The Fall of the Qing Dynasty

1
The Fall of the Qing Dynasty

• The Taiping Rebellion anticipated the fall of the
  last Chinese dynasty
• The Taipings exposed all kinds of social and
  political problems that continued to haunt the
  declining regime and inspire later rebellions
• Qing rulers inability to deal with foreign
  invasions and domestic disorder aggravated
  peoples distrust of the government
• To people who cared about Chinas future, Qing
  emperors were losing the Mandate of Heaven

2
Qing Emperors Failed Their People

• The Qing dynasty was brought down in 1912 by
  revolutionaries, whose leader was Dr. Sun
  Yat-san, after a series of 10 uprisings.
• nearly fifty years after the collapse of the
  Taiping Heavenly Kingdom
• After a series of failed reforms, including the
  building of the nations navy and of
  ship-building factories
• The self-strengthening movement never led China
  to a modernized country like the reform that took
  place in Japan under the auspices of Emperor
  Meiji.
• While Japan was evolving into a new modern nation
  , Chinas ruler, Empress Dowager Cixi, was using
  foreign loans to build a grand imperial garden,
  Yihe Yuan.

3
Revolutionarys Traumatic Memory

• Revolutionaries, seeing the failure of the Qing,
  reaffirmed their belief that the dynasty should
  be overturned
• They evoked historical memory to persuade people
  to drive out the barbarians--the Manchus
• Urged people to recall what the Manchus had done
  to Han Chinese
• Used the slogan Yangzhous ten days Jiadings
  three butcherings to remind Han people of the
  horror of Manchu atrocities and raised nativist
  hopes of rekindling the will to resist Manchu
  rule
• Many cities witnessed large-scale massacre and
  slaughter that terminated million peoples lives
  and further reduced Chinese population

4
Yangzhous Ten Days(Massacre of Yangzhou)

• In April, 1645, the newly established Qing regime
  sent a pacification commissioner, Dodo, to south
  China, where Ming loyalists resistance remained
  strong
• Resistance force in Yangzhou was led by the
  illustrious minister Shi Kefa
• Dodos purpose was to make peace with any
  regional leaders , including Shi Kefa, who were
  willing to surrender the Qing
• He was to offer Shi Kefa amnesty if Shi Kefa
  surrendered

5
Bloody Battle and Massacre

• Refusing to surrender, Shi Kefa and Dodo fought
  out their loyalties over Yangzhous walls
• Dodo, with his elite force of bannermen
• Shi Kefa, with his small ministers brigade
• Dodo succeeded the siege of Yangzhou after seven
  days
• Shi, failing at suicide, was captured refusing
  amnesty, he was executed.
• Manchu soldiers entered Yangzhou, slaughtered,
  raped, and plundered for ten days
• More than 80,000 deaths were recorded, exclusive
  of those threw themselves into the river, hanged
  themselves, were burned to death inside houses,
  or were carried away by soldiers

6
Jiangyin City and the Tonsure Decree

• June, 1645, the Qing regime promulgated an order
  that the conquered Han Chinese should adopt the
  Manchu hairstyle
• men were demanded to shave their heads and wear a
  queue/pigtail
• Qing government s promulgation said keep your
  head by shaving it or wear your hair and lose
  your head.
• The decre, which was an insult to Han Chinese,
  met with violent resistance in Jiangyin
• The city mobilized to fight against the Qing
  troops

7
Jiangyins Massacre

• From the outset of the battle, Jiangyin people
  raised a banner declaring Restoring the Great
  Ming
• The Qing troops conquered the city after
  attacking it for nearly three months
• The Qing troops entered the city, slaughtering
  for 23 days before announcing the regimes goal
  of pacification
• But only 53 of them left, all others died in
  fighting even after Qing soldiers entered the
  city
• None surrendered to the Qing
• Causalities 60,000

8
Jiadings Response to the Tonsure Decre

• The same tonsure decree reached Jiading in June
  1645
• Prominent Confucian scholars led the city
  residents and village people in the suburb to
  resist the Qing troops
• The disorganized local brigades were quickly
  defeated by the Qing Troops

9
Jiadings Three Bucherings

• Qing soldiers entered the city in early July,
  slaughtered 30,000 men in one day
• Hauling women, gold, silk, sheep, horses, oxen
• Shipping all booties with 300 ships, then left
  the city
• Qing soldiers entered the city again in late July
  after defeating the citys reorganized brigades
• This time slaughtered men in the city and its
  suburb
• In late August, a Ming loyalist led an army and
  launched a surprise attack on the Qing troops in
  the city and restored the city
• the loyalists were soon defeated
• Qing soldiers entered the city again and
  slaughtered 20,000 men.