The Qing Dynasty in "Civilization 7" is the last feudal dynasty in China, and the background of the Qing Dynasty is very rich. First of all, the story of the Qing Dynasty must start from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The Ming Dynasty was often described as a closed dynasty. Since its establishment premise included resistance to the Yuan and Mongolian rule, it showed characteristics such as isolationism and Han-centrism.
Civilization 7 How is the background of the Qing Dynasty
China's history is complex and far-reaching, and the story of the Qing Dynasty must be told from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The Ming Dynasty was often described as a closed dynasty. Since its establishment premise included resistance to the Yuan and Mongolian rule, it showed characteristics such as isolationism and Han-centrism. But this view is not entirely true. The Ming Dynasty actively sought a core position in the region and established a tribute system covering most East and Southeast Asia. Although these countries were not vassal states in the strict sense, the Ming Dynasty maintained various relationships with them, and the latter would pay tribute to Beijing for protection or recognition.
But the Ming Dynasty also had a vast territory and a bloated system. The emperors in the late Ming Dynasty were addicted to the prosperity of the palace and lived deep in the Forbidden City, allowing the empire to do whatever they wanted, resulting in chaos in the government and a lot of party struggles. At the same time, external colonial forces began to erode the empire's fringe.
Gold and silver have always been regarded as extremely precious wealth in China. European metal resources were exchanged with Chinese goods through the Silk Road. With the decline of the New World Aboriginal Empire, the Spanish and Portuguese increased the circulation of this material - gold from Mexico arrived across the Pacific Ocean to Luzon, where they exchanged Chinese goods to Spain. The Portuguese also leased Macau to establish a trade base as a distribution center for trading silver and Chinese goods in the New World and Japan.
The Age of Discovery involved the Ming Dynasty into the global trade system. The influx of a large amount of silver led to the monetization of silver, but the court did not control it, and only plundered silver through excessive taxes, resulting in the disconnection of the silver in circulation and the entire fiscal system. When the imported silver from overseas suddenly tightened, social disorder followed. Not only that, years of natural disasters have caused people to live in poverty, chaos in the people, and various social contradictions have intensified unprecedentedly. The three major strife of Wanli, although consolidated the border and status of the Ming Dynasty, also consumed a lot of manpower and material resources, making the national treasury increasingly empty and the country's finances tight. After achieving internal unification, the Jurchen tribes in the north realized the decline of the Ming Dynasty. When the leader of the civil rebellion, Li Zicheng conquered Beijing and the Ming Dynasty perished, the Manchus seized the opportunity at this time. They quickly controlled the situation, entered Beijing, and established the Qing Dynasty.
The Jurchens, as part of the Tungus ethnic group, lived mainly on the edge of the Chinese-speaking areas and originated from Siberia. After Huang Taiji became emperor, he changed the name of the Jurchen clan to the Manchu clan. The Manchus have unique languages and writings, and their writing system originates from Mongolian language. Their military organization is based on flags, of which the Eight Banners became its most iconic organizational form.
The Qing Dynasty originated from the Manchus' homeland in the northeast. By the reign of Emperor Qianlong, the Qing Dynasty's territory had stabilized, reaching the Outer Xing'an Mountains in the north, the Nansha Islands in the south, the Pamir Mountains in the west, and the Sakhalin Island in the east. After experiencing the last Kanggan period, the Qing Dynasty began to decline due to the stagnation of development, internal corruption and external aggression.
The Qing Dynasty society suffered from many internal conflicts - the general rebellion was suppressed again, and the Eight Banners army swept across East Asia, went to fight against the rebellion, and was inseparable from all over the country. Although the emperor's Manchu identity has a certain sense of identity for non-Han people and the royal family's support for Vajrayana Buddhism has also received certain religious support, the Han people still feel the oppression and limitations of foreign rule.
The Opium War is a symbol of this conflict. Even if Japan reopened its doors, the silver issue has not been resolved. The British were unwilling to continue to expand the trade deficit with the Qing government and instead promote opium. When the Chinese government refused to open ports for such devastating commodities, Britain launched a series of wars to force the Qing Dynasty to open up its markets. This series of wars brought devastating blows and humiliations to the Qing Dynasty. The most typical moment was that European powers occupied the palace and forced the Qing government to accept harsh summoning conditions (such as cede Hong Kong Island), and a series of unequal treaties were here. sign at the time. At the same time, Japan also took away the Qing Dynasty's control over North Korea. Although reforms followed, it was too late and too little, and it was too difficult to make things happen. Eventually, the regime collapsed in a wave of internal resistance.
The Qing Dynasty was enlightened to a certain extent. They not only followed the bureaucratic system of the Ming Dynasty, but also provided opportunities for non-Han people to join the army. The bureaucratic system of the Qing Dynasty was dominated by the emperor, and it was reflected in the inner court and outer dynasty like the architectural structure of the Forbidden City. Unlike the internal and external dynasties of the previous dynasties, the inner court of the Qing Dynasty was more like the emperor's private secretariat, and later developed the "Military Affairs Office" - the structure here is streamlined, administrative efficiency is high, and responsible for assisting the emperor in handling major national affairs; while the outer dynasties set up Six ministries, five temples, two supervisors, two courts and one government office are the executive organs of the central government, handling daily administrative affairs. In terms of official selection, the Qing Dynasty inherited the Ming tradition and needed to pass the imperial examination when entering various government departments.. Officials are all people who have gained a high level of expertise through education.
The Qing Dynasty achieved remarkable cultural achievements, and its literature and art received unprecedented attention and support, and many classic works were born, such as "Six Records of the Floating Life". Although the empire officially advocates Confucianism, there is still room for discussion on this point. At the same time, Buddhism (including East Asian Mahayana and Tibetan Vajrayana) and Taoism are also widely spread. These schools of concepts are not excluded from each other. A person may belong to these three schools at the same time, although there are significant differences in some basic concepts, such as Confucianism emphasizes responsibility for the family, the value of birth advocated by Buddhism, and the personal spiritual practice pursued by Taoism For debates between. In any case, in the Qing Dynasty, Confucianism was given an unprecedented religious nature, and Confucius was regarded as a symbol worthy of worship and was worshipped in public sacrifices held at the Temple of Heaven.
The Qing Dynasty concentrated on showing the advantages and disadvantages of the feudal monarchy. It is a multi-ethnic, highly bureaucratic and elite-ruled society based on Chinese principles. As the democratic system gradually became the mainstream of the world's political system, the glory of the Qing Dynasty was like the last breath of the feudal monarchy, and it was also like a challenge to the democratic trend - although after its overthrow, a new system replaced it. This aroused a subtle argument in political theory, namely, to establish a Confucian society based on elite management, harmony, decent rituals and behaviors on the basis of republic. Subsequently, in countries such as Singapore and China that were deeply influenced by Confucianism, some people launched a movement to respect Confucius and retro worship, but it was regarded as a challenge to the democratic republic.
