Qianlong – Tiny Insect

Episode 1.11 – Food Poisoning

Posted on June 26, 2021June 26, 2021 by tinyinsectpod

Qing dynasty “foreign policy” operated quite differently than it is commonly understood today, or as it was understood by contemporary states in Europe and West Asia. Going all the way back to the Han, Chinese dynasties tried to fit what we think of as foreign policy into the principles of Confucian hierarchy and submission. When British traders began arriving in large numbers in 18th century, the Qing tried to accommodate them in a way the British would tolerate as a price of doing business. In the wake of Napoleon’s defeat and a rising “free trade” ideology in the 1830’s, the balance of power and mutual toleration started to shift decisively.

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Episode 1.5 – Not Your Uncle’s White Lotus

Posted on June 9, 2020July 27, 2020 by tinyinsectpod

The White Lotus Rebellion at the end of the 18th century foreshadows the later crisis of the mid-19th century.

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Episode 1.4 – Rise of the Qing

Posted on May 10, 2020July 27, 2020 by tinyinsectpod

This episode we’ll look at the rise of the Qing, China’s last imperial dynasty. We’ll look at some of the major decisions Qing rulers made in the dynasty’s first 150 years. The reigns of Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong will rule China for a combined 140 years, during which it was the most powerful and populous state on earth. But it’s also in this period that many of the seeds of its calamitous 19th century were sown.

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