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China, A Little History, Part 9

Boxer Rebellion

St. Joseph's Church in Beijing was destroyed during the Boxer Rebellion as a target of anti-Christian ire. The current church was rebuilt after the war. Beijing, China, Asia.
St. Joseph’s Church in Beijing was destroyed during the Boxer Rebellion as a target of anti-Christian ire. The current church was rebuilt after the war.

The infamous Boxer Rebellion.  But what was it?  Ultimately, it was a war between China and virtually the rest of the world’s powers.  Guess who won.  Hint:  it wasn’t China.

The Boxer Rebellion started off as sort of the opposite of the Taiping Rebellion.  The Taiping Rebellion began as an uprising by a somewhat irrational [Read more…]

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China, A Little History, Part 7

Second Opium War

The Tower of Buddhist Incense at the Summer Palace in Beijing. Like much of the Palace, it was destroyed by Anglo-French forces during the Second Opium War and subsequently rebuilt. Summer Palace, Beijing, China, Asia.
The Tower of Buddhist Incense at the Summer Palace in Beijing. Like much of the Palace, it was destroyed by Anglo-French forces during the Second Opium War and subsequently rebuilt.

15 years after winning the First Opium War, the British were growing antsy.  They wanted even more favorable trade conditions, including the definitive legalization of the opium trade, as well as the regulation of the coolie trade.  (Coolies were Chinese indentured servants—in effect, legal slaves—shipped off by the British to outlying spots of the British Empire and to Latin America.)  The British also believed that the Chinese were not keeping up with the [Read more…]

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China 2015, Day 6: Beijing, Day 1, Part 2

Central Beijing:  Legation Quarter, Dazhalan, Tiananmen Square (Reprise), and Donghuamen Night Market

In the early afternoon, I left the Forbidden City through the northern Gate of Divine Prowess knowing that it would be incredibly hard to top that experience.  Nonetheless, I still had a whole lot of Beijing to [Read more…]

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China, A Little History, Part 6

Taiping Rebellion

The building that eventually became the Presidential Palace in Nanjing was built on the ruins of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's palace, which was destroyed when Nanjing was retaken by the Qing Dynasty. Presidential Palace, Nanjing, China, Asia.
The building that eventually became the Presidential Palace in Nanjing was built on the ruins of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom’s palace, which was destroyed when Nanjing was retaken by the Qing Dyansty.

The Taiping Rebellion?  What the hell is that?  In school I learned about the Opium Wars and the Boxer Rebellion.  But I’m quite certain I’d never heard of the Taiping Rebellion.  Would you believe it was the bloodiest conflict of the 19th century and the bloodiest civil war in history at likely well over 20 million dead?  Battle deaths were actually less than half a million.  The remainder died from famine and plague directly related to the war.  (Plus there was the matter of thousands of civilians executed by the victors for suspicion of loyalty to the rebels.) [Read more…]