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A Historical Introduction of The Warlords
The Prelude of the Qing Dynasty's Collapse - A Historical Introduction of The Warlords
The background of The Warlords is based on the chaotic late Qing Dynasty. During this darkest of periods of Chinese history, natural disasters, economic collapse, and the Taiping Rebellion constantly hit the foundation of the ruling Qing Dynasty. The whole country was plunged into chaos and famine. The civil war which has been labeled as one of the bloodiest wars in human history, lasted 20 years and caused an estimated 20 to 30 million deaths as a direct result of the conflict, was the one of the bloodiest wars in the human history.
The Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty also known as the Manchu Dynasty, followed the Ming Dynasty in Chinese history, and was the last ruling dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912. The Dynasty was founded not by the Han who form the majority of the Chinese population, but by the minority Manchu. The dynasty was founded by the Manchu clan Aisin Gioro in what is now present day northeast China (Manchuria). Beginning in 1644 it expanded into China proper and its surrounding territories, establishing the new Empire of the Great Qing.
The Qianlong Emperor in Ceremonial Armour on Horseback, 1739 or 1758, by Giuseppe Castiglione
During the mid-nineteenth century, China's problems were compounded by natural calamities of unprecedented proportions, including droughts, famines, and floods. The Government neglect of public works was in part responsible for this and other disasters, and the Qing administration did little to relieve the widespread misery caused by the economic tensions, numerous humiliating military defeats at Western hands, as well as anti-Manchu sentiments all combined to produce widespread unrest, especially in the south. Southern China had been the last area to yield to the Qing conquerors and the first to be exposed to Western influence. It provided a likely setting for the largest uprising in modern Chinese history--the Taiping Rebellion. |
