After millennia of sovereignty, The Chinese empire fell victim to European imperialism and crumbled within the span of 60 years. Numerous factors contributed to China's fall, but in general, China couldn't adapt to survive with European imperialism. China had been a highly secluded, self-sufficient nation for millennia, as pointed out in Document A, "... our Celestial Empire possesses all things in prolific abundance and lacks no product within its own borders." After millennia of seclusion, the Chinese empire had become myopic, and viewed itself as the 'center' of the world. This view was not entirely unreasonable for many centuries, but by the 19th century, the empire was still clinging to an archaic audacity, under which they considered foreigners to be 'barbarians'. China was never seasoned in competition as European nations such as Britain were, so in this sense it's self-sufficiency was its downfall. In Document E the author(s) write about the British nation, "Behold that vile English nation! Its ruler is at one time a woman, then a man, and then perhaps a woman again; its people are at one time like vultures, and then they are like wild beats, with dispositions more fierce and furious than the tiger or wolf, and natures more greedy than anacondas or swine." This quote demonstrates Britain's adaptability, which was incomprehensible to the Chinese. Just as an organism in an ecosystem, the Chinese empire failed to adapt to the rapid introduction of British imperialism and as a result weakened and collapsed. China became addicted to Britain, literally and metaphorically due to the opium trade. This strategy was employed elsewhere by Britain, such as in Africa during the gun/slave trade.
The Chinese response to the foreign imperialism forced upon them by the English was to adopt an air of arrogance and self-importance, viewing themselves as the benevolent advanced culture that was imparting a fraction of their ways and goods upon the barbarian culture. The mere fact that they continually referred to the English as "barbarian merchants" (Doc. D) and looked down upon them as the society of need, as they state after Opium had been introduced to the Chinese society "If China, again, cuts off this beneficial export, what profit can the barbarians expect to make?" (Doc. D). The speaker, Lin Zexu, an important member of the court of Qing, sent by the emperor to stop the opium trade, as you can see is continuing the practice of the Chinese air of arrogance. As he is stating, the English cannot profit from this opium trade, as it effects the Chinese negatively and therefore negatively effects the English. But his arrogance also gives way to the truly ineffective aspect of this arrogance strategy: it further aggravated the English. The boiling point of this aggravation can be seen in a quote from a public meeting 4 years before the events of the First Opium War, "These people having long steadily devoured all the western barbarians, and like demons of the night, they now suddenly exalt themselves here." (Doc. F). This outright attack on the English culture by the common Chinese man can be seen as the boiling point in Chinese-English relations, as the soon after the arrogance had permeated the common man, the English had taken enough and struck. (Emma Randall, Jayson Kleinman)
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ReplyDeleteAfter millennia of sovereignty, The Chinese empire fell victim to European imperialism and crumbled within the span of 60 years. Numerous factors contributed to China's fall, but in general, China couldn't adapt to survive with European imperialism. China had been a highly secluded, self-sufficient nation for millennia, as pointed out in Document A, "... our Celestial Empire possesses all things in prolific abundance and lacks no product within its own borders." After millennia of seclusion, the Chinese empire had become myopic, and viewed itself as the 'center' of the world. This view was not entirely unreasonable for many centuries, but by the 19th century, the empire was still clinging to an archaic audacity, under which they considered foreigners to be 'barbarians'. China was never seasoned in competition as European nations such as Britain were, so in this sense it's self-sufficiency was its downfall. In Document E the author(s) write about the British nation, "Behold that vile English nation! Its ruler is at one time a woman, then a man, and then perhaps a woman again; its people are at one time like vultures, and then they are like wild beats, with dispositions more fierce and furious than the tiger or wolf, and natures more greedy than anacondas or swine." This quote demonstrates Britain's adaptability, which was incomprehensible to the Chinese. Just as an organism in an ecosystem, the Chinese empire failed to adapt to the rapid introduction of British imperialism and as a result weakened and collapsed. China became addicted to Britain, literally and metaphorically due to the opium trade. This strategy was employed elsewhere by Britain, such as in Africa during the gun/slave trade.
ReplyDeleteThe Chinese response to the foreign imperialism forced upon them by the English was to adopt an air of arrogance and self-importance, viewing themselves as the benevolent advanced culture that was imparting a fraction of their ways and goods upon the barbarian culture. The mere fact that they continually referred to the English as "barbarian merchants" (Doc. D) and looked down upon them as the society of need, as they state after Opium had been introduced to the Chinese society "If China, again, cuts off this beneficial export, what profit can the barbarians expect to make?" (Doc. D). The speaker, Lin Zexu, an important member of the court of Qing, sent by the emperor to stop the opium trade, as you can see is continuing the practice of the Chinese air of arrogance. As he is stating, the English cannot profit from this opium trade, as it effects the Chinese negatively and therefore negatively effects the English. But his arrogance also gives way to the truly ineffective aspect of this arrogance strategy: it further aggravated the English. The boiling point of this aggravation can be seen in a quote from a public meeting 4 years before the events of the First Opium War, "These people having long steadily devoured all the western barbarians, and like demons of the night, they now suddenly exalt themselves here." (Doc. F). This outright attack on the English culture by the common Chinese man can be seen as the boiling point in Chinese-English relations, as the soon after the arrogance had permeated the common man, the English had taken enough and struck.
ReplyDelete(Emma Randall, Jayson Kleinman)