3.2 china rejects european outreach

CHINA REJECTS EUROPEAN OUTREACH

CH. 3.2

1514- Portuguese ships arrive off coast of China which was under the control of the Ming Dynasty (1368- 1644.)

Ming Dynasty

Hongwu was a peasant who commanded the rebel army against the Mongols and drove them out of China in 1368. He became the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He initiated reforms to repair agriculture, encouraged fish farming and improved imperial administration by restoring the merit-based civil service examination system. He feared outsiders. Died in 1398.

Yonglo was the son of Hongwu who won the power struggle over the throne. He continued many of his father’s policies. He moved the royal court to Beijing. He was curious about outsiders.

1405- 1433 Yonglo launched the first of 7 voyages led by Zheng He, a Chinese Muslim admiral.

Expeditions went to Southeast Asia, India Arabia and eastern Africa.

About 40 – 300 ships sailed in each voyage.

The discredited book 1421 - The Year China Discovered the World, asserted that Zheng He circumnavigated the globe and explored the Americas and Antarctica

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The Purpose of the voyages was to increase China’s tribute system by impressing the world of China’s superiority and splendor. Gifts were given at each port to demonstrate superiority and as a result, more than 16 countries sent tribute to the Ming court.

China’s trade policies reflected its isolationist beliefs and only the government was allowed to conduct foreign trade through 3 coastal ports. However, smugglers of Chinese silk, porcelain and other valuables traded with Europeans.

Matteo Ricci Italian Jesuit missionary who

gained favor with the Ming court through his intelligence and his ability to speak and write in Chinese. Christianity however was still opposed by many educated Chinese.

 In 1583 he entered the Chinese Empire, settling in Kwantung province. After establishing missions in different parts of the empire, in 1601 Ricci finally settled in Peking, where, under the protection of the Emperor Wan-li, he remained until his death.

Qing Dynasty

Hong-Li

by the 1600’s, the Ming Dynasty was weakened through ineffective rulers, corrupt officials, bankrupt government and poor harvests.

1644 – Manchus invade China and take over Beijing establishing the Qing Dynasty.

Kangxi becomes the 4th emperor in 1661 and ruled for about 60 years. He earned the respect of the Chinese people by lowering taxes and offering government positions to Chinese intellectuals.

Trade under the Manchus in the Qing Dynasty was a continuation of the isolationist beliefs of before. The Chinese believed that if Europeans wanted to trade, then they would have to follow Chinese rules by using only special ports and paying tribute.

The Dutch were successful because they accepted the restrictions, gave gifts (tribute) to the emperor and even performed the required “kowtow” ritual.

By the 1800’s, the British, Dutch and others attempted to chip away at China’s trade restrictions until the empire itself began to crack

George Macartney (British aristocrat) had been informed that when he arrived in court, he must perform the Chinese kowtow, prostrating himself before the Emperor. But Macartney, a proud and haughty man, felt that kowtowing would be an intolerable humiliation for him and thus for his sovereign, His Majesty King George III. The arguments went backward and forwards. Macartney suggested, “What if I take off my hat and kneel, same as I would do to my own king?” “No way,” came the Chinese response.