Qing dynasty
China's last emperors
The Qing dynasty was the last imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912.
Founded by Manchu conquerors from the northeast, the Qing expanded China's territory to include Tibet, Taiwan, and much of Central Asia.
The dynasty's final decades saw decline, foreign intervention, and ultimately revolution: The Qing dynasty fell when the Republic of China was established in 1912.
Ming dynasty royal complex
- emperorMale ruler of empire
- mandate of heavenCosmic approval for sovereignty
- dragon throneChinese emperor's chair
- empressFemale ruler of empire
concubine · eunuch · imperial seal · imperial edict · Summer Palace · ancestral temple · regency · abdication
- Eight BannersQing administrative-military structure
- ManchuriaNortheastern Chinese region
- bannermenSoldiers serving a lord
- horseback archeryShooting arrows while riding
shamanism · martial tradition · ethnic identity · intermarriage
Colonial drug-trade conflicts
- extraterritorialityLegal reach beyond borders
- concessionsThings granted or yielded
- Canton SystemQing single-port trade restriction
- British EmpireVast colonial domain
East India Company · humiliation · Boxer Rebellion · foreign intervention · indemnities · gunboat diplomacy · spheres of influence
Translucent fired clay
- calligraphyOrnamental handwriting art
- Peking operaClassical Chinese musical drama
- silkFine woven insect fiber
- jadeCarved ornamental mineral
lacquerware · cloisonné · garden design · tea culture · snuff bottles · scroll painting
Adoption of current methods
- WesternizationAdopting Western cultural practices
- industrializationTransition to factory-based economy
- railroadsTrain transportation systems
- arsenalsWeapon storage facilities
Rigid administrative system
- civil service examinationsTests selecting government workers
- scholar-officialsExam-selected Chinese administrators
- centralizationUnifying control in one place
- magistratesCivil judicial officers
Land under jurisdiction
- conquestDefeating and seizing control
- TibetHimalayan plateau region
- XinjiangChinese autonomous region
- TaiwanDisputed East Asian island-state
Mongolia · vassal states · frontier · colonization · sovereignty · annexation · border treaties · suzerainty
Forbidden City
Ming dynasty royal complex
- emperorMale ruler of empire
- mandate of heavenCosmic approval for sovereignty
- dragon throneChinese emperor's chair
empress · concubine · eunuch · imperial seal · imperial edict · Summer Palace · ancestral temple · regency · abdication · kowtow
Aisin Gioro
- Eight BannersQing administrative-military structure
- ManchuriaNortheastern Chinese region
- bannermenSoldiers serving a lord
horseback archery · shamanism · martial tradition · ethnic identity · intermarriage
Opium Wars
Colonial drug-trade conflicts
- extraterritorialityLegal reach beyond borders
- concessionsThings granted or yielded
- Canton SystemQing single-port trade restriction
British Empire · East India Company · humiliation · Boxer Rebellion · foreign intervention · indemnities · gunboat diplomacy · spheres of influence
porcelain
Translucent fired clay
- calligraphyOrnamental handwriting art
- Peking operaClassical Chinese musical drama
- silkFine woven insect fiber
jade · lacquerware · cloisonné · garden design · tea culture · snuff bottles · scroll painting
modernization
Adoption of current methods
- WesternizationAdopting Western cultural practices
- industrializationTransition to factory-based economy
- railroadsTrain transportation systems
bureaucracy
Rigid administrative system
- civil service examinationsTests selecting government workers
- scholar-officialsExam-selected Chinese administrators
- centralizationUnifying control in one place
territory
Land under jurisdiction
Taiwan · Mongolia · vassal states · frontier · colonization · sovereignty · annexation · border treaties · suzerainty
- ChinaBeijing, Shanghai, Great Wall, Yellow River, Chinese calligraphy
- Chinese cultureConfucianism, Chinese calligraphy, Beijing, Chinese New Year, Daoism
- historical erasStone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Middle Ages, Renaissance
- Asian historyancient China, China, empresses, shoguns, Chinese civilization
- Asian studiesKorean language, Chinese history, Japanese history, Asian history, Japanese literature
- Imperial Chinaemperor, emperors, Three Kingdoms, Forbidden City, civil service exam
Qing dynastyRepublic of China
Taiwan's formal designation
People's Republic of China · modern China · republican government · Han dynasty · constitutional democracy