Qing Dynasty Research Paper

The Manchu dynasty, also called the Qing dynasty, came to power in 1644. They were invited in by the Ming leaders to end a rebellion after which they displaced the Ming and remained to rule themselves. Through nearly two centuries that followed China, although not without challenges, excelled in population and prosperity leading all other countries in the world.

Between 1644, when the Qing rulers took Beijing, and the early decades of the nineteenth century, China was the most populous and prosperous country on earth. In 1700, China, Europe, and India each accounted for approximately 23 percent of the world’s total production. The Manchu came to power after Ming loyalists called on them to help put down the rebel Li Zicheng in Beijing. The …show more content…
After defeating Chinese opponents, using Chinese troops and general, the emperor destroyed a Russian Cossack base and signed the Treaty of Nerchinsk in 1689. This treaty both eliminated the possibility of a Russian alliance with the Mongols against the Qing dynasty and established normal relationship between Russia and the Qing without imposition of a tributary relationships (Manchu Imperial Rule, Text, pg.618, 619). To underscore Qing legitimacy as a Chinese dynasty, Kangxi held a special examination in 1679 to recruit scholars to write a Ming history and other works. He patronized Zhu Xi Confucianism. At the same time, he was fascinated by the Western mathematics and sciences, and supported the Jesuits at the court (Manchu Imperial Rule, Text, pg.619). He issued an edict of religious toleration in 1692, permitting conversion to Christianity, provided Chinese converts continued to practice ancestral rites of …show more content…
Laws against behaviors considered sexually deviant became much more stringent. At the same time, the government fostered education as conductive to ethical behavior, and this led to expansion of literacy. The status of women also affected by puritanical values. Widows continued to be discouraged from remarrying, and arches commemorating “virtuous widows” sprang up all over China (Society and Culture, Text, pg.621). Young girls continued to have their feet bound. On the other hand, women writers were encouraged to express their creativity in the eighteenth century. Families prided themselves on having talented daughters, and prospective bridegrooms sought out brides with poetic sensibility. Although Confucian authorities disparaged novels, some of China’s finest fiction writing was produced during Qing

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