Late Qing China
Explore late Qing China — how the world's largest empire declined under internal rebellions, opium addiction, and unequal treaties forced by Western powers.
The late Qing period (c. 1839–1912) was one of the most traumatic eras in Chinese history. The dynasty that had presided over one of the world's largest and most sophisticated civilizations found itself humiliated by Western military technology, devastated by internal rebellions, and ultimately overthrown by revolutionary forces that ended over two thousand years of imperial rule.
The crisis began with the Opium Wars (1839–1842, 1856–1860), in which Britain forced China to accept opium imports, cede Hong Kong, and open treaty ports to Western trade. These 'unequal treaties' shattered the Qing court's belief in Chinese centrality and superiority. The Taiping Rebellion (1850–1864), a massive civil war that killed an estimated 20–30 million people, further weakened the dynasty. The Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901) and its suppression by an eight-nation foreign force humiliated China further.
Attempts at reform — the Self-Strengthening Movement, the Hundred Days' Reform — were too little and too late. The Qing dynasty collapsed in the Revolution of 1911, led by Sun Yat-sen, ending the imperial system that had governed China since 221 BCE. China's 'century of humiliation' became a defining narrative that shapes Chinese politics and nationalism to this day.