The Set-up...
By 1800, China was a prosperous country with a highly developed agricultural system. China was not industrialized, but workers in small workshops were able to produce most of the goods the Chinese needed. Because China was practically self-sufficient, it adopted and maintained an isolationist foreign policy, which meant its emperors had little interest in trading with Europeans. For decades, Europeans could do business only at the port of Canton. Despite pleas from Britain and other nations, China refused to open other ports to foreigners. The Chinese saw European goods as inferior to their own and bought few goods from the European merchants at Canton.
European merchants were determined to find a product the Chinese would buy in large quantities. Eventually, the British East India company discovered such a product - opium. Opium is a habit forming narcotic made from the poppy plant. The Chinese government tried to stop the opium trade by appealing to British royalty. When those pleas went unanswered, the quarrel over opium grew into a war. The Opium War and the peace that followed led to increased trading rights for Europeans in China. For a time it looked as though a scramble for China might follow the one for Africa...
This WebQuest will lead you though the major events and policies that affected life in China during the 1800s. After completing this project, you should have a more developed understanding of the European-Chinese conflict of interest that shaped Chinese history during the 19th Century.
European merchants were determined to find a product the Chinese would buy in large quantities. Eventually, the British East India company discovered such a product - opium. Opium is a habit forming narcotic made from the poppy plant. The Chinese government tried to stop the opium trade by appealing to British royalty. When those pleas went unanswered, the quarrel over opium grew into a war. The Opium War and the peace that followed led to increased trading rights for Europeans in China. For a time it looked as though a scramble for China might follow the one for Africa...
This WebQuest will lead you though the major events and policies that affected life in China during the 1800s. After completing this project, you should have a more developed understanding of the European-Chinese conflict of interest that shaped Chinese history during the 19th Century.
What Are We Doing???!
Your group has just traveled back in time to the year 1900. You have arrived in China during a time of great turmoil. The United States has just proposed a policy that will allow equal access to China for all foreign merchants. As a result, a group of Chinese nationalists have taken to the streets and have pledged to rid the country of "foreign devils."
You and your colleagues have been invited as delegates to a conference being held at the Chinese Imperial Palace. At this conference, European merchants and Chinese citizens will have the opportunity to present their visions for the future of China.
Each group will be assigned a role to research and present, and will have most of a class period to study and take notes. After completing background research on China's recent history, we will have a class debate, with people arguing on either the side of the European merchants or the Chinese nationalists. Your speeches will help the Empress Dowager Tzu-Hsi decide whether the Chinese government should support trade with foreign nations or aid in the fight to keep China isolated from foreign influence.
Painting of Empress Dowager Tzu-Hsi in 1906
Ok, I get why, but how am I supposed to be able to do this??
In pairs, you will research one of the following
topics related to events in China in the 1800's:
- The Opium Wars
- The Treaty of Nanjing
- The Taiping Rebellion
- The Open-Door Policy
- The Boxer Rebellion
Each small group will be assigned to either Group A or Group B, with each of these groups consisting of half of the class. Group A's task is to research from the perspective of the Europeans (specifically British) on the events in China during the 1800's, while Group B's task is to research from the perspective of the Chinese Nationalists.
*Each group should cite specific examples from their research supporting their argument for or against European trade in China.
topics related to events in China in the 1800's:
- The Opium Wars
- The Treaty of Nanjing
- The Taiping Rebellion
- The Open-Door Policy
- The Boxer Rebellion
Each small group will be assigned to either Group A or Group B, with each of these groups consisting of half of the class. Group A's task is to research from the perspective of the Europeans (specifically British) on the events in China during the 1800's, while Group B's task is to research from the perspective of the Chinese Nationalists.
*Each group should cite specific examples from their research supporting their argument for or against European trade in China.
Where do we go?!
Opium Wars Sources
1. InfoPlease
2. Digital China
3. "Emergence of Modern China"
4. Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding
Treaty of Nanjing Sources
1. Cultural China
2. Oracle ThinkQuest
3. Treaty of Nanjing
4. USC
Taiping Rebellion Sources
1. "The Taiping Rebellion"
2. Taiping Rebellion
3. Motives Behind Hong Xiuquan
4. Chinese Cultural Studies
Open-Door Policy Sources
1. Map: Spheres of Influences in China
2. Imperialism, Open-Door Policy in China
3. The Open-Door Notes
4. Doing Business in China
The Boxer Rebellion Sources
1. The Boxer Rebellion
2. Fe'i Chi-Hao: The Boxer Rebellion
3. 1900 - The Boxer Rebellion
4. Boxer Rebellion
1. InfoPlease
2. Digital China
3. "Emergence of Modern China"
4. Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding
Treaty of Nanjing Sources
1. Cultural China
2. Oracle ThinkQuest
3. Treaty of Nanjing
4. USC
Taiping Rebellion Sources
1. "The Taiping Rebellion"
2. Taiping Rebellion
3. Motives Behind Hong Xiuquan
4. Chinese Cultural Studies
Open-Door Policy Sources
1. Map: Spheres of Influences in China
2. Imperialism, Open-Door Policy in China
3. The Open-Door Notes
4. Doing Business in China
The Boxer Rebellion Sources
1. The Boxer Rebellion
2. Fe'i Chi-Hao: The Boxer Rebellion
3. 1900 - The Boxer Rebellion
4. Boxer Rebellion
Where do our points come from?
At the end of the classroom debate, you must turn in your notes. These notes will equal 5 points in an individual grade, and it is an all or nothing grade. Also, during the debate, I will note not only who is participating, but also who is on task and paying attention. As a result of these observations, I will give and take participation points as they are deserved.
Conclusion!
Congratulations! You have completed the Imperialism in China WebQuest. You should now have a better understanding of the policies and events that shaped China in the 19th Century. This information should further help you to construct a complete view of world events during the Age of Imperialism (1870-1914).