David Z PERSIAN Chart: East Asia 1750 - 1900

Political

Japan takes over Taiwan and Korea; the Qing dynasty is in power, but loses power as time progresses; China loses to Britain in the First Opium War from 1838 to 1842; China loses to Britain in the Second Opium War from 1856 to 1858; the Taiping Uprising occurs from 1850 to 1864, weakening the Qing dynasty; spheres of influence are established by European powers and Japan; China is unable to keep pace with its population and cannot perform many duties; China attempts to resolve their technological deficiency through a series of self strengthening policies; the Boxer Uprising occurs from 1898 to 1901 and is largely aimed at driving off foreigners; Japan is under the rule of a Tokugawa shogun, who keeps peace between various clans, until 1850, however Japan isnt very unified; the Meiji restoration in Japan occurs in 1868;

Economic

Commodore Mathew Perry Japanese perception of Mathew Perrys black ships China is largely forced to trade with Europeans, especially following the Opium Wars; A weakened Qing dynasty is ineffective in tax collection; Opium is heavily imported to China, and results in a large amount of silver leaving China; Japan is forcibly opened to trade with the arrival of Commodore Mathew Perry in 1853; Japans economy flourishes following the Meiji restoration; Japan has a new constitution by 1889;

Religious

Depiction of the Opium Wars Hong Xiuquan, the leader of the Taiping Uprising, claims to be the younger brother of Jesus and his movement widely rejects Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism; Hong also claimed that he had been sent to cleanse the world of demons;

Social

Hong Xiuquan Chinas population increases from 100 million in 1685 to 430 million in 1853; Women under control of Taiping officials were much less restricted, and some fought for the uprising; by 1750, Japan is estimated to have had about 10% of its population living in large towns or cities; in Japan, about 40% of men and 15% of women are able to read and write; following the Meiji restoration almost all Japanese citizens become legally equal;

Innovation Arts Near

geographic

No industrial revolution took place in China by the time of European arrival; China cautiously borrows elements of the West, such as telegraph systems; a few textile and steel factories as well as coal mines; Japans Meiji restoration in 1868 allows Japan to modernize; Japan is the first state outside of North America and Europe to industrialize; Following the Meiji restoration in Japan, many aspects of Western culture spread to China; Japan especially borrows many works of Western literature; Chinese land faces growing strain as more peasants attempt to farm; large portions of Chinese land are divvied amongst European states and Japan in the form of spheres of influence;

All information is from Ways of the World 2nd ed., by Robert Strayer.