9
votes
Accepted
What were Lord Macartney's original words about Chinese under the Qianlong Emperor's brutal regime in 18th century?
The quotes in question can be found in Macartney's Journal of an Embassy from the King of Great Britain to the Emperor of China. This journal was later (re?)published in Some account of the public ...
- 3,048
6
votes
Accepted
What became of the daughter of Cixi‘s photographer?
In this photo, the little girl at left is Lily Yu, daughter of Xunling Yu, court photographer and brother of Der Ling. This has been confirmed by family of Mme Dan Rongling, sister of Der Ling and ...
5
votes
Accepted
Where to find Cixi‘s 1865 decree dismissing Prince Gong?
This is the handwritten decree that it was referring to (relevant content boxed in red):
Text (with corrections; courtesy of https://kknews.cc/history/epbl22y.html)
「恭親王從議政以來，妄自尊大，諸多驕敖（傲），以（依）...
- 1,209
5
votes
What title did the merchants permitted to deal with Canton's 13 Factories carry?
I'm not deeply familiar with this history and don't know Chinese, but can link you to some relevant terminology from Wikipedia.
The institutional arrangements for foreign trade under the Qing dyansty ...
- 23k
5
votes
Accepted
How did Qing China keep in contact with other places?
I have only very superficial knowledge of Chinese history and the following is mostly based on some quick Wikipedia reading.
The Qing did not make much effort to keep in contact with the outside ...
- 23k
5
votes
Accepted
Do Manchurian Nationalists want Independence?
Have they ever tried it before?
Yes, after the foundation of the republic, Manchurian elites fostered Manchurian nationalism in the dreams of an imperial restoration. The existence of this movement ...
- 97.6k
4
votes
Accepted
How was the Lanfang Republic set up if emigration from China was illegal?
Before answering, I noticed you've asked a previous question regarding China and Southeast Asia (re: migrants to British Malaya during 19th century). I do not know your specific level and area of ...
- 6,279
4
votes
Did Empress Cixi divert funds for the Beiyang Fleet to build the Summer Palace?
I don't believe that these are merely popular stories. If you at least partially trust the content in the Draft History of Qing:
The following translations given are my own; caution: may be heavily ...
- 1,209
4
votes
Accepted
How did laborers travel from China to Malaya in the early 19th century?
Chinese population in Straits Settlements
The "wave of Chinese emigration to Malaya beginning in the early 19th century" actually really took off in the 1840s (i.e. towards the end of your specified ...
- 108k
3
votes
How many times in history has a government completely "moulded to its own shape the physical character of the people"?
The quote refer to here is a historical stereotype. This makes this question unanswerable.
The professional study of history makes these situations very clear. Stereotyping based on subjective ...
- 2,729
2
votes
Why do the obverse and reverse of this coin refer to different provinces?
As a first attempt, based on a rather limited knowledge of Chinese: In the middle, 光緒 is the name of the Guangxu emperor. 元寶 probably means something like coin or treasury. The small writing right in ...
- 9,405
2
votes
Accepted
What taxes were legally required to be paid in silver in Qing China?
Even under the early Qing when silver was relatively abundant, taxes weren't necessarily paid by households with physical silver, only assessed / denominated in terms of silver. As one article (which ...
- 23k
2
votes
Why weren't the New Territories ceded to the British instead of leased in 1898?
There were (at least) two reasons.
The first was that there was no "provocation" from China in 1898. The British took Hong Kong Island in 1842 after the Opium War, and Kowloon in 1860 after the Arrow ...
- 104k
1
vote
How did laborers travel from China to Malaya in the early 19th century?
I believe that many 19th Chinese emigrants to Malaya and other parts of Southeast Asia sailed in large junks, especially before steamships became common.
The Tek Sing was a large junk.
The vessel ...
- 19.4k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible