Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Ming dynasty was also hit with a host of epidemics, including various forms of
the plague. The epidemics killed hundreds of thousands of people and left the city badly
weakened. This, and a protracted period of disorder, banditry and rebellion, eventually
left the regime open to defeat. The Manchu Qing dynasty seized on the opportunity, man-
euvered its way into the city, and in 1644 commenced China's last dynastic reign.
While many thought the Qing dynasty to be a time of laziness and stagnation, it was also
a time of great revival and opulence. Though the Qing were Manchus, holding dominion
over a country of a predominantly different ethnicity, they managed to maintain power for
almost 300 years. It's thought that some of this was through authoritarian weight throwing,
but also by sinicizing. They took on Chinese characteristics, ensured the people were ad-
equately fed, and fostered the arts. They became protectors of the Chinese culture. It was in
this period that art forms such as Peking opera were born.
They did, however, do a lot to hold on to their own identity. In fact, their bias toward
their own people greatly influenced the geographical distribution of Beijing's wealth. Many
of the Han Chinese were moved to the south of the city, to the former districts of Xuanwu
and Chongwen. Here the streets developed in a more laissez-faire fashion, their alignment
in a not-so-heavenly north-south-east-west orientation. North of Chang'an Jie, however, the
Manchu nobles and military groups enjoyed the more manicured environment. Palatial gar-
dens were created up here, including the Summer Palace and Yuan Ming Yuan (the Old
Summer Palace).
The Qing dynasty also had more influence from abroad than any other dynasty—both
constructively and destructively. They fought a series of battles with British and French
troops, and on most occasions were soundly beaten and required to concede territory. After
the first Opium War (1839-1842), China was forced to cede Hong Kong to Britain; then
during the second Opium War (1858-1860), the Anglo-French forces burned and looted
Yuan Ming Yuan to take revenge for the treatment of Western troops. Other reparations in-
cluded Beijing ceding territory just south of Tian'anmen Square to establish the Legation
Quarter (now a fine-dining precinct), an area for foreign embassies. This later became the
target of the Boxer Rebellion, in which a Chinese group referred to as Boxers, angered by
foreign influence and concessions in China, took siege on the complex. Again, after foreign
powers sent in troops to defend the Legation Quarter and its hundreds of occupants, China
was forced to make reparations, this time in the form of silver. The costs of the reparations
badly damaged the strength of the Qing regime and of the Chinese's confidence in it.
Foreign influences over the Qing period weren't all bad, though. Foreign input assisted
developments in many areas of life, including policing, education, medical practices, bank-
