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The Qing Dynasty, which was founded by the Jurchen (Manchu) people, was the second ethnic group to rule the whole of China. It is also the last feudal dynasty in Chinese history. It was during this period that imperial China reached its zenith of power and influence. 1155815.com
The Jurchen people, believed to be the ancestors of the Manchus, had been a nomadic tribe that lived adjacent to the present Heilongjiang region. In the closing years of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), a great leader named Nurhachi, emerged from the Jurchen tribe. Under his leadership, the Jurchen people rapidly united and in 1616, established the Later Jin State which was independent from the Ming. In 1636, Nurhachi's son Abahai, renamed the dynasty as Qing in Shenyang while formally declaring war on the Ming.
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In 1644, when the peasant army led by Li Zicheng conquered Beijing, Emperor Chongzhen committed suicide. Wu Sangui, a Ming commander stationed in Shanhaiguan Pass, led the Qing army through the pass. With the assistance of Dorgan, one of his chancellors, Fulin, son of Abahai, captured Beijing in the same year and four months later, moved his capital there. This marked the beginning of the Qing reign over China. For the next decade or so the Manchu continued to suppress native resistance, finally destroying the last Ming pretender in 1659 and gradually unified the whole country.
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The Qing Dynasty was very successful as a ethnic group reign in China. It lasted for almost 300 years and the duration of the regime was divided into two periods by the Opium War occurred of 1840. www.1155815.cn
In its early years, the Qing Dynasty witnessed a flourishing that was unprecedented by any other age. In order to mitigate class conflicts, the Qing pursued a policy of rewarding land cultivation coupled with a reduction or exemption from taxation. These policies promoted economic growth in the hinterland and on the frontiers of the country. During the reigns of Emperors Kangxi (1622-1723), Yongzheng (1723-1736) and Qianlong (1736-1796) saw the Qing at its heyday. By the mid-18th century economic development reached a new height. With this new prosperity power became more centralized, national strength increased, a well-maintained social order and a population that amounted to some 300 million by the end of the century. During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, Taiwan became part of the country and the Sino-Russian Treaty of Nerchinsk was signed determining the border between the two countries. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong, Xinjiang was incorporated into China after the Junggars and Uigurs were defeated. The early Qing emperors not only resolved the long conflict between nomads and peasants that had plagued China throughout history, but also took a series of measures to develop the economy, culture and transportation in the frontier areas. As a result, they consolidated national unification and laid the foundation for modern China's territorial boundaries. wish.1155815.com
In the realm of literature, during the reigns of Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong, several large works such as the Encyclopedia of Chinese Writings (Confucian classics, history, philosophy and belles-lettres), Kangxi Dictionary, and A Collection of Books Ancient and Modern, were compiled; which with other works made an important contribution to Chinese history and culture. www.1155815.cn
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