ChinainthCentury.ppt

A Turbulent Century China from 1800 to 1900 China in the 19th Century Increasing action by “western” powers to obtain trade concessions Continuing efforts by Christian missionaries Foreign wars reveal China’s military incompetence Weakening power of Qing Dynasty Taiping and other major rebellions Britain’s Trade with SE China Britain had been attempting to open up China for trade since early 18th Century That trade had been mainly tea Then Opium, grown in Bengal, and smuggled in trade restricted to Guangzhou By 1820 opium had passed tea as major import The Great Tea Thief In the 1830’s Britain sent a botanist to China to find out as much as possible about growing tea He was Robert Forsyth Not only did he research tea growing but he took about 20 000 tea plants and a number of Chinese Tea experts to India Where the plants grew well and provided the British with a free tea market This signalled the end of the China tea trade for more than a century The First Opium War 1839-42 Chinese attempts to suppress Opium trade British traders forced to surrender opium stocks placed under house arrest British forces blockade Guangzhou and move North to outskirts of Tianjin Treaty of Nanjing - cedes Hong Kong, opens 5 ports including Shanghai to trade Large monetary penalties imposed on China The Second Opium War 1856-60 Relations strained after Treaty of Nanjing 1856 Chinese seized British ship “Arrow” British attack Guangzhou Chinese burn British owned factories British force invades moves North Treaty of Tianjin - 1858 10 more ports opened, opium trade legalised The Second Opium War 1856-60 (continued) Problems with ratification - Chinese obstruct 1859 blocked river and prevented Allied passing Dagu Forts 1860 Allies return with bigger forces British French diplomats captured maltreated British force burn Summer Palace (1860) Lord Elgin negotiates another convention Tianjin opened as additional treaty Port Kowloon peninsula ceded to Britain Other Western Treati