A second set of treaties further humiliated and weakened the imperial government. The most ignominious of the provisions in these treaties was the complete legalization of opium and the humiliating provision that allowed for the free and unrestricted propagation of Christianity in all regions of China. While the Chinese entered into conflict with Europe and European culture during the Opium War and after, a number of rebellions also convulsed it in mid-century. With rebellion in Nie n (1853-1868), several Muslim rebellions in the southwest (1855-1873) and northwest (1862-1877), and, especially, the Taiping rebellion, the consequences for China during this period were devastating. The leader of the rebellion was Hung H siu-ch ” an (1813-1864), who organized the anti-Manchu rhetoric movement, based on religious sect, the God Worshippers. In the late 1840’s, Hung reorganized his movement into a military organization.
The movement was founded on a radical economic reform program in which all wealth was equally distributed to all members of society. Taiping believers became fanatically disciplined and devoted soldiers. After they occupied the considerable territory, they established Heavenly Kingdom of Peace, governed by Hung. Believing that the Heavenly King should rule only by his divine virtue and not by active engagement in politics, Hung grew steadily more unbalanced. After his withdrawal and poisoning himself, at a cost of nearly thirty million lives over a period of twenty years, the Heavenly Peace ended its existence. Two leading personality -she and Mao Zedong contributed much in the development of events in China.
Chiang Kai-she, 18871975, Chinese Nationalist leader, like Mao Zedong, had dreams of national glory informed by the harsh realities of his youth. Both these persons acted while Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, that was designed to destroy the culture of pre-Communist China. Mao Zedong was longing to stabilize his status in the Chinese Communist Party, however, while Chiang Kai-she was a leader of Kuomintang. The last one tried to negotiate a truce with the Communists, but talks failed, and in 1949 year Chiang resumed leadership of the Kuomintang to oppose the Communists.
He tried and failed to unify a divided nation. However, Chiang Kai-she left behind a prosperous economy that grew into a genuine democracy. Mao was another kind of leader, whos power reached its apogee during this period when he created a cult of personality in terms of symbolism of a little red book consisting of his quotations. The Mongols were great cultural patrons. They conceived, for example, the idea of a new written language that could be used to transcribe a number of the languages within the Mongol domains. The Mongol rulers were also ardent patrons of the theater, and the Yuan Dynasty witnessed a golden age of Chinese theater.
The theater in this period was full of spectacles, all of which appealed greatly to the Mongols. The art of painting also flourished under Mongol governing. The greatest painters received much support and encouragement from the Mongols and also court position from Khubilai Khan. Though Chinese culture was valued and supported in many ways, as discussed above, this support was not at the expense of the Mongols’ own native culture. That is, the Mongols did not abandon their own heritage, even as they adopted many of the values and political structures of the people they conquered and governed. The Boxer Rebellion was started by a society called the “Righteous and Harmonious Fists.” American, English, Japanese, Russian people were coming into China at that time.
Businessmen came to make money; missionaries came to convert the Chinese to Christianity. The Chinese saw foreigners as a threat to their way of life. The Boxers were mainly poor people who blamed foreigners for their problems. In 1900 year Boxers roved through northeast China, killing foreigners and destroying their property. They also attacked Chinese people who had become Christians.
Empress Cixi, who was a ruler of China in that period was afraid of the situation when the foreigners can take over Peking and force her to retire. At her orders, Chinese troops turned back the foreigners. In retaliation, the foreigners seized Chinese coastal forts. Furious, Empress Cixi ordered that all foreigners in China be put to death.
These events were mainly the beginning of the Boxer Rebellion that played a major role in Empress Cixi downfall.