Jiang Qing

China’s name is zhōngguó. Zhōng means middle or central, and guó means country or nation. Together, they create the term “Middle Kingdom.” The Chinese believed themselves to be the center of the world, the most advanced civilization in existence, and anyone outside their civilization was a barbarian. The great rulers of the Zhou united the vast kingdom under their divine rule granted to them by the Mandate of Heaven. These strong rulers created an ideal of tiānxià, a kingdom united “all under…

The Sung Dynasty started in 960 and ended in 1279. It consisted of the Northern Sung, which lasted from 960 to 1127, and Southern Sung which lasted from 1127 to 1279. The economy they had was prosperous and was considered another period of ‘golden age’ after the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Northern Sung was founded by Zhou Kuangyin, who was a military general in the Latter Zhou. In 960, he launched a mutiny Chenqiao county (in current Henan Province). It wasn’t long after that the last king of the…

The Japanese were more accepting to the Western pressure while the Chinese were more resistance to it. Some similarities between the Japanese and Chinese response to Western pressure are 1) both had some sort of movement or reform (In China, it was the Self Strengthening Movement and In Japan, it was the Meiji Restorations) to strengthen their military by adopting Western military and industrial technologies 2) in the beginning, both China and Japan resisted to the Western influences through…

opinions regarding Chinese foreign policies. Wei Yuan recognized that the country is at a crucial point after the opium war for the world is changing with the forces from all over the world trying to open up the isolation created by the emperors of Qing Dynasty. However, Parker only translated the account of the Opium War; therefore, the…

experienced several changes that had a deep impact on Chinese music culture. In the early 1900s, China’s government had changed drastically because of a nationalist party revolution. As a result of the revolution, the government shifted from the Qing dynasty that has been around for hundreds of years, into the establishment of the Republic of China. A change from an imperialist rulers into a republic government policy would lead people of China to create new music because of the difference in…

The Voyages of Zheng He (1405-1433), Zheng He’s first trip took him from South China Sea through the Indian Ocean. The purpose of the emperor’s expedition seems to have been to obtain recognition and gifts from other rulers. The voyagers did not intend to conquer or colonize, but they were prepared to use military force against those who refused to respect them. After Zheng He’s death China did not continue with these navigations. I believe china wanted to stay isolated so they didn’t have any…

The Boxer Rebellion Have you ever heard about the boxer rebellion? The boxer rebellion started on November 2nd 1899 and was a rebellion was aimed at expelling all foreign powers from china, using violent force. This rebellion would target Christians and foreigner and that would affect China even more. The rebellion would cause of many death and would catch the attention of western powers and ultimately ending the Quig dynasty. The cause of the rebellion would date back to the mid 1800’s…

Loss of moral authority on the world stage is a grave consequence of torture. If the United States is seen as immoral, then how can it be seen as a leader? Throughout its history, the United States has been looked upon as a world leader, leading on issues such as human rights. In fact, the US has been a defender of the rights of people all over the world, often going to war or using its military to protect the rights and human dignity of people all over the globe. It was often held up as the…

The first opium war, which commenced on the 18th of March, 1839 and ended on the 29th of August, 1842. The First Opium War was fought between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and the Qing Imperium. This war came about due to their conflicting opinions on trade, additionally occurred due to the factor of the extinction of opium. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the request for Chinese goods (particularly silk, porcelain, and tea) in the European market engendered a trade inequity because the…

China and the Ottoman Empire both faced a variety of challenges during the 19th century that later left them vulnerable to Western influence in the 20th century. The Ottoman Empire and China had large population growth, but unlike Europe, neither country industrialized and it left them with little food. They also faced issues when it came to centralized power, both countries transferred their consolidated power to local authorities; the gentry for China and the local warlords in the Ottomans.…