[Prince of the South]

Lately, I was wondering about tense political situation in the event that led up to the collapse of the Ming Dynasty and the advent of the Qing Dynasty. Why did the Chinese "invite" a foreign tribe the Manchu into China and literally offered them the throne and the mandate of heaven? It was imminent that the Ming Dynasty was going to end given all its problems documented in another thread, and rebellions were rife. Bandit leader Li Zicheng entered Beijing, ended the Ming, and crowned himself Emperor of Shun Dynasty. But this was shortlived, Ming General Wu Sangui opened Shanhaiguan, let in the Manchus, defeated the rebels, the Manchu stayed and proclaimed the Qing Dynasty and began their rule.

Why did Wu did what he did, given the fact he knew the Manchu were much powerful than all the remnants Ming army put together, and that he surely sealed the fate not just for Li Zicheng but also the already dead Ming Dynasty. He might have designs to wrest power from the Manchus himself (like Yuan Shikai over the republicans) but judging by the unfolding events, this seemed somewhat improbable. The Qing, with superior military power, was just too formidable. And it was beyond me that Wu would let Qing rule China just because his mistress was abducted by the rebel Li? maybe, it is known that "beauty ruin great empires"!

Although the Qing had some work to do before controlling all of Ming China, they were successfully in a large extent to hold power over foreign subjects, as they had won over the support and approval of the scholar-gentry class. The Manchus themselves adopted Chinese bureaucracy but with their own military organisation the banners, but also forbid inter-marriage and refrained from bestowing nobility ranks to ethnic Chinese. As such most rebellions in later Qing rule were mainly peasants uprisings, for example, the Taiping Rebellion, the Nien Rebellion etc. No rebellion by the scholar-gentry class even until the last years of the dynasty despite Yuan Shikai betrayal of Guangxu during 100 days reform 1898. Even powerful Qing statemen like Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, Li Hongchang, all Chinese, were loyal to the Qing to the core.

Li Zicheng failed not so much because he was of lowly background being a bandit (Zhu Yuanzhang was a monk/beggar), but his quest was not supported by the gentry class only peasants. Even appointing people of note to overturn this handicap did not help because he didn't have the time and power against his adversary Wu and the Manchus. Who knows, if Li was successful, he might have established a dynasty of a couple of hundred years?

The Taiping failed because they alienated the gentry class with their western religion and destruction of temples. Of course there were other important factors which led to their failure (internal strife for one) but having not won over the gentry was a crucial factor.

The Chinese Communist Party are successful because instead of winning over the scholar-gentry, they simply eliminated them together with the middle and upper class (through re-education and cultural revolution), and created their own "aristocracy" - the party members and the military. With the rise of a middle class fed by western influence, the CCP now faces a real thread, from within. Their existence will depend on their success in quelling the new middle class (class fed by capitalism).

(thanks admin if you have to move this topic to a relevant thread)

This post has been edited by Prince of the South: 12 October 2006 - 11:05 PM