1-12. High Qing

History Accounts

It is high noon for the Qing Dynasty. China was in pitiful condition on many fronts.

Emperor Jiaqing had to deal with a rebellion spread out over three provinces. It was known as the White Lotus Rebellion. It lasted ten years from 1794 to 1804. Another unrelated rebellion was with the Miao people in the rugged mountain areas of Hunan and Guizhou provinces. It took the Manchu government ten years to suppress.

The population explosion of the 18th century now became a burden. It was clear China could not continue to absorb the population. Pressures began on the food distribution system. The Yellow River flooded and silted and blocked the Grand Canal.

The Emperor was attacked and nearly killed by street mob in 1803. A family member tried to kill him about ten years after that.

Opium imports into China exploded. The West finally found something the Chinese would buy in quantities.

In 1816, England sent another diplomatic trade emissary mission to China. Lord William Amherst was the ambassador. The purpose of the mission was to reopen diplomatic negotiations with China. It again failed. The Emperor died in 1820.

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