The Growth of Industry-Improved communications and the application of western technologies Flashcards
what was a result of the two unsuccessful wars against Britain for the Qing
weakened Qing empire, British control over the treaty ports
why were the British interested in controlling china’s waterways and river systems
trade deep into the heart of the empire, enable them to sell goods (opium) and extract wealth from china– export goods back to Britain
why was Britain able to control china’s waterways?
new technologies of naval steam power– iron hulled steam powered battle ships destroyed the Chinese Navy in the wars
what was a devastating effect of British steamships being in china?
they introduced modern mass produced goods to the interior of china– disrupted the traditional artisan-based economy
before british control over waterways, what was the only method of navigating china’s rivers?
traditional chinese Junk or sampan
how many miles of railway was there in china by 1881
50 miles
who operated the Shanghai Steam Navigation company, Yangztee steamer company and Indo-China steam company
merchants such as Jardine and Matheson (grown wealthy from the opium wars)
when did foreign investment really begin in china and what did this mean for the development of steamships?
in the 1890s- meant that the development of steamships was the first major western economic advance in china
what did the Qing establish in 1872?
China merchants steam navigation company
what was different about the China mechants steam navigation company to its European rivals
run in a different way, established by imperial bureaucrats and subsidised with government money
what hampered the china merchants steam navigation company
the extent of control that government officials had over it– if they fell out of favour with the Qing then so would the company,
not only was the china merchants steam navigation company meant to make profits but also
prop up national pride
what caused the china merchants steam navigation company to lose profit
it was forced to sail along routes that europeans ignored because they were unprofitable, meant that they had to be heavily subsidised but this was a source of corruption for corrupt officials to steal funds from
foreign captains were hired to pilot chinese ships, what did this mean
that industry could not operate without foreign involvement
why was is far easier for European steam-navigation companies to establish themselves and grow
they had access to loans from british banks established in the treaty ports, they were able to sell shares and raise finance ( china’s finance system was far less developed )
how many ships had the Qing acquired by 1877
33, many of them were old and had fallen into disrepair
what happened to the company between 1877 and 1900
became stagnated, gradually it made a loss, 23 ships became too old and rundown to remain in service– railways were now superseding steamships
which nation used gunboats to exert a large influence in china
USA
what was china’s busiest waterway by 1890
the Yangztee
despite threats from anit-foreign chinese (boxers) what was the true threat to british and US steamships in china?
the Japanese, 1937 attack of Nanjing destroyed the USS Panay and the HMS Bee with aerial bombers
initially, where did China’s railway network develop faster
in northern china (not the south because south was connected by steamships through the major river systems)
who was the first foreign power to start developing china’s railways
britain
when and where was the first stretch of railway built in china by the British
1876, Baoshan
why were Chinese people enraged by and fearful of the railways?
scared of the change they would bring, and thought they disrupted Feng-Shui
how is it possible to see how important popular concerns over the railways were in china
to appease the people, the Qing purchased this first stretch of railway in Baoshan and dismantled it, sending the steel to Taiwan
did all Chinese oppose the early railways?
no some of them can bee seen in photographs gathered in amazement and excitement
how many miles of track were laid in 1881 as a direct result of the growth in steamships?
50 between Tianjin and Tangshan – Tong King-Sing needed a way to move coal from his coal mine to the port of Tianjin
what was the dilemma that railways caused for the Qing?
they represented foreign technological advancement which undermined traditional ideas about Chinese supremacy, but they also were useful for controlling a rebellious country (ability to move troops)
what did railways allow europeans to do
penetrate deeper into china, dominate trade and spread ideas through missionaries (protected by extraterritoriality)
