducing western science and Christianity

Question 2

Paper money in China

Answer 2

Chinese invented paper money at the end of the 7th century And Chinese authority issues nationally circulating notes by the 10th century

Question 3

China’s maritime expeditions 1405-1433

Answer 3

Ming state sponsored a series of Maritime expansion with over 60 ships and 20,000 crews participating and visiting more than 30 countries including India, the Persian Gulf and the coast of Africa. Predates European efforts of expansion

Question 4

Mateo Ricci

Answer 4

Jesuit missionary who started the Catholic mission in China and played crucial role in introducing Western science and Christianity to China. He learned Chinese and translated Chinese classics into Latin

Question 5

Ming centralized autocracy

Answer 5

First Ming emperor distrusted his own officials and centralized all state power and attempted to check his officials himself. Guaranteed the emperors absolute power

Question 6

Emperor Wanli

Answer 6

Was not interested in politics, power was exercised by the Emperor’s personal servants. They manipulated his power and heavily taxed peasants and merchants

Question 7

Xu Guangxi

Answer 7

Minister of right converted to Christianity. Translated Euclids Elements into Chinese. Became a head of bureau to update and revise the Chinese calendar

Question 8

Great Wall - Ming

Answer 8

Built to keep Mongols from raiding villages because Manchuria did not have land to farm. Restoring the wall to its power and glory was thought to best protect the empire

Question 9

Explain how the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty shaped the Ming state and how his governing style caused the development and collapse of the empire

Answer 9

Centralized autocracy made for too small size of professional bureaucrats, which allowed room for corruption, abuse of local elites power, and the unprofessionalism of local administration

Question 10

Yangzhou Massacre

Answer 10

After the sudden collapse of the Ming Dynasty, many Chinese intellectuals kept their loyalty to Ming. When Yangzhou resist it against the Manchu army, they massacred all citizens for 10 days as an example

Question 11

Koxinga

Answer 11

A leader of Ming loyalists, ex merchant and pirate, seized Taiwan from the Dutch colonial power in 1661

Question 12

Treaty of Nerchinsk

Answer 12

Treaty between China and Russia, after defeating Russians who moved towards Siberia

Question 13

Tibet in Qing era

Answer 13

The Mongols believed in Tibetan Buddhism. Qing emperors patronized Tibet Buddhism, and officially established political positions in Tibet in 1713. For the first time in Chinese history, Chinese exerted its political power on Tibet

Question 14

Chinese Rites Controversy

Answer 14

Dispute within the church about whether or not Chinese folk religion rights and offers to ancestors constituted the worship of an idol or cult image

Question 15

New crops in Qing era

Answer 15

Potato, sweet potato, peanut, corn. Pork became main meat consumed

Question 16

Female infanticide

Answer 16

Among the peasants, female infanticide is widely practiced. Produced a huge number of sexually frustrated male population, because many of the male population have no heir to conduct ancestor worship

Question 17

Tianzi

Answer 17

Title of the Chinese emperor, the guardian of the cosmos and the entirety of human beings under the heaven

Question 18

Middle Kingdom

Answer 18

The name of China, referring to China as the center of the world

Question 19

Opium trade

Answer 19

Opium addiction caused moral and social crisis in the Qing society. Outflow of silver for opium import caused the lack of silver in China, inflation, and tax increase for peasants. Qing authority attempted to stop the opium trade in 1839 by confiscating it from Britain and burning it

Question 20

Treaty of Nanjing

Answer 20

Chinese authority confiscating and burning British opium was used as an excuse by the British to start war with China to protect “the rights for free trade and private property”. In 1842 Qing authorities signed the treaty of Nanjing for peace

Question 21

Explain the irony of Pax-Sinica

Answer 21

During the era of the three great emperor’s, china experienced massive increase in population. Due to population increase, conflicts overland, cultural differences, and political system occurred. Population increase also exhausted political resources.

Question 22

Chinese world view from letter to the English ruler

Answer 22

All other nations and people were uncivilized and needed the guidance and aid and trade provided by China

Question 23

Taiping Rebellion

Answer 23

Started by Hong Xiuquan (claimed to be brother of Jesus and son of Jehovah). He attacked local Confucian temples and shrines and went to join the Hakka minority in Guangxi who were fighting Han immigrants. soon Taiping army took over Yangtze delta and built its capital in Beijing. Redistributed land; prohibited opium, gambling, tobacco, slavery, and concubinage; banned foot binding and Manchu hair style; replaced Confucian canon with Bible; allowed women to take civil exams and be officials

Question 24

Ever Victorious Army

Answer 24

Western poewrs organized militias to attack the Taiping Army and offered advanced weapons and gunships to the Qing army to stop Taiping in the Yangtze River

Question 25

Self-strengthening movement

Answer 25

Li Hongzhang and Zuo Zongtang launched this with imperial approval in 1861 with the purpose of strengthening China to resist the West; sought to adapt western technology - warfare, weaponry, industrialization, transportation, and communication

Question 26

Office for the Management the Business of All Foreign Countries

Answer 26

Qing established this in 1861 as acknowledgement that it was one of many countries in the world; realized China should follow Western international law

Question 27

Sino-Japanese War

Answer 27

US threatened Japan to open harbors and Japan accepted the request and signed off on unequal trade to avoid conflict; Japan wanted to control Korea before imperialist powers, but Qing interfered. Japanese army and navy defeated Qing’s, making them give up their right to Korea, Taiwan and Liadong peninsula; also paid 4 times Japan’s annual revenue in yen - great shame to China

Question 28

Reform Movement of 1988 (Hundred Days’ Reform)

Answer 28

After defeat by Japan, reform-minded Qing intellectuals argued that the self-strengthening movement did not go far enough to change China’s legal and political system.
Wanted more radical and institutional reforms.
Liang Qichao added two principles: to engage in ordinary Chinese citizens in the nations affairs, and promote nationalism.
Kang Youwei, Liang’s teacher, created reform plan: modern education system with focus on math and science instead of Confucianism, and changing the gov’t from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy with democracy. Argued for participatory gov’t and nationalism
reform failed and gave great impetus to more revolutionary forces in China

Question 29

Boxer Uprising and Local Christian Groups

Answer 29

Boxers: martial art masters and trainer, poor men and women peasants, Buddhist and Taoist monks, canal bargemen, old style soldiers, prostitutes ; the lower class of Qing society
Movement combined with popular religious secrets
Boxers believed they were possessed by local gods and spirits, claiming they were invincible

Question 30

China Relief Expedition Army

Answer 30

8 Western countries organized this to attack and seize Beijing after the Boxers were supported by the imperial army to attack Westerners

Question 31

Boxer protocol

Answer 31

China Relief Expedition Army decided to punish China's support of Boxers by payment of 450mil taels of silver, Qing allowance of foreign troops based in Beijing, and over 50,000 Chinese citizens accused of being Boxers and executed by BOTH foreign and imperial troops
Lower class people saw Qing court as betrayer, thus losing its legitimacy to govern the ordinary people.

Question 32

How did the elite and the masses understand the causes of the crisis that the Qing society experienced in the 19th century in different ways? How did their reactions differ?

Answer 32

Elites: learning western military technology was necessary, innovation by institution and ideological change, and strengthening national power and protecting sovereignty was a main goal
Masses: cause of the crisis was due to active expansion, international trade, and population increase; cultivated lands only increased twice when population grew 100m to 400m