IMPERIALISM IN EAST ASIA, c.1912
Student Worksheet
Theme of Map
The map shows the extent of both European and Japanese imperialism in China and other
parts of East Asia in 1912. Color shading on the map shows the spheres of influence of
various nations; red squares indicate major treaty ports. The map uses red cross-hatching
to show the region affected by the Boxer Rebellion.
Historical Context
From the mid-1800s through the early 1900s, European powers—most notably, Great
Britain, France, Germany, and Russia—along with Japan, seized control of large areas of
China, Mongolia, Korea, and Taiwan. They then more or less forced these East Asian
countries to trade with them. For the Europeans, East Asia represented a new area for
imperial competition; Japanese imperialism, on the other hand, functioned more as an
assertion of regional preeminence.
The hubs of European domination were the so-called “treaty ports.” British traders gained
access to five of these ports when the Treaty of Nanking was signed in 1842, after Britain
had triumphed in the Opium War. In 1858, the Treaties of Tianjin opened 11 more ports
to European traders. Historians aptly refer to these and other treaties as “Unequal
Treaties.”
Germany, Russia, Britain and France created spheres of influence (areas where they had
exclusive trading rights) in China. From 1894 to 1895, Japan defeated China in a war and
gained control of Korea, Taiwan, and smaller islands. The United States also took an
interest in the goings-on in East Asia, supporting an “Open Door” policy intended to keep
trade open in China—and also potentially laying the groundwork for American
imperialism in the region.
In 1900, a Chinese military organization called the Society of Righteous and Harmonious
Fists (known more informally as the Boxers) staged a revolt in an attempt to remove
foreigners from China. In the Boxer Rebellion, the insurrectionists began by attacking
Christian missionaries and converts, then laid siege to foreign embassies and even killed
diplomats (including the German minister in Peking). The rebellion went on for two
months before an international force managed to suppress it. Not until World War II
would China become liberated from Japan, and the last vestiges of European colonialism
(such as Hong Kong, Macao) wouldn’t disappear until the end of the 20th century.
© 2005 Social Studies School Service • 10200 Jefferson Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232 • (800) 421-4246 • www.socialstudies.com
Product Code: ZP246
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Map Skills Question
On what bodies of water were the major treaty ports located?
Critical-Thinking Question
Russia was not a major power in nineteenth-century Europe. Why do you think it was
able to impinge on Chinese territory?
Extra Map Skills Questions
In what part of China did the Boxer Rebellion occur?
Which nation’s sphere of influence included Shanghai, Yuezhou, and Chongqing?
Which nation’s sphere of influence contained Simao, Mengzi, and Zhanjiang?
Which nation controlled the area around the Yalu River, as well as the treaty port of
Hangzhou?
Which nation controlled the treaty port of Macao?
Which nation’s sphere of influence was between France’s and Great Britain’s?
Which nation controlled the largest number of treaty ports?
What body of water separated southern Korea from southern Japan?
© 2005 Social Studies School Service • 10200 Jefferson Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232 • (800) 421-4246 • www.socialstudies.com
Product Code: ZP246
47
Extra Critical-Thinking Question
How does the map indicate that China’s rivers were central to trade?
Outline Map Activities
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Locate and label the following countries:
o Russia
o Inner and Outer Mongolia
o Manchuria
o Korea
o Japan
o China
o French Indochina
o British India
Label the following rivers and bodies of water:
o Amur River
o Yalu River
o Huang He River
o Wei He River
o Chang Jiang River
o Xi Jiang River
o Sea of Japan
o South China Sea
o Pacific Ocean
Label the following treaty ports on your outline maps and identify which nations
controlled each of them:
o Port Arthur
o Chefoo
o Jiujiang
o Hong Kong
o Qinhaungdao
o Wenzhou
o Macao
Draw in the approximate borders of the major contiguous areas of spheres of
influence and devise a system for labeling them.
Answer the following questions:
o Which nation had the largest sphere of influence?
o Which nation controlled the largest number of treaty ports?
o Which nation controlled the fewest treaty ports?
© 2005 Social Studies School Service • 10200 Jefferson Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232 • (800) 421-4246 • www.socialstudies.com
Product Code: ZP246
48
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