China Facing Western Aggression

CHINA FACING WESTERN AGGRESSION Name: Institution: Course: Course Code: Date: China Facing Western Aggression China tried to resisted foreign intrusion and imposed many protectionist measures to control trade and ensure foreigners did not influence the Chinese way of life. However, the European powers had found a great opportunity in trading with China and throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, intensified their trading in China. Eventually, European powers compelled the Qing Dynasty government to remove all significant barriers that hampered their prospects in the country. The main western power which had the greatest impact on China during the Qing Dynasty era was the British. There was a high demand for Chinese tea, silk and porcelain in Britain and high demand of Opium in China and soon the British became China’s largest trading partner. The Chinese response to westerners was hinged in protectionism but it waned over time, and towards the end of Qing Dynasty, the regime was largely under foreign control. At first, China under the Qing Dynasty resisted foreign influence and instituted strategies and laws to control trade while restricting it in specific coastal areas. At first, Macau was set aside to profit from paid access by the Portuguese as early as the mid-16th century. Another port was set up in Guangzhou. China restricted trade with foreigners to these coastal towns and its surroundings though their efforts were in vain. Qing Dynasty also employed a canton system to ensure foreigners did not trade directly with the people but through the collective merchant-based system. This strategy was also largely ineffective. As Europeans continued to assert their influence in China, they started to export Opium to the country. It was a lucrative business which also disrupted the social structure of the Chinese. China tried banning the importation and consumption of the substance in the country, but its efforts were largely ignored by the British. Conflict ensued, and it led to the First Opium War (1839-1842) and Second Opium War which started in 1856. In both wars, China suffered humiliating defeats, and the peace-making process saw China grant the British more control over trade and other privileges. The Chinese also attempted to fight foreigners to maintain control of their territory which they perceived to be under attack of the foreign powers. The first instance that China went to war with the British was over Opium trade in China. Previously, Opium was reserved for the privileged classes, but the British made it almost affordab...