Art

Art during the time of the Qing was an important and much valued part of culture.  Chinese art can be broken down into three main groups of artists: the individualists, these artists were loyal to the Ming dynasty and used the styles of the Ming in their work; the traditionalists, or those who devoted their lives to keeping the traditions of earlier China alive throught their art; and finally members of the Qing royal court who often painted decorative works for the reigning emperor.

A famous Bada Shanren painting, titled "Flower in Jar"

The group of artists known as the Individualists often removed themselves from society completely, becoming buddist monks.  These people hung on to the traditons of the fallen Ming dyansty, and painted in ways that clearly expressed their sadness over the loss of the Ming.  Included in this group of painters was a man named Bada Shanren.  Bada was one of the more famous individualists of the time and his works were those of one trying to express himself through his profession.  His paintings were often sloppy and twisted and one could guess that his pieces reflected those of a man who was not fully stable.

The other group of artists devoted to the ways of the past were the traditionalists.  Instead of being devoted to the previous dynasty though, the traditionalists were devoted to the traditions further removed from their present.  They often used the styles of the 17th century and even years previous to that.  The traditionalists, or the Orthodox School, were highly educated by orthodox masters and created albums of paintings to show their mastery over a variety of  past styles.

The final group of artists that were widely known were the painters of the Emperor's Royal Court.  These painters were skilled in creating beautifully detailed works that often incorparated the styles of the fallen Song dynasty.  There were many rooms and spaces throughout the Imperial Palace devoted to the showing and viewing of these paintings.

Opinion/Editorial

Dear Editor,

It’s time.  Time to ban the use of opium in China.  There’s just no way a drug that is ruining hundreds of thousands of lives and allowing our European counterparts to dominate our trade relations should be legal.  That’s right, hundreds of thousands of lives.  And not like “ruining” as in causing erratic behavior,  ruining like people sitting around all day smoking, giving up their businesses just to use opium.  It’s honestly destroying our population.  And our government, the one in charge of protecting us, is just standing by and watching many of the coastal regions of China go up in smoke.  Socially destroyed, because of a single drug.

         

And that leads to my second point: opium has been available in China for many, many years.  Yet only in the past few has it become a major problem in what was previously a significantly thriving society.  That's what happens when our neighbors in the west try to trade opium in mass amounts.  And we as a population bought into this trade: 'Porcelain for opium, sure.' Just a few short years ago, it was China who was dominating the trade partnership with the West.  A good piece of porcelain was worth more than it's weight in gold.  Now, it's barely worth a bag of opium.  The British have found a way to dominate the trade market and we, the citizens, and our government are going right along with it.  It would only take one law and some monitoring of the scene down at the port of Canton  for all these problems go away.  Yet there are no signs of such actions being taken.

                               Sincerely,

                                                   Li Shang

Interview With Emperor Kangxi

Emperor Kangxi: Hello Nate. How are you?

Nate: Very well, thanks.  Before we begin, I just wanted to thank you for partaking in this interview.  To begin, I’d like for you to explain a little bit about how you got to this point in your life, for some viewers out there who aren’t familiar with Chinese history.

A portrait of Emperor Kangxi

Emperor Kangxi: Yes of course.  Let’s start at the very beginning then.  I took over the throne at the age of eight, after my father Shunzhi stepped down.  Many officials were appointed to oversee the country before I was old enough to do so myself.  As my age increased, by duties did the same, and before I knew it, I was fully operating the government of China!

Nate: That’s quite a story.  How do you think your experience with Prime Minister Ao Bai help you succeed in ruling China?

Emperor Kangxi: I believe that my experience with Ao Bai greatly improved my ability to rule.  The whole deal definitely opened my eyes to the things that occur in the world.  You know when you’re a kid and you’re protected by those around you, it seems like the world is a perfect place.  The whole investigation really forced me to look directly at the horrible things that take place. (Prime Minister Ao Bai was removed of his position after he was found to be corrupt. Ao Bai was one of the people who had helped to nurture and teach Kangxi.)

Nate: Yes, I think we can all agree that it was a tough time for us all.  What can you tell us about the tours you made to visit many regions of Southern China.  Why did you go to so much trouble to personally see some parts of your country?

Emperor Kangxi: To me, it’s pretty simple.  The people of China need a ruler that understands the conditions that they are living in.  And there’s no better way to get an idea of what life is like in the cities and villages of China than to see it with my own eyes.  Also, my visiting government establishments on these trips helps to keep my officials on their toes.

Nate: What have you done to advance China technologically?

Emperor Kangxi: I feel that I’ve made many advancements, especially on the front of astronomy and mathematics.  This is somewhat due to the coming of the Jesuits from Europe, who brought many new ideas and inventions with them.  By welcoming them into the country we are effectively advancing China on many fronts.

Nate: That’s a very interesting way to look at it.  One last question: In the future what are you going to try to change and/or improve about the country of China?

Emperor Kangxi: As always, I’m working for the people of China.  I’ll do whatever it takes to improve the quality of the average citizen’s life.  This could mean building new means of transportation, lowering taxes, or creating more jobs.

The Influence of the West

Throughout the Qing Dynasty, the Chinese enjoyed large amounts of trade with multiple Western countries.  During this trade, the Chinese were opened up to many new pieces of technology that they had been previously unaware of.  The West introduced items such as watches and astrology instruments during trade.

Porcelain from the Qing Dynasty

One important event for the Chinese was the rise in popularity of porcelain.  While the Qing might not have invented porcelain, they certainly put it to good use.  Qing artists developed new colors to be used on the porcelain.  As the market for Chinese porcelain in Europe grew, the Chinese exported more and more of the good porcelain to a great many countries in the West.  This greatly influenced the overall wealth of China as a whole, and the period from the middle of the 16^th century to the middle of the 17^th century was a prosperous one.

Opium Poppy

Unfortunately for China, this prosperity would not last.  While the Chinese were enjoying their economic upturn, Europe was enduring a drop in their economy.  As this trend continued, the Westerners knew that they would need a good they could obtain cheaply to trade with the Chinese for porcelain and other goods.  This good turned out to be opium. The European boats could pick up the opium in India on their way to China and then trade it in China for the products they desired.  Soon, a great many Chinese citizens were addicting to opium.  This quickly evened out the trade balance between the Chinese and the West, and even gave Europe an advantage.  Finally, opium trade was banned.  It wasn’t long before the Chinese and the Europeans weren’t trading as much as before, especially with a major good off the table.

Soon the Opium Wars began, officially ending the economic growth in China.  In the end it was China itself that caused the collapse of the Qing.  As the world around them was rapidly advancing in technology and agriculture, China stayed mired in tradition, not opening the doors to new opportunities and growth.  This stubbornness, among other factors caused the Qing dynasty to go spiraling down the drain, leaving but a few soapy bubbles of organization, peace, and government.

Confucianism

Chinese Confucianism reached it's pinnacle during Qing dynasty from 1644-1911.  The first emperor to study and worship the philosophy of Confucianism was Emperor Kangxi, whose reign began in the year 1669.  Confucianism is centered upon two main themes: the importance of creating and establishing virtue in the individual, and the relationships that one encounters in his/her life.

A portrait of Confucius

Essentially, Confucius and his followers believed that inside, all of humanity is good. In Confucianism, all humans have a sense of “the right thing” and if one could make decisions based on this sense, one could achieve moral perfection.  Confucians believe that humans do not need laws to govern their actions.  Instead, they believe that one’s own “voice in their head” should be enough to govern oneself.  The promotion of Confucianism by the Imperial powers of China became a fine line due to the embedded belief of self-government in Confucian teachings, but it was a line that Emperor Kangxi and many other emperors succeeded in walking with apparent ease.

The other theme of Confucian teachings is the idea of Filial Piety, or in simpler terms, the respect for one’s parents and elders.  Filial Piety states that there are five key relationships.  These are ruler and ruled, father and son, husband and wife, older brother and younger brother, and friend and friend.  In all but the friend and friend relationship, one party is superior to the other.  According to Confucian tradition, one should honor your superior and respect their views and ideas.  This piece of Confucianism proved much easier for the Chinese to establish in their government, as it just further solidified the power of the presently ruling emperor.

With the philosophy of Confucianism came the system of meritocracy.  Meritocracy is a government in which people are chosen for positions based upon their merit (hence the name).  This idea was first put into action by the use of the Imperial Examination system.  In the system, one must pass a test or series of tests that were designed to prove one’s merit as well as their ability to not be lured into the world of government corruption.  Anyone could take these tests, a symbol of equality that is reflected in Confucianism. 

Throughout most of the Qing Dynasty, the teachings of Confucius had a great effect on the day-to-day life of Chinese citizens.  This was mainly centered on the five relationships, as this was the guide to many interactions throughout China.  From the market to the rice field, one always did as one's father or husband told, and one never disobeyed one’s ruler.  Today, this method of living has been all but abolished in China and throughout the rest of the world, but the work of Confucius is still rooted in the way that the Chinese respect and care for their elders.

Map of Qing Dynasty

The above map shows the Qing Empire in relation to the borders of Modern China.  Note the location of the Great Wall and the fact that Taiwan, Mongolia, and modern-day Western China all fall under the Qing’s borders.  If one looks closely, it's clear that many of the major cities in China  are located near or on a large body of water.  This is not a coincidence, as the Chinese used the water to transport goods throughout their country and the world. Furthermore, the viewer should notice the similarities between the borders of the Qing Dynasty and the borders of Modern China.  Though one could comment upon the vastness of the 2011 China, this map clearly shows that the Qing Dynasty reigned supreme as far as land area is concerned.

Peace In China

Peace In China

Treaty Signed, British Take Hong Kong

The signing of the Treaty of Nanjing

AUGUST 30, 1842 NANJING- It was a majestic scene yesterday on the HMS Cornwallis, as Sir Henry Pottinger of Britain and many other Chinese officials signed the Treaty of Nanjing, officially ending the war between Britain and China.  Commonly referred to as the Opium War, the Anglo-Chinese War began in November of 1839 after disputes over trade policy between China and Great Britain reached a climax.  The terms of the treaty are highlighted by the ceding of Hong Kong to Britain, the allowance of British trade at five major ports throughout China, a substantial sum of money to be given to the British, as well as the agreement that British citizens will be governed by their home countries laws while on Chinese land.  Many believe that this agreement is unfair due to the fact that the treaty was signed and proposed after a war, and China was forced to sign the deal.  A Chinese negotiator of the deal, Elepoo had this to say regarding the treaty, “Unfortunately the Treaty of Nanjing somewhat hinders our ability to trade with our European counterparts.  Most involved with the decision believed that the treaty was unfair and gave the British a major advantage over The Homeland in trade.  Keying [a secondary negotiator] and myself would never have agreed to the deal if our country had been in any other circumstances.  We shared the feeling that there was no other option available that would benefit the future of China.  In a word, we felt our hands were tied, and the only option was amputation: however painful it may be, the other choices are equally grim.”  As for the opinion of the British, Sir Henry Pottinger made this statement, “The British are pleased with the outcome of the treaty, as we are now blessed with the freedom of trade that we deserve.”  The Daoguang Emperor and Queen Victoria will personally review and accept the treaty during the coming months, and both the Chinese and the British have agreed to negotiate the specifics of the treaty at a later date. 

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