How Did China Resist Western Influences?

How Did China Resist Western Influences? In the 19th Century, during the Qing dynasty, China had little communications with Western countries due to their self-sufficiency. However, the British smuggled opium into China, the Chinese found out that people would get addicted to opium, so the Chinese banned smoking opium and led to the Opium War. Soon after the war was declared, other foreign countries such as France and Russia noticed China was a land with a lot of economic resources. Even though many civil wars including the Taiping Rebellion and the Boxer Rebellion were launched, China resisted Western influences through rebellions aiming at ridding China of westerners, treaties regulating peace with Western countries, and movements attempting to reform the government. China resisted western influences by declaring wars toward foreign countries. The Opium War between China and Britain was caused by Britains ignoring Chinas warnings and keeping smuggling opium into China. China lost the war because the technologies of Great Britain were more advanced. The two countries signed Nanking Treaty, which expanded the prologue of unequal treaties. After the Nanking Treaty, civilians not only distrusted their own government, but also refused accepting westerners due to the fact that numerous western nations forced China to open other ports so that foreigners could export their goods to China. The result led to the unstable market of China. In order to make a great peaceful world many civilians formed a party called Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Hong Xiuquan, the leader of the party, advocated gender equality and public treasury in addition to spreading Christianity, in which the party broke temples and idols and introduced missionary in China. Moreover, people distrusted the Qing government as it was deteriorating. Also, foreign countries gave more pressure during that time. An organization called Yi Ho Tuan believed that by joining their group and practicing Chinese Kong Fu with them, they would soon become invincible. Due to their belief, members of Yi Ho Tuan chose not to follow the governments laws. In the spring of 1900, Yi Ho Tuan descended to Beijing, declaring the Boxer Rebellion. They surrounded the European section, however, they suffered a humiliating defeat from the multinational force of 19,000 troops. Even though the Yi Ho Tuan failed, a strong sense of nationalism and of refusing western countries arose in China. Since the failure of the several rebellions, China was forced to sign plenty of unequal treaties as a postwar reconciliation. As a settlement, China was compelled to sign Nanking Treaty which included the opening of the five following ports, Guangzhou, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Ningpo, and Shanghai, where Britons were allowed to trade with anyone they wished. And China gave Hong Kong to Britain as well as twenty one million silver as reparation. After the treaty, the trading competitiveness faced unprecedented problems from foreigners to Chinese people. The trend of opposition to westerners kept rising in Chinese peoples minds. Too many defeats made China to give western countries many arbitrary conditions. Even if China were having unfair negotiations, it still had to make concessions. The agreement on tariffs reduced a great number of Chinas taxes, and the Unilateral Most Favored Nation delighted westerners with impunity. However, these increased Chinese peoples hatred to westerners. The more failure of wars, the more unequal treaties China had to sign. China signed up Beijing Treaty which allowed westerners recruit Chinese slaves. More than that, foreigners could build churches in China. Westerners plundered great amount valuable resources from China. Likewise, these made Chinese people feel unfair that westerners received too many rights in China. In 1860, China lost Second Opium War so they had to undertake western countries’ squeezes, which means more treaties. China was forced to agree with Tianjing Treaty. This treaty allowed Russia, America, Britain, and France to preach in China. The United States had the right to station legations in Beijing. This treaty forced China to open Shanghai, Ningbo, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Guangzhou, Taiwan, and Qiongzhou seven ports to Russia, and Russian troops could park in various ports. Furthermore, opium could be traded and imported freely, which made Qing government very vexed. By this time, China wanted to be suppressed no longer, so it intended plural reforms that improved it’s attribute such as Hundred Days Reform, and Self-Strengthening Movement. China self-improved by learning foreign policies, making up some incentives for the people who contributed to China, or enhancing military. The Self-Strengthening Movement was promoted by Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang, and Zuo Zongtang after the failure of Second Opium War. They advocated to learning western countries’ industrial technologies and business methods because they witnessed the tremendous power of foreign invaders’ battleships. They first set up Prime States Office to process foreign affairs. Then they erected Machinery Manufacturing Bureau and arsenals to form a new military industry to enhance military in every province. They improved their military especially navy. Because conservatives didnt support and the low efficiency of bureaucracy, so this movement didnt succeed, but it paved the way for the Hundred Days’ Reform. China didn’t give up after the bungle of the Self-Strengthening Movement. It promoted Hundred Days’ Reform, popularized by Emperor Guangxu, Kang Youwei, and Liang Qichao, which was divided into four parts including education, economy, military, and policy. Chinese government established higher level schools and selected some children to go to study in Japan. Because foreign educations were thought to be better at that time. For the development of economy, Qing government set up factories everywhere in China to promote the production. To improve military, it used western ways to train troops. It lifted the exclusion of newspaper and laid off bureaucracy to strengthen government structure and build up the trust of civilians. Even though the overthrew of the Hundred Days’ Reform by the conservatives in 1898, China’s national power had indeed grown, which made the Chinese believe they didnt need foreigners to conquer them anymore. All the unequal treaties made China more vulnerable and caused Chinese people to distrust the government and therefore had a lot of riots. China reflected on its own and began to promote the policy of self-improvement. China resisted the western influences. While regulating peace with Western countries by signing treaties and attempting to reform the government, China wanted to be self isolated since it was self-sufficient. However, numerous revolutions proved that it was impossible not to be influenced by westerners to isolate itself within its own world. Bibliography Anderson, Doone, et al. â€Å"Hundred Days’ Reforms† Alpha History. Web. 17. Nov.2013 Anderson, Doone, et al. â€Å"Sun Yat-sen† Alpha History. Web. 17. Nov.2013 Anderson, Doone, et al. â€Å"The Self-Strengthening Movement† Alpha History. Web. 17. Nov.2013 Gibson, Anne.â€Å"The Opium Wars: When Britain Made War on China.† BBC News. BBC, 12. Mar. 2012. 25. Sept. 2013 Gracie, Carrie.â€Å"Hong Xiuquan: The Rebel Who Thought He Was Jesus’ Brother†. BBC News.BBC, 17 Oct. 2012. Web. 26.Sept.2013 Trueman, Chris. â€Å"The Boxer Rebellion.† History Learning Site. Web. 25 Sept. 2013 Trueman, Chris. â€Å"The Japan† History Learning Site. Web. 17 Nov. 2013

Lessons in King Lear by William Shakespeare Essay -- King Lear Shakesp

Lessons in King Lear by William Shakespeare Satisfying, hopeful, and redemptive: some critics would say that these adjectives belong nowhere near a description of King Lear. One critic, Thomas Roche, even states that the play’s ending is â€Å"as bleak and unrewarding as man can reach outside the gates of hell† (164). Certainly, Roche’s pessimistic interpretation has merit; after all, Lear has seen nearly everyone he once cared for die before dying himself. Although this aspect of the play is true, agreeing with this negative view requires a person to believe that Lear learns nothing and that he suffers and dies in vain. Indeed, this is exactly what Roche believes when he states that at the play’s end, â€Å"Lear still cannot tell good from evil . . . or true from false† (164). This nihilistic approach, however, not only disregards many of the play’s moments of philosophical insight, but it also completely misinterprets Shakespeare’s intent. That is not to say that Lear is without fault at the end of the play; as Shakespeare surely understood, Lear is still human, and as such, he is subject to human frailty. What is most important about Lear, however, is not that he dies a flawed man but that he dies an improved man. Therefore, although King Lear might first appear â€Å"bleak,† Shakespeare suggests that Lear’s life, and human life in general, is worth all of its misery because it is often through suffering that people gain knowledge about the true nature of their individual selves and about the nature of all humanity (Roche 164). From the very beginning of the play, Shakespeare suggests that King Lear has much to learn. As Maynard Mack explains in his essay â€Å"Action and World in King Lear,† the reader/audience is immediate... ...retations of King Lear. Ed. Janet Adelman. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1978. 22-33. Jorgensen, Paul A. Lear’s Self-Discovery. Berkeley: 1967. Kott, Jan. â€Å"King Lear or Endgame† Shakespeare: Our Contemporary. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1974. 127-168. Mack, Maynard. â€Å"Action and World in Shakespeare.† Shakespeare’s Middle Tragedies. Ed. David Young. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1993. 169-184. Roche, Thomas P. â€Å"‘Nothing Almost Sees Miracles’: Tragic Knowledge in King Lear.† Critical Essays on Shakespeare’s King Lear. Ed. Jay Halio. New York: G.K. Hall & Co., 1996. 149-169. Shakespeare, William. King Lear. Ed. Russell Fraser. The Signet Classic Shakespeare. Sylvan Barnet, gen ed. 2nd rev. ed. New York: Signet, 1998. ---. Othello. Ed. Alvin Kernan. The Signet Classic Shakespeare. Sylvan Barnet, gen ed. 2nd rev. ed. New York, Signet, 1998.

Medieval Period Essay

What is it all about? – it is all about the period, age or era after the fall of Roman Empire and the beginning of â€Å"rebirth† or the Rennaisance period. – it is the bridge with these two very important eras in literature. What is the meaning of medieval and period? – the term medieval comes from the latin word â€Å"medium aevum† which means â€Å"middle age†. Medieval was 1st used in the 19th century and the original spelling of it is â€Å"mediavel†. -period means a length of time that is very important in the history of the world or nation. What do you mean by A.D. and C.E. means? – A.D. means â€Å"anno domini† which is the latin for â€Å"in the year of our God† the year after his birth. – C.E. means â€Å"common era† Many writers prefer to use CE than AD .. so, AD and CE are just the same like BC which means Before Christ and BCE which means Before Common/Christian Era. Why it is called the Dark Age? But why it is also known as The Age of Faith? -at first, Medieval Period was called DA because of 4 reasons 1. Ignorance and brutality 2. No scientific accomplishments had been made 3. No great art produced 4. No great leaders born But when the scholars began to appreciate the medieval period’s architecture, philosophy, and literature, they labeled this as â€Å"The Age of Faith† because most of the works are centered on religous teachings in the reason that religion is the most powerful institutuion during the time. Describe Medieval Period. – pervasive christianity – poverty – ignorance – economic chaos – bad government – plague – cultural and artistic achievement – technological development Social Classes in Middle Ages 1. Royalty – highest social class (kings, queens, princes and princesses) 2. Nobility – (hereditary and non-hereditary nobility) 3. Hereditary Nobility – (dukes and dutchess, barons) 4. Non-Hereditary Nobility – (knights, popes, bishops, priests, monks,clergy) 5. Common People – (Serfs, freemen, slaves, peasants) Development of Medieval Period – there are three major divisions on the development of Medieval Period : Early, High and Late Middle Ages. How stuff works on the Early M.P.? 1. In this part is where the Dark Age is associated wherein literacy, ignorance and brutality are prevailing. 2. Christianity became the standard bearer of Western Civilization wherein the papacy gained authority 3. Feudalism is the manorial system 4. Monasteries were founded as campaign for Christian empowerment 5. North Africa and Middle East came under the rule of Caliphate, an Islamic Group How stuff works in the High M.P.? -it began after 1000AD 1. Technological and agricultural innovations flourished together with the population. 2. Climate changed to warm which allowed crop yield to increase. 3. Still feudalism is the manorial system. 4. Crusade – in 1905 – military attempt to regain control of the Middle Easter Holy Land from Caliphate 5. Kings became the heads of nation states, which lead to reduce of crime and violence 6. In this time, the first universities were founded and intellectual life began How stuff works in Late M.P.? 1. It is marked by difficulties and calamities including famine, plague and war. 2. Black Death – between 1347 amd 1350, a mysterious disease known as the Black Death (the bubonic plague). It killed some 20 million people in Europe. 3. Economic expansion, political centralization, and secularization foreshadowed due to transition from medieval to modern. Despite of difficulties and calamities, it is where medieval empowerment stimulated. 4. Age of exploration 5. The church was weakened by conflicts and quarrels between church and state 6. Peasants’ revolt. What are the causes of end of M.P? -1453 the capture of Constantipole by the Turk -1453 the end of the hundred years war between the English and Fench because of invasion -1492 the Muslims being rejected from Spain -1492 the discovery of America by Columbus -1512 the Protestant Reformation starting with the beginning of Rennaisance Period. Heritage of Medieval Period During the medieval period there were many advancements. Justice and Law Codes: Justinian’s Code,Great Council (Parliament), Magna Carta Trade and Business: Marketplace & Trade Fairs, Banks  Architecture: Cathedrals, Castles,Romanesque, Medieval, Gothic Architecture Formal Learning: Guilds, Universities Public Conduct: Code of Chivalry, Heraldry,Holy Relics Art: Stained Glass Windows, Tapestries,Gregorian Chants, Medieval Music, Epic Poetry,Troubadours, Illuminated Manuscripts, Mystery Plays, Miracle Plays, Morality Plays,Architecture Farming: Horse-drawn plow, Horse Collar, Horseshoes Seven new sites that dated from the medieval period added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Bolgar Historical and Archeological Complex (Russia) Namhansanseong (Republic of Korea) The Grand Canal (China) Silk Roads : The Routes Network of Chang’an-Tianshan Corridor (China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyztan) Rani-ki-Vav (The Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat (India) Pyu Ancient Cities (Myanmar) Bursa and Cumalikizik: The Birth of the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) Some of the significant Medieval Heritage Aachen Cathedral Abbey and Altenmà ¼nster of Lorsch Abbey Church of Saint-Savin sur Gartempe Amiens Cathedral Archaeological Ensemble of the Bend of the Boyne Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments Bauhaus and its sites in Weimar and Dessau Beemster Polder Belfries of Belgium and France Benedictine Convent of St John at Mà ¼stair Bergpark Wilhelmshà ¶he Berlin Modernism Housing Estates Blenheim Palace Bordeaux, Port of the Moon Bourges Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine’s Abbey, and St Martin’s Church Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd Castles of Augustusburg and Falkenlust at Brà ¼hl Cathedral of Notre-Dame,Former Abbey of Saint-Rà ©mi andPalace of Tau, Reims The Causses and the Cà ©vennesMedieval Literature Medieval Literature England is the birth place of Medieval Literature Latin was the common language for medieval writings Clergy are the people who write religious works The early literature of this period consists of sermons, prayers, lives of saints and homilies. -some of the noted works are 1. Green Knight 2. Sir Gawain 3. The Pearl 4. The Book of the Duchess 5. The Parliament of Fowls 6. The  House of Fame 7. Troilus and Criseyde 8. The Canterbury Tales 9. The Legend of Women 10. The Complaint of Chauser to his Empty Purse Types of Writings Religious – dominant form of literature Composed of hymns, liturgy, hagiographies,religious poems Some works of this type: Golden Legend of Ja Cobous de Voragine; Dies , Stabat Mater Outstanding Jewish writers : Maimonides – Spain; Rashi – France Secular – it is more on romance, heroism and it is not in religious works Composed of epic, courtly love, political poetry, songs Prominent Jewish authors: Solomon ibn Gabirol and Yehuda Haleui Outstanding writer: Geoffrey Chauser Women’s Literature – in this type women of Medieval period are the writers and it is not about the works pertained to women of M.P. Composed of works that have been written by women, mostly nuns Noted authors : Clare of Asisi, Bridget of Sweden, Catherine of Seine – They are canonaized as saints and their works are reflections, revelations and prayers Marie de France and Christine de Viza – their works focused on courtly love Revelations of Divine Love – 1st published book in English language that was written by a woman Allegory – medieval lit. makes use of many literary devices and allegory is very prominent in the period. Much works relied on allegory to convey the morals that the author had in mind while writing are representation of abstract qualities, events and institutions. Most influential allegory – Psychomachia (Battle of Souls) by Aurelius Clemens Prudentius Some works on this type: Romance of the Rose, Everyman, Piers Plowman, Roman de Fauvel and The Divine Comedy. Characteristics of Medieval Literature Figures of speech are numerous Highly religious Frequently intended to teach morals Descriptions are ornate and pretty Techniques of the dream vision used frequently Pleasant aspects of nature predominate New forms of rhythm and rhyme Women take a place in literature Elegance of speech and manners Works were handwritten Love is considered as a pure love Conveying the classic culture of Greece and Rome Works are more on re-telling than new invent stories Next to religious, heroism is Dominant Names of the individual authors are much less important Why most of the works in Medieval Period are anonymous? Medieval lit. was copied by hand and many volumes were lost over the following centuries. Names of the authors did not mean much to medieval citizen, only if they were very famous. Thus, unimportant names would sometimes be left out of a book during the process of copying. If the original volume was lost, there wouldn’t be any written proof of authorship. And one more reason is that some books were controversial or anti, and any author connected with these books would be condemned to death. And to avoid any problems, even if there are no controversial contents of their work, they are not writing their names. â€Å"Listen, Understand and Appreciate – these will make your students respect and love you as their second parent† – anonymous

Is Inflation Good Or Bad Essay - 1164 Words

Lauren Busbee Period 3 November 29, 2016 Is inflation good or bad? Inflation is the increase in the cost of goods and services while the amount of goods and services purchased decreases. When the price of goods and services increase and wages and salaries do not increase at the same rate, an individual has less available cash to spend. The result is a reduced value of the dollar. A declining value of the dollar gives the consumer less spending power and fewer goods and services are purchased. While initially during times of inflation there is less money being spent, the end result of inflation can be good. Historically, the United States has experienced many periods of inflation. In general, there are three factors which can cause inflation. These factors are supply and demand, cost-push and money supply expansion. With supply and demand, when the demand for particular items is great, the price for those items increases. The newest Apple iphone is an example of this. Demand for the newest iphone is always high. In order to ensure its inventory is not totally depleted, Apple keeps the price of its phone high. In addition, Apple recognizes that the consumer is willing to pay a higher price for their product. On the other hand, â€Å"cost-push inflation happens on the supply side. Sellers raise their pricing in order to cover their increased production costs such as labor and components of the items they produce.† Money supply is a method implemented by theShow MoreRelatedInflation Is A Low Rate Of Inflation1726 Words   |  7 Pageshas a high rate of inflation, that means peo ple who live in this country are sad. Inflation has many definitions, but most of these definitions are related to one concept which is inflation is a general increase in prices and fall in the purchasing value of money. There is no doubt about that inflation is an important key concept in economics. 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