Qing dynasty facts for kids

Flag of the Qing Dynasty (1890–1912)

Territory of the Qing Dynasty (1892)

The Qing dynasty (Chinese: 清朝; pinyin: Qīng cháo) was a dynasty of rulers of China from 1644 to 1912. The dynasty was founded by the Manchus and so its other name is the Manchu dynasty. The surname of the Qing emperors was Aisin Gioro.

Rise of the Manchu state

In 1580, Nurhaci became the Jian Zhou general of the Ming dynasty. He unified the Manchu tribe and organised the Eight Banners. In 1616, Nurhaci declared himself Khan (King) and founded the Jin dynasty in Liao Ling. In 1626, Nurhaci led armies to attack Ning Yuan. Unluckily, Nurhaci was wounded by Yuan Chonghuan's Portuguese cannon and he died 2 days later. Huang Taiji, the son of Nurhaci, then succeed to the throne and became the Khan of the Manchu trible. In 1643, Huang Taiji was dead, caused by apoplexy. Shunzhi Emperor inherited Huang Taiji's throne. Prince Dorgon became the regent. In 1644, the Manchu armies fairly conquered the north of China. The capital was changed to Beijing. The Ming dynasty was overthrown.

Late-Qing

Restoration

A. The self-strengthening movement (1861 - 1895)

The Zongli Yamen - A Foreign Office of the Qing Dynasty

The self-strengthening movement (Chinese: 洋務運動 or 自強運動; 1861 - 1895) was a reform organised during the late Qing. With the defeat in the Opium Wars and the outbreak of Taiping Rebellion, the emperor and the imperial officials realised that it was necessary to improve the country's statement with a series of reforms. Therefore, the Self-Strengthening Movement was started.

The movement could be divided into three phases: the first phase (1861 - 1872), the second phase (1872 - 1885) and the third phase (1885 - 1895). The Major Leaders are Yixin, Prince Gong (Chinese: 恭親王), Wenxiang (Chinese: 文祥), Zeng Guofan (Chinese: 曾國藩), Li Hongzhang (Chinese: 李鴻章), Zuo Zongtang (Chinese: 左宗棠), Shen Baozhen (Chinese: 沈葆禎) and Zhang Zhidong (Chinese: 張之洞). However, owing to the conservatives opposition and the problems of modernization, it failed finally.

The reforms

• National defence
  • Arsenals were built in Shanghai and Xiamen.
  • Shipyards were built in Fuzhou and Tianjin.
  • The Beiyang Fleet was organized by Li Hongzhang.

• Industry and trade
  • Modern banks were built.
  • Many industries were built in the South of China.

• Diplomatic modernization
  • The Zongli Yamen, a foreign office of the Qing dynasty, was set up in 1861.
  • In 1868, the Qing government sent its first official diplomatic mission aboard.

B. The hundred days' reform (1898)

Liang Qichao - a leader of the Hundred Day's Reform

With the failure of the Self-Strengthening Movenment, the defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War and the scramble for concessions, many Chinese leaders realised that reforms were urgently needed. Thus, the Hundred Day's Reform (Chinese: 戊戌變法; 11 June 1898 - 21 September 1898) was started in 1898. The leaders of the reform were Guangxu Emperor, Kang Youwei (Chinese: 康有為) and Liang Qichao (Chinese: 梁啟超). Eventually, it ended in a coup d'état led by Empress Dowager Cixi.

The reforms

• Policial reforms
  • Useless government posts were to be abolished.

• Economic reforms
  • Modern banks would be built.
  • Railways were to be built.

• Military reform
  • The army and navy were to have modern weapons.
  • A national militia would be organised.

Qing government and society

Politics

The Manchus changed their ways to be more like the Chinese in order to rule them better. The Manchus started wearing Chinese clothes and writing in Chinese. They began to enjoy Chinese food and art. One of the Manchu emperors, Qianlong Emperor, began to worry about how much like the Chinese the Manchus were becoming and he tried to get Manchus to be more Manchu. Qianlong Emperor made Manchus ride horses and shoot bows and arrows so that they would remember where they came from. The Chinese people used different types of clothes like maccukau,konaha,schinin and sakahn.

Regional Development

• Guangdong

In the early Qing, Guangdong was a province. There were totally 79 counties. In 1911, it was checked that there were 5,041,780 households, approximately 28,001,564 people. The famous mountains in Guangdong were Lingchau, Huangling and Luofu. Dongjiang, Beijiang and Xijiang were the most important rivers in Guangdong. Guangzhou, Zhaoqing, Xiamen and Fujian were the major Guangdong cities.

Images for kids

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  Italian 1682 map showing the "Kingdom of the Nüzhen" or the "Jin Tartars"

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  Manchu cavalry charging Ming infantry battle of Sarhu in 1619

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  Sura han ni chiha (Coins of Tiancong Khan) in Manchu alphabet

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  Dorgon (1612–1650)

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  The Qing conquest of the Ming and expansion of the empire

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  The Kangxi Emperor (r. 1662–1722)

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  Emperor with Manchu army in Khalkha 1688

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  Putuo Zongcheng Temple, Chengde, Qianlong reign; built on the model of Potala Palace, Lhasa

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  Campaign against the Dzungars in the Qing conquest of Xinjiang 1755–1758

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  Lord Macartney saluting the Qianlong Emperor

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  Commerce on the water, Prosperous Suzhou by Xu Yang, 1759

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  View of the Canton River, showing the Thirteen Factories in the background, 1850–1855

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  Government forces defeating Taiping armies

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  Yixin, Prince Gong

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  Empress Dowager Cixi (Oil painting by Hubert Vos c. 1905))

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  Britain, Germany, Russia, France, and Japan dividing China

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  Yuan Shikai

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  Zaifeng, Prince Chun

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  A pitched battle between the imperial and revolutionary armies in 1911

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  Chen Clan Ancestral Hall (陈家祠) built in 1894

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  Patriarchal family

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  Silver coin: 1 yuan/dollar Xuantong 3rd year - 1911 Chopmark

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  Puankhequa (1714–1788). Chinese merchant and member of a Cohong family.

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  A Daoguang period Peking glass vase. Colored in "Imperial Yellow", due to its association with the Qing.

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  Jade book of the Qianlong period on display at the British Museum

See also

In Spanish: Dinastía Qing para niños