Great Qing

Great Qing
大清
1636-1936
Established	1636
Capital	Kemo (1636-1644) Peking (1644-1931) Hsi'an (1931-1936)
Largest City	Peking
Population	333 million (1800)
Government Type	Absolute monarchy
Languages	Mandarin (official) Cantonese Southern Chinese Central Chinese Manchu Mongol Others
Currency	Chinese tael (兩)

The Great Qing (Chinese: 大清, Manchu: ᡩᠠᡳ᠌ᠴᡳᠩ ᡤᡠᡵᡠᠨ) was a Chinese dynasty that lasted for 300 years, from 1636 to 1936. It was the largest Chinese empire in history in population and land area. It was formally disestablished when it was united with the Wah-hah Republic to form the Republic of China.

History

Western Qing dynasty (1636-1857)

Early Western Qing (1636-1669)

Huang Taichi established the Qing dynasty in 1636. In 1644, they take Peking and proclaim it the capital of the nation. Over the next decade, the Qing (with the assistance of Corea and friendship of colonial Tauland) defeated the Zheng family in southeast China and defeat the Russians in several battles on the Songhwa river. The Zhu dynasty disappeared from the public conscience by the late 17th century. In 1661, the Shun Chih Emperor dies of smallpox. The dynasty is ruled by a quadrumvirate appointed by Empress Dowager Hsiao Chuang until the resumption of direct imperial rule in 1669.

Three Emperors (1669-1799)

This thirteen-decade era consists of the reigns of the Kang'hsi, Yung Cheng, and Chi'en Lung emperors. Their collective reign is considered to be the apex of the dynasty's power and national harmony.

In 1681, the Revolt of the Three Feudatories was put down. In the 1720s, China instituted the Port System which limited official Dutch trade to the ports of Amoy, Shanghai, and Canton in response to rising Dutch imperialism in Asia.

The 1750s saw the elimination of the Dzungars and the establishment of firm Chinese rule in what is modern Serindia. After these campaigns, the Bannermen lost much state funding and became increasingly disorganized.

Canton War and the Partition of China (1850-1857)

Main article: Canton War

Eastern Qing dynasty (1857-1936)

Independence of Mongolia

In 1860, an independent Mongol khanate was established with Russian support. The Khan of Mongolia began officially distancing the country from the Qing emperor.

Great Shansi Famine (1876-1880)

Around 13 million people died or emigrated during the Great Famine of the late 1870s and the subsequent typhus epidemic. The absence of continuous rice imports from southern China and the weakness of the national economy worsened the drought. Several Dutch and Corean institutions, including many religious organizations, donated millions of guilders to support the Chinese people.

Sino-Corean War (1886-1888)

Three decades after the Canton War, the Qing dynasty lost Manchuria and the eastern half of Zhili to the Coreans and Russians.

Chengchow Floods (1887)

In 1887, a devastating flood that began when dikes collapsed near the city of Chengchow killed over one million people. The epidemic, homeless crisis, and shortage of basic materials contributed to the Qing's defeat in the Sino-Corean War. It also precipitated the rise of several Chinese salvationist sects as prominent public organizations, despite still being considered heretical.

Second Sino-Corean War (1931)

Corean forces invaded the Zhili region and annexed a large portion of Qing territory with minimal backlash. The Qing military became docile and inactive during and after the invasion. Several paramilitaries, political alliances, and regional mutual aid societies took over administration of most prefectures in the coming years, limiting effective Qing authority to the provisional capital of Sian.

Economy

Rice shortages

With the loss of southern China's extensive rice fields in the Canton War, the Qing dynasty began importing small-to-moderate quantities of rice from Corea and Japan. The peasantry, often plagued by food shortages, had to rely on millet and sorghum as staple foods. This substandard standard of living, especially in comparison to the working classes of Canton and Corea, fueled economic discontent.

Currency and finance

The Qing population after the Canton War often relied on foreign silver coins to be used as legal tender. Coreans began to dominate the monetary economy, often collaborating with members of the Manchu ruling class. Independence wars in Mexico and Peru led to the cessation of silver coin exports to China, causing the de-silverization of the economies of the Chinese states and financial chaos. During the European Economic Crisis, the Qing economy began to stabilize. Until its absorption into the Chinese republic, the Qing economy remained lacklustre and flat.

Demographics

Emigration

The several famines, epidemics, and wars of the late 19th century led millions of Han Chinese to emigrate. Many of these chose to leave for Tussenland, Mongolia, Corea, and Mexico. Small numbers also left for the Dutch East Indies and other nations.