ASIA 110: Introduction to Asia (China)
Instructor: Jennifer Lundin Ritchie
Unit 4 Study Guide
Important Things to Understand / Remember
China Geography
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Can you recognize a map of the Qing? Which territories (lands) does it include?
Where was the capital of the Qing dynasty? Did this ever change? Why / why not? What about the ROC?
Which areas/lands of the Qing were under foreigner “influence” (control)? Can you name them on a
map? How did these areas change from before WW1 (ca. 1910) to the end of WW2 (ca. 1944)?
Can you identify on a map the important cities of this study unit: Beijing, Nanjing, Canton/Guangzhou?
Can you differentiate the route of the Northern Expedition from the route of the Long March?
Qing Interactions with Europe:
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What kinds of Europeans did the Chinese people meet before the Qing dynasty? How were relations?
Who controlled trade in China when Europeans first started coming to Asia: China or Europeans?
What was the Canton System? Who implemented it? Why did China want this system? What did the
Europeans (especially the British) think of this system? What kind of system did they want? Why?
What opinion did “the Chinese” (Qing) have about the Europeans, their goods, and their influence?
What opinion did the Europeans have about “the Chinese” (Qing), their goods, and their influence?
How are the Europeans, Chinese, and Manchus portrayed in the movies “History of China: Roots of
Madness” and “Shaolin”? What are some examples of bias/prejudice in these movies? Why does this
bias matter—why and how does it affect how much we can trust these versions of history?
Which European countries decided to go to Asia during the ‘European Age of Exploration’ca.1500-1700?
What two main reasons did they have for wanting to go to Asia?
What 3 events in Europe led to Britain’s superior strength in 1700-1800? Why did the Industrial
Revolution encourage Britain to go to Asia? Why was there no Industrial Revolution in China?
Why did Britain survive the Napoleonic Wars so much better than the other European nations?
What Chinese product became so popular in Britain that Britain could not get enough of it from China?
Why couldn’t they get enough of it? How did Britain solve this problem: where did Britain go instead,
and why? Why would they use middlemen instead of trading directly?
In the trade triangle between India, Britain, and China, who profited the most? Why?
Why was this a ‘bad deal’ for China? How did it change the power to control trade in China?
Opium in China:
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What is opium? What was it originally used for? What are some other reasons why people would take it
as a drug: what benefits could they get from taking it? What are some problems from taking opium?
How did people originally ‘take’ opium? How and why did this change when opium came to China?
What effect did this new way of taking opium have? What new factor did ‘opium dens’ add?
What are the benefits and problems with trading for opium? (re: health, society, economy, treaties, etc)
How common was opium addiction? What did China try to do to stop the opium trade? What happened?
Why was Britain’s victory over China in the Opium Wars called “China’s humiliation” in one movie, and
“Britain’s shame” in another movie (compare “History of China: Roots of Madness” to “China The
Opium Wars in the 19th Century”)? What was each movie referring to? How could they BOTH be true?
Which one do most people believe today?
What was the Treaty of Nanjing? What did it say about opium? about the Canton System? What is the
“no most favored nation” clause? Why did this one clause turn out to be so important?
ASIA 110: Introduction to Asia (China)
Instructor: Jennifer Lundin Ritchie
All Kinds of Christians in Qing China:
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Who came to China first: Protestants or Catholics? What’s the difference between Protestants and
Catholics? Why did Protestants think they would be exempt from the Emperor’s ban on Christians?
Who did the Protestants talk to in China? How was it different from who the Catholics (Jesuits) talked to
in the Ming? What strategies did the Protestants use to try to convert the Qing to Christianity?
Which problems did the Protestants and Catholics in China have in common? What new problems did
Protestants face? What was the end result?
Who was Hong Xiuquan? Who did he claim to be? What religious group did he create? What were his
main goals? What did the West think of Hong Xiuquan and the Taipings initially? Later? Why?
What did the Chinese people think of Hong Xiuquan and the Taipings initially? Later? Why?
How did the Qing government respond to Hong Xiuquan and the Taipings? Who did they turn to for
help? What did those people do? How did this affect the power balance in the Qing dynasty? What
happened to Hong Xiuquan and the Taipings in the end? Why is there some doubt about how he died?
The End of the Qing
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What problems happened in Qianlong’s reign that continued to be unresolved after he abdicated?
Were the Emperors that followed Qianlong strong or weak? Did they solve the problems?
What natural disaster happened (twice!) before Xianfeng’s reign (1761 & 1843)? What were the results?
How old was Xianfeng when he inherited the throne and when died? Does his age matter?
Whose reign saw the rise of the Taiping Rebellion in 1850? Did he end the rebellion? Who did? How?
Why could this have ended the Qing? Why didn’t it end the Qing?
What natural disaster happened in 1852? When was the last time this happened? What were the results?
The Empress Dowager: Cixi
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Who was she? What was her background? How did she come to be in a position of power?
What unresolved problems already existed in Qing China when she came into power?
What did she do to increase her own power during her regency of her son Emperor Tongzhi? What does
it mean to “listen behind the curtains”? Why would people say she killed her own son at age 19? What
do most researchers believe is the most likely reason for his death? Why?
Who did she name as next emperor? How old was he? Why would Cixi name a child as the next emperor?
What was the Summer Palace? Who built it originally? What happened to it in the Opium Wars? Who
(re-)built it in the Qing and why? Who got blamed for the cost of (re-)building it? What were the two
main reasons it was rebuilt? What new technology did it have? What myth does this break? Who did
Cixi imprison there and why?
What was the “Marble Boat”? Why is it NOT “marble” and NOT a “boat”? Who built it originally? Why
did Cixi restore it? Why was Cixi criticised for restoring it?
Cixi’s Attempts to Save the Qing:
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What was the “Self-Strengthening Movement”? Who started it and why? Can you briefly describe each
of the three stages of reform (Early Reforms, Later Reforms, New Reformers)? What did Cixi think of
each stage—did she support it or not and why? What was a major criticism of the Later Reforms? Do
you think this criticism was justified? Why?
Who was Kang Youwei and what did he believe? Why do modern scholars reject Social Darwinism?
Who was Tan Sitong and what did he believe? How did the New Reformers change the meaning of ren
again? Can you trace the 5 changes in the meaning of this word since before Confucius to Tan Sitong?
What were the 100 Days of Reform? Who started it and why? Did it succeed? How did Cixi react to the
100 Days of Reform: what did she do to Emperor Guangxu, Kang Youwei, Tan Sitong?
ASIA 110: Introduction to Asia (China)
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Instructor: Jennifer Lundin Ritchie
What was The Boxer Rebellion? What events and conditions caused it? What’s the difference between
how the movie “Roots of Madness” portrayed Cixi’s relationship to the Boxers, and what really happened?
What was the purpose of the Boxer rebellion initially, and how did that change? Why did Cixi support
the Boxers? How did the Boxers intend to fight and defend themselves? Who ended up trapped for 2
months in Beijing? How did they finally get free? How were the trapped Chinese Christians treated: by
the foreign Christians and by the non-Christian Chinese? What agreement did Cixi have to sign?
What year did Cixi die? When did Guangxu die? Why is this suspicious? How did Guangxu die? What
evidence do we have to prove this? Who were the 3 main suspects? What motivations did they have?
When Guangxu died, who did Cixi choose as the next emperor? How old was he? Why choose him?
What were the 2 ways adults in the palace treated the young emperor in the movie “The Last Emperor”?
How soon after Cixi died did the Qing Dynasty fall? What conclusions could we draw from this?
What is the most common opinion of Cixi? Why do you think this is the case?
Can you give some evidence to show she was a bad ruler (e.g. ignorant, selfish, cruel, foolish)?
Can you give some evidence to show she was a competent ruler (or even a smart or good ruler)?
What is your own opinion of Cixi? Can you list two reasons why you believe this?
1911 Rebellion
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Who was The Last Emperor? What reforms were planned for his reign? Did they succeed or not? why?
Who was Sun Yat-sen (Sun Zhonghsan)? What was his background? What revolutionary group did he
lead? Who were his main supporters? What was his goal for China? Why did he decide to become the
provisional President of the new Republic of China (ROC)?
Who was Yuan Shi-kai? What was his background? What group did he lead? Who were his main
supporters? Why did he seem like a good choice for President of the Republic of China?
What caused the 1911 Rebellion? What was the result of the 1911 Rebellion? Why would this
potentially lead to civil war? How was civil war (temporarily) avoided? Who became President? What
kind of political system was going to be used? What happened to The Last Emperor Puyi?
Beginning of the Republic of China (ROC)
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What promises did Yuan Shikai make and break as President of the Republic of China (ROC)?
Where was the new capital of the ROC supposed to be? Where was the actual capital of the ROC?
What was Yuan Shikai’s ultimate goal for himself & China? What did he do to accomplish these goals?
Who supported Yuan Shikai initially? Who supported him later? Why did this change?
What was the role of the Guomindang (GMD) in Yuan Shikai’s ROC?
What were the “21 Demands”? Who made them? How did Yuan Shikai respond to the demands?
How did everyone else react to Yuan Shikai’s choices?
What happened when Yuan Shikai died—who took over?
New Culture Movement
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When did the New Culture Movement start? What was it a response to?
What did the believers of the New Culture Movement think of traditional Chinese ways and
philosophies? Which traditional ideas did they reject? Why? Which ideas did they want to use instead?
What was the common thread linking all of these ideas?
How did the New Culture Movement affect writing and language? Why write about Prometheus?
World War 1 (1914-1918)
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Why did Japan enter WW1? What lands did they seize?
Why did China enter WW1? What did the Western Allies promise China? Did they fulfill their promises?
According to the Treaty of Versailles, who ended up getting China’s land… and Western prestige?
ASIA 110: Introduction to Asia (China)
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Instructor: Jennifer Lundin Ritchie
What happened on May 4th 1919—who was involved, what did they protest? What happened when the
students were arrested—who got involved, what did they do? How did the government respond?
What was the general feeling of the Chinese towards the West after WW1? How did this affect Chinese
culture and philosophy?
The Guomindang’s ROC
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Why did Sun Yat-sen (Sun Zhongshan) return from Japan?
Why did Sun Yat-sen decide to incorporate the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) into the Guomindang
(GMD) at this time? What were the results of this alliance at first? later?
Why did Sun Yat-sen think Nationalism was a good principle to implement at this time? Why did Sun
Yat-sen think Democracy had to be slowly worked towards?
What do Socialism and Communism have in common? How are they different?
What was Chiang Kai-shek (Jiang Jieshi)’s original role in the GMD? What did people think of him in
general? What did Chiang Kai-shek think of the CCP? What did he do when Sun Yat-sen died?
What was the Northern Expedition? Who was involved? Where did they set out start from? What was
their goal? Did they succeed? Why? What was the only other South-to-North reunification of China?
What was the 1927 Purge—who was killed and where? How did this affect the GMD? the CCP?
What were the Annihilation Campaigns—who was trying to kill whom? Did they succeed or fail? What
strategy finally enabled Chiang Kai-shek to win? What other group that we studied used this strategy?
After all of Chiang Kai-shek’s efforts to eliminate the CCP, why would the GMD and CCP agree to a
second alliance in 1936?
What events weakened the GMD army? Why was the army leadership so weak? What did Chiang Kaishek do to get new army recruits? What was the problem(s) with that?
In what ways did Chiang’s Purge and Annihilation Campaigns accidentally help the CCP?
What policy did Chiang Kai-shek have re: helping the general Chinese public who were suffering in the
war against Japan? How did the public respond to his strategy? What did they think of him generally?
What policy did Chiang Kai-shek have towards those who criticised him or rivalled him?
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
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Who was Zhu De? What was his background? What role did he play in the Northern Expedition?
Where did he go after the 1927 Purge, and who did he bring with him?
Who was Mao Zedong? What was his background? What did he do after the 1927 Purge?
Where were the main CCP supporters located before the 1927 Purge? After the Purge?
What was the Chinese Soviet Republic? Who was the Prime Minister and Chairman? Who was the army
general? What two main concerns did the CCP have after the 1927 Purge?
What was the Long March? How long was it (years? miles?) Why did the CCP set out on The Long
March? What are 3 reasons why they decided to walk to Shaanxi? Why didn’t they take a more direct
route? What percentage of people survived the march? What did the public think of these people?
Why was the CCP army so loyal and enthusiastic?
What kind of fighting style did they use? How did this affect the number of CCP killed in the fights
against the Japanese? How did this affect how people saw the CCP’s role in the Sino-Japanese wars?
What policy did the CCP have regarding helping the general Chinese public who were suffering in the
war against Japan? How did the public respond to his strategy? What opinion did they have of the CCP?
How did Mao use the elites to strengthen the peasants? What is ironic about this? Why did Mao try to
increase literacy among peasants? (hint: it benefitted him somehow)
ASIA 110: Introduction to Asia (China)
Instructor: Jennifer Lundin Ritchie
The Japanese in China
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Why did Japan decide to undergo the Meiji Restoration in the late 1800s? What kinds of changes did
they implement in Japan?
Why did Japan think it should “take over” (declare war on) various countries in Asia? How did Japan see
itself in relation to the rest of Asia? Why did the public of Japan support Japan’s actions so strongly?
When was the 1st Sino-Japanese War? What did they fight over? Who won? What lands did China have
to give to Japan after the war? When/why did Japan lose these lands again? After Taiwan was given to
China, how did Chiang Kai-shek treat the Chinese people who were living there?
What is Manchukuo? Where is it? Who created it? Who was named as its Emperor? Who actually had
the real political control over Manchukuo? What happened to Manchukuo at the end of WW2? How did
this situation help the CCP?
When was the 2nd Sino-Japanese War? What land did Japan take? What was the Nanjing Massacre—
who killed whom? What kinds of war crimes happened there? What did the Japanese claim happened
there? What are some claims about the Chinese (GMD) government and army’s role in the massacre?
Do you think the massacre could have been avoided? How?
How did the USA initially help China in its fight against Japan? Why did the USA not want to join the
war and fight Japan directly? Why did the USA finally join war against Japan? What did the USA do?
What was the final result? What role did the Tripartite Pact play in the USA’s decision to join the war?
Why would the GMD say THEY fought off the Japanese and the CCP did nothing?
Why would the CCP say THEY fought off the Japanese and the GMD did nothing?
Why would the USA say that the GMD (not the CCP) fought off the Japanese?
Why would Japan say they fought the GMD (not the CCP)?