Western Influence on China: Economic and Military Dynamics

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Roles Played by Westerners in Chinese Affairs
The extent to which the Roles were Conditioned by Economic and Military Power
Conclusion
Work Cited

Introduction

Western expansion into Asia had a tremendous impact on Chinese history and culture. As the 16th century closed, China saw a transformation highlighted by what is now known as Sino-Western contact. This pact allowed missionaries to enter China, establishing Jesuit Catholic missionaries who later permeated Chinese society. The presence of missionaries in China and their contacts changed the balance of power considerably between the West and China in the late 18th century. Technological innovation played a crucial role in China’s prominence as a worldwide force. Before the arrival of Western missionaries, which impacted Chinese military goals and led to breakthroughs in science and technology, Chinese military technology was not very advanced. It piqued the interest of Emperor Qianlong and the Chinese people, who began to examine Western scientific advances. They tried to incorporate Western scientific ideas into long-established Chinese scientific techniques in mathematics and astronomy. This article discusses the roles Europeans played in Chinese politics and how those roles were impacted by China’s and Europe’s respective economic and military capabilities.

Roles Played by Westerners in Chinese Affairs

In 1685, in an attempt to challenge the Portuguese dominance in China during the 17th century, King Louis XIV of France sent five Jesuit “mathematicians” to China. After the Society of Jesus was dissolved, a portion of the French Jesuit mission in China continued to operate independently for several years until 1785, when it was taken over by the Lazarists (Waley-Cohen 121). According to Waley-Cohen, in the late Ming court, Jesuits were acknowledged as foreign literati and held in high regard, especially for their extraordinary depth of knowledge in astronomy, calendar-making, mathematics, hydraulics, and geography (108). Jesuit missionaries introduced Western science and mathematics to China during its scientific revolution (Waley-Cohen 96). The French Jesuits were instrumental in spreading accurate information about China throughout Europe. As part of the 1885 military reforms implemented by Li Hongzhang, he established the Tianjin Military Academy for Chinese army officers with the aid of German advisors (Waley-Cohen 185). The commander of the Anhui Army, Zhou Shengchuan, supported the decision.

The Anhui Army and the Green Standard Army planned to send officers to the academy to study. Students could study science, mathematics, and practical military training at the academy, where instructors were officers from the German military. In 1887, the academy also launched a new five-year program to train young people to become future army officers. Mathematics, practical and technical subjects, sciences, Chinese Classics, and history were among the subjects taught to students at the school where Germans were employed as teachers.

Western nations dominated trade with China through various means, but gunboat diplomacy was the most effective due to the superior military power of the West. Using this strategy, pressure was applied to the Chinese government to open up markets and secure leases for real estate in China. Coercion and mutually beneficial deals between Western nations helped them gain more commercial rights in China than the Qing government would have otherwise allowed (Waley-Cohen 103). After Britain’s victory in the Opium War, treaties were negotiated that would force China to open up five ports to commerce (Waley-Cohen 170). The Anglo-Chinese Treaty of Nanjing allowed the British to place significant demands on the weakened Qing Government of China as a result of the British naval victory over the Chinese.

The British could advance to their current position due to these victories. The United States attempted to negotiate a deal with China that would have provided benefits to China similar to those provided to the United Kingdom. Chinese government officials wasted no time enforcing laws to protect the rights of their citizens. The most important part of this deal was China’s decision to open five ports to Western trade. These treaty ports served as key nodes in the circulation of Western ideas and Chinese goods because they were the first in China to sell land to foreigners and foreign commercial enterprises (Waley-Cohen 150). Several of the Treaty of Nanjing’s most important provisions were incorporated into the Treaty of Wangxia.

The extent to which the Roles were Conditioned by Economic and Military Power

Roles were shaped by several factors, such as the propagation of enlightenment by missionaries and the advent of new technologies. The West could try to invade China using its superior military and economic power as a bargaining chip. The merging of Chinese and Western technologies was a major driving force in China’s modernization. The military was the primary tool of the Machu Qing dynasty’s rule over China. They restricted access to weapons and kept all information secret, especially that which pertained to technology (Waley-Cohen 106). As a result, China’s technological development was shielded from outside interference. More specifically, the Chinese people, led by their government, stubbornly resisted international pressure to cede sovereignty. Instead of letting go of their hostility, they retreated into themselves.

Due to the universal unacceptance of foreigners, the Jesuits had difficulty establishing themselves in China. The xenophobic attitudes of the locals in South China were only made worse by the actions of Portuguese and Spanish merchants. Because of the political unrest in the late Ming empire, its rulers were more tolerant of the various ideologies and religions that existed at the time (Waley-Cohen 96). Even though the early Qing was deeply divided, to lessen the gap between themselves and the populace, the emperors increasingly turned to traditional Confucianism. As a result of the political and social discord that plagued the two dynasties, the emperors’ negative perceptions of the Jesuits had a dampening effect on the culture of China.

When it came to the disparities in military power that existed in China during the seventeenth century, even Jesuit missionaries were forced into service to assist the Chinese Emperor in developing more potent cannons. This was done to level the playing field (Waley-Cohen 111). The evidence supporting Western Europe’s military superiority is so compelling that it has even managed to persuade some historians who claim that there was no distinction between Western Europe and the sophisticated regions of China before the year 1800. This is because the evidence is so compelling (Waley-Cohen 110). Rich regions of China would acknowledge that the population of Western Europe is not wealthier or more developed; however, they would acknowledge that Western Europe’s military technology is more advanced. Even though the evidence is conclusive, it is incredible that Western Europe came to dominate this technology of gunpowder weaponry early. After all, China is credited as being the birthplace of both firearms and gunpowder, which led to their subsequent dissemination across Eurasia.

The revolutionary weaponry was held by states located in regions other than Western Europe. It became skilled in the fabrication or exploitation of the new military technology, at least for a short time. For instance, Ottoman manufacturers continued to produce artillery of a high standard well into the 1700s and did so for a considerable time. The Japanese initially developed the crucial military innovation known as “volley fire” approximately twenty years before its introduction in Western Europe. Because of this discovery, infantry soldiers armed with slow-loading muskets could maintain an almost continuous fire round (Waley-Cohen 128). On the other hand, the military technology and strategies of the Chinese, Japanese, and Ottoman empires had all fallen behind those of Western Europe by the middle of the seventeenth century at the latest.

Conclusion

Due to the West’s overwhelming military force, Western nations controlled commerce with China through several tactics, but gunboat diplomacy was the most effective. This strategy entails putting pressure on the Chinese government to open up markets and obtain property leases in China. The West could bully its way into broader commercial rights in China despite the feeble Qing authority. China was compelled to open five ports to commercial trade due to treaties signed following Britain’s victory in the Opium War. China’s technological growth in the 18th century was owing to Western philosophy. The influence of Western elites caused China to discover its potential in terms of technology and military combat advancement.

Furthermore, western elites regard the Chinese as primitive. In the Age of Progress, such an attitude unavoidably led to the conclusion that Chinese people were lower-level beings. Far before the Western incursion gave fresh urgency to the need for military reform, the Chinese were intensely interested in technological achievements and what the West had to offer in the late 18th century.

Work Cited

Waley-Cohen, Joanna. The Sextants of Beijing: Global Currents in Chinese History. Norton, 2000.

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Western Influence on China: Economic and Military Dynamics

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