Qing China

Qing China (大清/ᡩᠠᡳ᠌ᠴᡳᠩ ᡤᡠᡵᡠᠨ) commonly known as Qing Dynasty, Great Qing or China is a nation located in East Asia. It borders Russia in the North, Japan in Korea, Nguyễn Vietnam, French Indochina, Burma, Bhutan, Nepal, Bengal Presidency, Rajput Confederation, Durrani Empire and Sikh Empire in the South. Despite losing two wars to the British and then the Japanese and Russian, China perservered through internal rebellion and then a civil war and came out as one of the eight great powers of the world though many reforms.

Early History
The Jin originate as northern peoples from the great plains of the Dongbei region, who took advantage of collapsing Ming, seizing the Mandate of Heaven, and establishing the Great Qing Empire. For many years afterwards, the Qing expanded the borders of the Chinese state to above and beyond most previous Dynasties. The Qing truly hit a golden age, establishing themselves on top of the world superior to all those below them.

First Anglo-Chinese War
However, Europeans are not happy with this system and especially the British. Back at home, demand for tea began to increase but the Chinese only allow Chinese goods to be traded with silver. The British started to run a trade deficit with the Qing, however the Qing refused to lax its already extremely strict trading laws, which forced the British to trade out of the port of Canton on Chinese terms. Things would come to a head when some British sailors killed some local Chinese, greatly angering the Qing who demanded the men be executed. The British arrested the men, but did not put them to death, which only angered the Chinese more. The British were soon expunged from the port of Canton, sent to a deserted island. When attempting to get supplies, the Chinese attacked the British ship, starting the First Anglo-Chinese War in 1839.

The British with their superior technology and modern tactics laid defeat to the Qing, much to the shock of the Daoguang Emperor who was forced to give into some British Demands, including ceding the island that the British had landed on when they were expunged from Canton, in which was named "Hong Kong" respectively. However china would not learn from this event, with its Emperor to stubborn to accept china was falling behind. He continued to rule china as he always had until his death in 1850, only 8 years after the end of the first Anglo-Chinese War.

Second Anglo-Chinese War
After the death of the Daoguang Emperor, he left his son Prince Yixin to lead China, crowning the 17 year old as the Yifeng Emperor. However the 17 year old was given control of a crumbling empire, as rebellions broke out left and right, the worst of which was the Taiping rebellion. The conflicts forced the Chinese to reconsider their stance on western technology, lest they lose the Mandate of Heaven. However the Qing was soon to face another threat it had faced only 14 years prior.

In 1856, a ship named the Arrow was seized due to suspected activity in piracy. The issue was that it was also still registered in Hong Kong, and the arrest of its crew outraged the British. Upon not reaching a compromise the UK, along with the French invaded China, as well as the USA at one point for no real reason what so ever. This began the Second Anglo-Chinese War. With the multiple rebellions still going on, it was clear to the Chinese government that they could not support a war against the Western powers at this time, and in 1858, the Treaties of Tientsin were singed, granting the UK, France, Russia, and the USA Legations in the Imperial capital of Peking, and further opened the nation up to the world. The Yifeng Emperor was outraged at such a treaty, but as his nation continued to collapse, he thought best to leave the Western problem to later.

Yifeng Reform
It was clear that China would need something better then what they had in order to crush the Taiping Rebellion, and the answer soon became obvious. If the Westerners were able to defeat the Great Qing, then clearly we should use their weaponry to defeat the Taiping Rebels. The Qing began to adopt western guns and cannons, with Li Hongzhang leading the charge against the Rebels. By 1861 the "Self Strengthening Movement" was put into place in order to modernize the Chinese army as so it may never be bested by the western barbarians again, and so the Qing may put down any current and future rebellions with greater ease. The Yifeng Emperor also sent out people to study in the Barbarian nations of the west, in order to expand china's knowledge of the outside world, and technology. In 1864, the Taiping were finally put down once and for all, thanks mostly to the modern weaponry, and also to the establishment of regional armies. This victory had inspired the Yifeng Emperor, and in 1865, he began the "Yifeng Reforms" in order to further strengthening the nation against both internal and external threats.

The Yifeng Reforms would establish Foreign-Language schools, Western Style Military academy, as well as construct factories and Dockyards. Railroads were laid, and the Economy was reorganized into a capitalistic Laissez-faire format, as well as Tax Reforms and the establishment of Paper money and a Central, government owned Bank. The Map of China was also redrawn, with the Viceroyaltys in China becoming Provinces split into 10 prefectures each, as well as the establishment of five new Viceroyaltys, Yunnan, Tibet, Xianjiang, Lingbei, and Dongbei. With this, each Province would host its own regional army, and send two representatives to the newly established Senate, with the Viceroyaltys sending four representatives each. A house of lords was also established, as well as a Chancellery which would act as a Guide for the Emperor. Some more civil rights were introduced, and a national flag and anthem were established, but most importantly of all the Green Standard army, as well as the Banners would receive immense spending as the Emperor sought to modernize them as so China may reclaim its place in the world, and defend its interests. Yes China was on the way up once again, however how effective these reforms are have yet to be seen, but the opportunity to test them would soon arise in 1884.

War in Vietnam
The French had been expanding into the Qing tributary state of Vietnam for a while now, and it was only a matter of time before the two states came to conflict in the Paper Bridge War in 1883. The Qing fought hard, with Li Hongzhang leading the charge, and though not a totally victory, the Qing would manage to get the French to pull out of not only Tonkin, but also half of Annam. The Emperor declared it a victory, and saw it as a true turning point for china, however this Victory would only lead to the Chinese getting increasingly cocky, believing they had reclaimed their position as one of, if not the worlds greatest power.

Sino-Japanese War
Things would once again go for the worse for the Qing, when conflict in Korea would arise between the Qing and the Japanese. In 1894 a war would break out knwon as the Sino-Japanese War, leading the Japanese to humble the Great Qing by sinking their new and modern Beiyang fleet, with the war ending in a Qing defeat in 1895. The war had humiliated china and her efforts to modernize, and a republican uprising in the south only solidified this sense of impending doom that filled the Qing court. One man was going to do something about it as he burned with a firey passion to bring glory to the Qing, to hold onto the Mandate of Heaven and that man was Crown Prince Zaiying.

Wuxu Reforms
Zaiying after the fall of the Republican uprising in the south began to draft reforms that would radically change the Empire. He kept pushing for his father to enact change, but the Yifeng Emperor was old and stubborn, refusing to act. However Zaiyings chance would come when in 1898, his father of 65 years died, leaving Zaiying as the Yongtong Emperor. Immediately he got to work, inviting foreign nationals over to assist in creating the new China. After a little over 100 days, the Reforms were done, and they would Radically change china forever, leading it down the path it now treads. The Wuxu reforms as they were known would greatly liberalize the Empire, establish a Constitution, and centralize the military, and economy. This of course, would greatly anger the Warlords, and the Conservatives in the court, who would team up in order to remove the Yongtong Emperor from power, placing him as a figure head, while the real power would lie with regents.

Civil War
In 1899 some people who believed they had magical fists known today as the "boxers" would begin to raise Issues for China, as they sabotaged modernization efforts across the nation. Seeing an opportunity, the conspirators aligned themselves with the Boxers, agreeing to work with them to help drive the foreigners out of china once the Emperor was dealt with. In 1900, the coup would commence, and the conspirators marched into the Forbidden city, and into the hall of the Emperor, only to be greeted with a trap, which resulted in all of the conspirators lives being taken right then and there. Someone had spilled the beans to the Emperor the night before the coup, alerting him to their plan, and though the Yongtong Emperor had avoided the coup, he could not avoid the Warlords rising up across central China, leading to the Chinese Civil War.

It was a bloody conflict that would last a year and a half, but the Qing's centralization of the military, and rapid modernization efforts of the past two years had greatly helped (as well as some foreign assistance) and the warlords were laid to rest. Though now China laid to waste, and it was clear to the Yongtong Emperor that in order to save china, the state would need to take matters into its own hands, and mobilize Chinese resources in a way that the free market could not. China nationalized its heavy industries, and put the army to work constructing as the entire nation was mobilized to bring China into the modern age kicking and screaming. By the time the Yongtong Emperor had died in 1909, China was well on its way up, and today continues to grow and blossom.

Modern China
"China is a sleeping lion. Let her sleep, for when she wakes she will shake the world." were the words of Napoleon, and the past 50 years have only proven him right. China has stepped from the Dark ages, and from decades of humiliation, only to reemerge as a world power once again. China in the past 10 years has efficiently and effectively used its mass amounts of resources, manpower, and wealth, with the prior 50 years spent building up the foundation China needed in order to rapidly progress now. China truly has proven itself as a formidable power, that once awaken can accomplish anything. China however still faces many issues ahead. Minor ethnic tensions still plague the multi-ethnic empire ruled by what most consider a "Manchu Dynasty", and what exactly it means to be "Chinese" is still unclear to its people, with no real sense of one Chinese national identity. Bandits are an issue in the rural west and north, as are tribal communities within the Himalayas, and China still has yet to prove itself in a war. Though China is Industrialized by all means, it still has a long way to go, and its populace is still largely uneducated, yet as time goes on that issue is fixing itself. Many also fear corruption in the Government, fearing politicians will promises resources in their five year quotas to the highest bidders. China is also rapidly approaching an age of rapid and unprecedented Liberalization as the Civil war had practically collapsed conservatives within the government, and in general society, with most of them having died in the civil war, lost interest after their side lost, or have been driven underground. The societal pendulum has no choice but to swing the other way, and Liberal ideas such as Women's rights, Sexual Liberation, labor rights, as well as increasingly left wing views are beginning to spread among the ever increasing educated populace at an alarming rate.

Though these views are not anti-Qing now, should the government not be careful, they could end up being Just that. With modern technology comes modern society, and China will once again need to learn to adapt should it ever hope of survival. This task has been left up to the current Emperor of China, the Xiánzhì Emperor, who will need to steer his nation carefully if he hopes to retain the Mandate of Heaven.