CHIN20005 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Gunboat Diplomacy, Qin Dynasty, Unequal Treaty
4 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
MODERN CHINESE LITERATURE LECTURES
WEEK 1: Intro to Modern Literature
Important themes of this course:
• Being/becoming modern
o Ancient Civilisation
o Modern = Westernisation
• China – once thought of as the centre of civilisation
o Most Chinese thought it as only civilisation
o China’s boundaries are unstable
• West – Great Britain
Qin Dynasty 1895 – 1911
• Was ruled by Manchurians
• Men wore pigtails to show they were Han Chinese
• Modern Chinese history (近代历史)
o After last Imperial dynasty Qing
o Qing ruling elite were ethnically Manchu
External Challenge
• China was object of late 19th century imperialism
• Began with Opium war 1841
o British demands to trade opium in China
o Resistance from Chinese officials
o British navy attacked areas of Chinese coast + defeated Chinese naval
o Demanded opening of Chinese ports to British trade
• Nanjing Treaty
o Treaty signed in 1842
o Ceding control over Hong Kong island to British
• Increased use of military aggression “gunboat diplomacy” against China to
force concessions
• Unequal treaties
o All late 19th century military encounters with imperial powers
o China defeated and forced to agree with these series of ‘unequal
treaties’
o Ceded control over series of ports to European powers established
extraterritoriality etc
• 1895 Jap defeated China
o Jap successfully learnt the lessons of power in late 19th century world
o Demanded China’s withdrawal from its interests in Korea and signing
over of Taiwan to Japan as a colony
o 1900 (5 years later) – joint imperial force marched on Beijing and
occupied and sacked imperial spaces as result of Boxer violence
against foreigners in China
MODERN CHINESE LITERATURE LECTURES
Internal challenge
• Internal Decline
o E.g. Taiping Rebellion 1850-64 led by Hong Xiuquan
o Boxer Rebellion 1900
New realisation
• China is no longer centre of human civilisation
o Technologically backward
o Fundamental challenge to China’s confidence, belief system and
cosmology
o China in a world dominated by much stronger nations
WEEK 2: Birth of the May 4th Movement
Intro to this lecture
• China after fall of Emperor in 1911
• May 4
o Political movement
o 1919
o Displaced Chinese classical tradition, culture and language
o Devaluated Confucianism
o Lu Xun – one of most emblematic expressions of May 4th sensibilities
Failure of New Republic
• Overthrow of Qing
o Referred to as ‘Xinhai revolution’ or ‘1911 revolution’
o Quickly sensed that this revolution had failed
• Sun Yatsen
o Sun Zhong Shan
o Leader of 1911 Revolution
o Faced powerful opposition and served short term as provisional
president of new Republic
• Yuan Shikai
o Tried to set up his own dynasty
o Govt was very weak
o Could not collect taxes from vast empire
o Following his death there was no central govt in China dominated
by foreigners
Warlordism
• Warlord Period (1916-25)
• Weak government control (Yuan)
MODERN CHINESE LITERATURE LECTURES
o Inability to collect revenue
• Guomindang 国民党 (Nationalist Party) based in the south – Sun Yatsen’s
party
Early Republican society （民国）
• Most Chinese remain peasants
• Very low level of literacy
• Superstitious
• Militarisaion of society
o Growth in numbers of men under arms
• Emergence of new social groups
o Growth in number of modern schools and colleges
o Youth became the core actors and practitioners of May 4th
movement
Emergence of New social classes
• WWI 1914-1918 Golden age of the Chinese bourgeoisie
• Number of urban industrial workers quadrupled from 1913-1919
• New urban culture developed in Shanghai and other large cities such as
Beijing
• Spread of modern education increased number of readers of newspapers
May 4th Movement
• Protest against Versailles Treaty and Western/Japanese imperialism
• 1919 – around 3000 students from colleges and universities in Beijing
gathered in front of Gate of Heavenly Peace in central Beijing
• Protest against news that Versailles conference had ignored China’s interests
o China’s interests: determining fate of Germany’s concessions in China
o German rights in Shandong signed over the Japanese
o Members of Yuan Shikai’s govt and various successor cabinets had
conspired with Jap interests in return for Jap loans
• Student union formed (first time it was inclusive of female students)
o Staged strikes
• May 4th movement – was first major political broadly-based expression of
anti-imperialism and popular nationalism in China
Formation of Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
• One of outcomes of May 4th movement (hightened sense of nationalism and
anti-imperialism)
• Established in 1921
• Connection to Marxism, which stressed anti-imperialism and social revolution
o Attracted Chinese intellectuals and students
Document Summary
Important themes of this course: being/becoming modern, ancient civilisation, modern = westernisation, china once thought of as the centre of civilisation, most chinese thought it as only civilisation, china"s boundaries are unstable, west great britain. Qin dynasty 1895 1911: was ruled by manchurians, men wore pigtails to show they were han chinese, modern chinese history ( , after last imperial dynasty qing, qing ruling elite were ethnically manchu. Taiping rebellion 1850-64 led by hong xiuquan: boxer rebellion 1900. New realisation: china is no longer centre of human civilisation, technologically backward, fundamental challenge to china"s confidence, belief system and cosmology, china in a world dominated by much stronger nations. Week 2: birth of the may 4th movement. Intro to this lecture: china after fall of emperor in 1911, may 4, political movement, 1919, displaced chinese classical tradition, culture and language, devaluated confucianism, lu xun one of most emblematic expressions of may 4th sensibilities. Warlordism: warlord period (1916-25, weak government control (yuan)
