Imperialism in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Imperialism in China - Essay Example The Chinese army was ill equipped to stand the modern weapons that Britain used (Keay, 47). The defeat of China in the first Opium war forced it to sign the Treaty of Nanjing in 1942. The treaty was unfair to the Chinese as it gave foreigners a lot of leverage in terms of trade. Hong Kong was given to Britain on a ninety nine year lease. The treaty also allowed for several ports to be opened for foreign trade and China was required to pay a fine of twenty one million dollars for the opium that was destroyed. The second opium war also known as the Arrow War pitied the Chinese Qing Dynasty against the British Empire and the Second French Empire in 1856 t0 1860. The issues of this war were similar to those of the first opium war. Due to growing imperialism, the British demanded to renegotiate the Treaty of Nanjing but China refused. This precipitated the war in which China was defeated. Further, the Western powers created Spheres of Influence in China so as to foster their economic interests. After the defeat of China in both the first and the second Opium Wars, the formulation of unequal treaties led to the creation of the six spheres of influence. The British, French, Germans, Russians and the Japanese benefited in the partitioning of China into spheres to suit their own economic interests (Kay, 149). The Taiping Rebellion that lasted from 1851 to 1864 was led by Hong Xiuquan who was a village teacher. The rebellion was as a result of dissatisfaction with the leadership of the ruling Dynasty. The Qing administration was faced by numerous challenges including natural calamities and economic turmoil of unprecedented nature. The rebels were determined to overthrow the dynasty aided by the fact that the Chinese imperial forces were weak and demoralized. Eventually, the rebellion was suppressed by an army commanded by Zeng Guofan. The Open Door Policy was a proposal by United States of America to allow all