Chinese Revolutions: A History Podcast

Introduction to Chinese Revolutions Podcast Welcome to the Chinese Revolutions podcast by me, Nathan Bennett. We're setting off on a long journey through modern Chinese history, looking at how China came to be the way it is today through the lens of revolutionary movements starting in 1839. I lived in China for 7 years. This podcast is a love letter and a farewell letter to that country. Why Podcast about China When you live in China for a long time, there's a lot you just "can't" say for one reason or another. It's a truly dynamic place, and I'm still processing all I learned and saw. Now, I'm going to bring up all the good and bad and work it all out. How to Understand China, As We'll Do It Here This podcast is for beginners. You'll go from nothing to something in understanding modern Chinese history. For us, history is "what was done" and ideals should be founded in what has worked. What "should" a country be? Determined by historical processes, what actually happens, what lasts. Nations continually rearticulate their identities. Enough of a break of continuity, it's a revolution. We follow the "one China ... eventually" policy. There is one China but history shows the band breaking up and getting back together again all the time. We will not be following Communist Party of China guidelines in how to talk about Chinese history. I'll talk about it however seems true and right. It might agree with the CPC if it's the truth, but I'm not following their guidelines. We're going with as sympathetic a view of China as possible. We're going to talk about the good and the bad, but this podcast proceeds from a love for China, not just opposition to a government or a desire to make China something other than it is. If You'd Like to Support the Podcast Subscribe, share, leave a rating. THIS IS FREE!Give once, give monthly at www.buymeacoffee.com/crpodcastSubscribe to the substack newsletter at https://chineserevolutions.substack.com/Also... Please reach out at chineserevolutions@gmail.com and let me know what you think!

Definition of Revolution We'll Be Using Here, we’re going to discuss the definition of “revolution.” It’s too easy to look at the CPC and think that’s what the revolution produced. No, there were other Chinese revolutions, and before we look at what THOSE were, we’ll look at what revolutions are. Inspiration for this Podcast Before I get away into my own program too much, I owe a debt of inspiration to the Revolutions podcast by Mike Duncan. He's gotten various suggestions to cover Chinese content. I know—I sent him one myself. Then I thought, I could do that! So here we are. Follow the link or search for it on your favorite podcast app. (Tell him I sent you!) Definition of Revolution Basically: The rules changeThe foundational facts change—or are seen to change Revolution is basically an opportunistic infection. It takes advantage of unusual weakness in a political system. My definitions are yoinked directly from the Wikipedia article on revolution. Definitions in this episode rely heavily on quotations in the Wikipedia article from the work of Jeff Goodwin. I quote him as "he's who Wikipedia quoted," but let's do him justice in the show notes. Personal siteNYU faculty profile For the show notes... Political Revolution Revolutions are planned. There's a smaller group of people organizing it. They follow a popular impulse. Most ordinary people don't have the capacity to plan, so it's this small group that drives things. Social Revolution Who's in charge changes, why they're in charge changes. Family, business, community—it all changes. Social revolution often accompanies political revolution. Insights from The Dictator's Handbook When I prepared this episode, I used a summary from this website to get my notes straight. Thanks, Mr. Sustainability! The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith provides foundational insights into why China was so ... revolutionary from the early mid-1800s to 1949. These are the rules that Chinese rulers couldn't somehow keep: Rules of Political Power (Copied directly from Mr. Sustainability, just to be clear.) Politics is about getting and keeping power, not the welfare of the people.Political power is best ensured and maintained when you depend on few essential cronies to attain and retain office (dictators are often in a better position to retain power than democrats).Depending on a small coalition of cronies allows leaders to tax at higher rates.Dictators have the most power when the essential cronies are easily replaceable. Dictator's Rules Keep the winning coalition as small as possible: you will need fewer people to stay in power, have higher control over them, and you will save on graft (smaller number also mean it easier for them to organize a putsch however).Keep the nominal selectors as large as possible: so that you can easily replace troublemakers among the influentials and essentials, and sends the essentials a message that they better behave.Control the flow of revenues.Pay your essentials just enough to keep them loyal: and keep them away from the source of money.Don’t take money out of the essentials’ pockets to make the people better: dictators depend on essentials, not on average citizens. Ways to Remove an Incumbent (and Chinese revolutions followed these very regularly) Wait for him to die.Strike at the right opportunity (old leader, a faux pas, a financial crisis).Make an offer and/or convince the current supporters to switch sides.Overthrow the government through internal revolution or war with a foreign power. So... Why Chinese Revolutions Kept Happening Ways to remove an incumbent kept opening up until the Communist Party nailed things down. Revolutions kept happening because there were problems the authorities: couldn't solvewouldn't solveWill Durant in The Story of Civilization: Our Oriental Heritage stated in reference to the founding of a Japanese dynasty that a founder uses up half the genius of a dynasty in founding it. When we get to the CPC, it will be interesting to see what a succession-by-adoption opens up. If You'd Like to Support the Podcast Subscribe, share, leave a rating. THIS IS FREE!Give once, give monthly at www.buymeacoffee.com/crpodcastSubscribe to the substack newsletter at https://chineserevolutions.substack.com/Also... Please reach out at chineserevolutions@gmail.com and let me know what you think!

Chinese Revolutionary Forerunners We’re going to go back into history and look at some of the precursors to revolutions that we’ll be covering in our podcast. It wasn’t like somebody woke up one day and decided to throw a nice revolution and the whole nation came, there are precedents in Chinese history for revolution. About the "Mandate of Heaven" In this podcast, we're just going to call it "political legitimacy." If a government figures out how to keep itself in power and address enough of the needs of the people to get them to go with it, then there you have it. Revolutionary Chinese Figures and Events Qin Shihuang: Ruler of Qin (247-221 BC), First Emperor of China (221-210 BC) Legalism school of thought, “burning of books and burying of scholars,” end of the “Hundred Schools of Thought” of the Warring States PeriodGreat WallOther public works, unified weights and measures, national road system, unified writing system Coming of Buddhism (100s AD) Buddhism challenged the, to that point, traditional structure of Chinese society.During the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Wuzong (814-846, contemporary of the Byzantines, early Islam) repressed Buddhism as un-Chinese.The inheritance of past revolutions conflicts with the inheritance of other revolutions down the years. Usurpation of Wang Mang (9-23 AD) The ruling dynasty slipped gears, some idealists found themselves in charge, tried some reforms, but ruling dynasty was restoredThough the Han were eventually overthrown, the imperial system sustained. Dynastic Succession as Formalized Revolutionary Succession Each dynasty did things differently, it’s not like it was one long sleepy succession of dreamy emperors, in America and Europe we just don’t know anything about it.Dynastic succession meant refreshing in initiative, revolutions in policy.Cycles of division and then ultimate reunification: history established that China pretty much always “gets the band back together.” Yellow Turban Revolt (184-205 AD) At the end of the Han Dynasty, a weird religious cult took off, rebelling against the corruption in the imperial court.Some guy gets an apparition from a Taoist sage, then on the basis of his widespread popular support, decides to have a go at seizing the realm.In Chinese history, things like this are the opportunistic infections that strike as the political “immune system” falls apart.You see stuff like this toward the end of a dynasty. We’re going to cover the Taiping Rebellion in more detail. Some Main Points Today’s revolution inherits a lot of the furniture from the last revolution.So far, it seems that there being one unified China is the thing that keeps poking through any time of disruption, the warlords in the warlord era weren’t starting something new, they were just protecting their slice of the pie.Introduction of new ideas and religions is going to shake things up, one possible hinge on which a revolution will turn.China’s boundaries fluctuate through history, but China continues for, like, ever. What “should” China’s boundaries be? History kind of solves that. If You'd Like to Support the Podcast Subscribe, share, leave a rating. THIS IS FREE!Give once, give monthly at www.buymeacoffee.com/crpodcastSubscribe to the substack newsletter at https://chineserevolutions.substack.com/Also... Please reach out at chineserevolutions@gmail.com and let me know what you think!

Setting the Stage for Chinese Revolutions We’re going to set the stage, explore a little of the world that is to change, when the revolutionary fun gets going. Geography of China and Chinese History Chinese geography shaped what connections with the outside world were possible. When the British and other Europeans roll up on the Chinese coast, it's pretty much the one place they were likely to meet. Chinese Land Barriers Tibetan Plateau and Central Asian Steppe formidable landward barriersExpansion of the Russian Empire brought the Qing Dynasty into contact with a European powerFrench intervention in and colonization of Indochina brought them closer to the Qing domainsCultural cohesion and ability to control land influenced the shape of the Chinese Empire Qing Empire In the Chinese tributary system, states surrounding China sent "tribute" to the Chinese court in exchange for tokens of political favor and legitimacy (titles, robes, etc.) Part of the difficulty between the Qing and Europeans seeking to make contact was the friction between internal and external politics. They wanted to keep external enemies from causing trouble, and the Qing weren't really playing the game foreign powers were playing. The Qing also really weren't running a mercantile sea power. The Europeans they had contact with were. Canton System (1757-1842) Trade focused in Canton as a mixture of convenience for Europeans (closer to SE Asian colonies) and Chinese imperial policies. Europeans want to trade, Chinese want to trade, Chinese emperor wants to maintain control and balance between interests of everyone involved. When you create an organization to command things on the ground, interests on the ground can work through the same thing back up to influence YOU. Local oligarchs were a kink in the hose, making it hard for clear communication between foreigners and the Chinese authorities about how to open up the relationship for greater potential. Foreign Power Over the Han Although non-Han dynasties legitimately held the "Mandate of Heaven," it still engendered Han readiness to engage in regime change as a matter of domestic policy. Chinese Diaspora Chinese traders went all over SE and E Asia – Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Korea, Japan …Foreigners sometimes employed people from these communities to help them communicate and make contact with the relevant business and government connections to set up tradeChinese sailors on foreign shipsChinese laborers taken to foreign coloniesChinese diaspora fed foreign ideas, money they had earned, other connections back to China in some of the revolutions we’re going to be covering Foreign exploration and trade missions Industrialization, need for export markets, sources of capitalDevelopment of the joint stock company and the ability to pour resources into exploration of new marketsForeign missionary activityIntroduction of a new set of ideas around which to form weird little cults What Led to End of the Qing Dynasty The Qing Dynasty was unable to maintain "political homeostasis" in preserving its regime. If You'd Like to Support the Podcast Subscribe, share, leave a rating. THIS IS FREE!Give once, give monthly at www.buymeacoffee.com/crpodcastSubscribe to the substack newsletter at https://chineserevolutions.substack.com/Also... Please reach out at chineserevolutions@gmail.com and let me know what you think!

Books Behind the Podcast I'm going to introduce some of the books that gave me the foundational ideas and impressions for this podcast. Also, in this podcast, the intro and outro music is the anthem "China Heroically Stands in the Universe" because it's the best-sounding of Chinese revolutionary anthems that I could find in the era before the founding of the PRC. Books on American Connections to China Stilwell and the American Experience in China, 1911-1945 by Barbara Tuchman This biography of General Joseph Stilwell and the account of his time in China provides critical insight into the Chinese perspective of World War Two and gives extensive detail on a pivotal time of change in Chinese history. The Coldest Winter by David Halberstam Chinese intervention into the Korean War showed China a major power once again. Not any more a battlefield for competition between imperialist powers, China was again projecting power. The China Mission: George Marshall’s Unfinished War, 1945-1947 by Daniel Kurtz-Phelan A look into the Chinese political situation as America and other powers were withdrawing from China at the end of World War Two. The Communists had a coherent vision for what they wanted for the future. The Nationalists had a vision but couldn't coalesce around a constructive and unifying alternative to the Communist vision. Book on Evolution of Chinese Culture and Ethnic Self-Understanding The Invention of China by Bill Hayton Dynamic nations are continually articulating and re-articulating their self-understanding. At first I scoffed at this book. Then I actually read it and it became foundational to this podcast. If You'd Like to Support the Podcast Subscribe, share, leave a rating. THIS IS FREE!Give once, give monthly at www.buymeacoffee.com/crpodcastSubscribe to the substack newsletter at https://chineserevolutions.substack.com/Also... Please reach out at chineserevolutions@gmail.com and let me know what you think!

Before the Opium War: The Beginning of Trouble If you’re asking, “Why are things like this?” it’s too late to understand. Let’s do better than that. Starting with some stories of incidents to illustrate what’s in play as the Qing Dynasty loses its “homeostasis.” We’re going to start with looking at the Flint Affair of 1759 and the Macartney Mission of 1793—at or near the peak of Qing power and the British still trying to go through proper channels to open up trade with China. Flint Affair – 1759 In 1759, The East India Company tried to send a representative directly to Beijing to negotiate with the Qing Dynasty to get around corrupt local traders and officials in Guangzhou. Officials get replaced. Flint gets jail time. Imperial Twilight: The Opium War and the End of China's Last Golden Age by Stephen Platt The book providing the essential materials for this part of the podcast. If You'd Like to Support the Podcast Subscribe, share, leave a rating. THIS IS FREE!Give once, give monthly at www.buymeacoffee.com/crpodcastSubscribe to the substack newsletter at https://chineserevolutions.substack.com/Also... Please reach out at chineserevolutions@gmail.com and let me know what you think!

The East India Company In this episode, we are answering why the British government was in a position to be sending military force to China in 1839. The short answer: the East India Company and trade with the East vital to British national security. Founding of the East India Company and Monopoly Francis Drake and other English adventurers discovered possibilities when they went out raiding the Spanish and Portuguese. In 1599, Queen Elizabeth ! granted a Royal Charter to the “Governor and Company of Merchants of London trading into the East Indies” for an exclusive monopoly on trade with the East. Over the long decades, the EIC successfully lobbied to keep its monopoly. It was a crucial source of money for the British government, so the EIC was supported. The symbiosis between the EIC and the British government is a prototype of modern government-corporate relations, such as we see today. The Country Trade The "country trade" was any trade past the Cape of Good Hope. The EIC had the monopoly on trade between East and West, but East-East? Fair game. Fired EIC employees and EIC employees working side jobs started this. Later, other companies started up. As the EIC lost its mojo, it lost its monopoly and other companies took over as the guarantors of British trade around the world. Book recommendation: The Honourable Company by John Keay. (Fantastic author about India in general!) If You'd Like to Support the Podcast Subscribe, share, leave a rating. THIS IS FREE!Give once, give monthly at www.buymeacoffee.com/crpodcastSubscribe to the substack newsletter at https://chineserevolutions.substack.com/Also... Please reach out at chineserevolutions@gmail.com and let me know what you think!

Foreign Trade at Canton and the Foreign Settlement As we get up to the Taiping Rebellion, we're looking at the Opium Wars as the historical background. In this episode, pay attention to the ordinary Chinese in and around foreign traders. Portuguese Macau In 1554, the Portuguese formally rented Macau from the Ming Dynasty. It was the foreign foothold right on the Chinese coast, the one place that held up in the transition from the Ming to the Qing Dynasties. Missionaries and traders would start in Macau before venturing further up the Chinese coast or further into the country., Foreign Trade Most of the material for today's episode comes from Stephen Platt's Imperial Twilight. The British East India Company sent ships regularly to China starting in 1717. From 1725-1805, trade in tea increased by 100 times to 24 million pounds a year taken out of Canton. The main issue for the British in wanting to open up trade with China was volume: more trade, more space, more than Canton and the constricting local traders and elites. Foreign Settlement in Canton The foreign settlement was a walled off area at the edge of Canton. Chinese traders and laborers could come in, but foreigners couldn't really leave. Chinese owned the buildings and ran the staffing. Pidgin English developed as a way to communicate between Chinese and Europeans for business. ("Pidgin" actually means something like "business.") If You'd Like to Support the Podcast Subscribe, share, leave a rating. THIS IS FREE!Give once, give monthly at www.buymeacoffee.com/crpodcastSubscribe to the substack newsletter at https://chineserevolutions.substack.com/Also... Please reach out at chineserevolutions@gmail.com and let me know what you think!

Chinese Historical Context: So What Changes in All These Revolutions? This episode is a Wikipedia-fueled survey of traditional Chinese structures being changed by the revolutions we're about to cover. Today we cover three main things: Chinese imperial systemConfucian examination systemChinese economy Chinese imperial system Qin Shihuang, the "first emperor of China" set the precedent in traceable history for a unified China. He standardized imperial rule, Chinese writing, weights and measures, the lot. China sat at the center of an East Asian cultural system. China would occasionally conquer and absorb some neighbor, but even neighbors that maintained their independence were held in the Chinese gravitational pull. European imperial expansion and advances in European medicine allowed for long-term stationing of Europeans in Asia, and so challenged the centuries-old Chinese imperial cultural sphere in East Asia. Confucian scholarship and examination system Confucian scholarship was all about aligning oneself and one's rule with the cosmic order. A series of extremely rigorous examinations governed the rise of talented individuals to bureaucratic offices in the Chinese government. Educated individuals who did NOT pass these exams formed lower professional classes and they give us the classes from which many revolutionaries emerged. As the revolutions roll on, a dichotomy will emerge between Western learning and traditional Chinese learning. A new synthesis will emerge ... eventually. Chinese economy The Chinese economy was solidly agrarian at the time of the Opium Wars. The difference between 1500 and 1800 is not that great. The coming shock to the Chinese system is the result of the clash between two sides with very different postures in dealing with global events. China had a centralized money system, but the stress on this as a result of integration with the world economy contributes to the threat to the legitimacy of the Qing dynasty. Although China had coastal defenses, they didn't have a power projecting navy like the British or other European powers. Piracy was an ongoing concern. Pirates, bandits, and secret societies form an essential dimension of the Chinese economy ... and revolutionary movements. If You'd Like to Support the Podcast Subscribe, share, leave a rating. THIS IS FREE!Give once, give monthly at www.buymeacoffee.com/crpodcastSubscribe to the substack newsletter at https://chineserevolutions.substack.com/Also... Please reach out at chineserevolutions@gmail.com and let me know what you think!

The Macartney Expedition On this episode, we talk about the Macartney Expedition, a diplomatic mission from Britain that reached China in 1793. Last week I appeared on the Man Tools Podcast to talk about living in China and some thoughts about Chinese history. The guys behind the podcast, Eric Madrid and Trevor Lane, were great to talk to. Check them out! Exact link to the episode I was on: https://mantoolsmedia.com/chinese-revolutions-nathan-bennett-man-tools-147/ The Context for the Expedition The substance of this episode comes from Imperial Twilight by Stephen Platt. British trade with China had been expanding over the decades preceding this 1793 expedition. Expanding British industry and the usual East India Company trade carried on quite profitably. And they wanted more. The Ambassador, George Macartney George Macartney, in his career, literally saw the establishment of Britain as a worldwide empire. He served as a governor in the Caribbean, in India, and in South Africa. He was coming to China with a personal appreciation for how powerful Britain was. But he was going to run smack into trouble with the Chinese imperial self-conception and their lack of peer-level diplomatic relations. But come back next week... We're not done with the Macartney Expedition in this episode. I'm going to have to come back to it next week in a special double feature to get in just how it went when the British got to Beijing to see the emperor. And we have to talk about opium. If You'd Like to Support the Podcast Subscribe, share, leave a rating. THIS IS FREE!Give once, give monthly at www.buymeacoffee.com/crpodcastSubscribe to the substack newsletter at https://chineserevolutions.substack.com/Also... Please reach out at chineserevolutions@gmail.com and let me know what you think!

The Macartney Expedition, Part Two In this episode, we get to see how it actually went, when Macartney's embassy made it to China. Because of a lot of "lost in translation" and incongruent notions about how diplomacy is supposed to go, it went down in flames. What the British Brought The British brought an array of scientific and military technology to show off their advances to try to impress the Chinese. They sent their cutting edge stuff: a huge mechanical planetarium, modern guns, luxury carriages for the Chinese emperor, hot-air balloon demonstration, and more. They also sent a letter from King George III to Emperor Qianlong. Although it overdid some of the respectful verbiage toward the Chinese emperor, it was nevertheless a letter proceeding from a place of admiration and respect for Chinese civilization. The British also brought Chinese educated in Europe by the Catholic Church to be interpreters and translators. Since James Flint's ill-fated attempt to make direct contact with the Chinese government, the East India Company stopped encouraging employees to learn Chinese. Meeting the Emperor In essence, Sir George Macartney managed to offend Emperor Qianlong through his negotiations about the kowtow ritual of submission to the Chinese emperor. Although there was some interest in the technological stuff, the British were in the end told to go with none of their requests granted. They basically set the precedent of "these people are REALLY REALLY hard to talk to" rather than setting the foundations for successful future negotiation and relationship adjustment. If You'd Like to Support the Podcast Subscribe, share, leave a rating. THIS IS FREE!Give once, give monthly at www.buymeacoffee.com/crpodcastSubscribe to the substack newsletter at https://chineserevolutions.substack.com/Also... Please reach out at chineserevolutions@gmail.com and let me know what you think!

The Opium Trade In this episode, we look at the opium trade into China. It's drug trade, pure and simple. How one of the first multinational corporations was bound up in it partly led to the First Opium War. This episode draws heavily from Imperial Twilight by Stephen Platt. Origins of East India Company Involvement Occupying India drained EIC finances, and the China trade was the last profitable part of EIC operations. The opium trade was too illegal for them to engage in directly, but they got in on the supply side. The East India Company did not directly engage in the sale of opium into China. They produced it in India, sold it to "country traders" (British and Europeans who traded in the East and not between Britain and the East), and country traders sold it to Chinese distributers. Chinese Suppression of Opium Trade Chinese emperors and local officials would ban opium and write against the trade and consumption of opium, but their efforts ultimately never went anywhere until the magnitude of opium coming into China went up in the 1820s. Chinese officials and scholars debated strictness vs. flexibility and moderation in dealing with opium. Yes, the drug was bad, but they had to deal with a complicated problem in the right way. In next week's episode, we are going to cover precisely that debate. If You'd Like to Support the Podcast Subscribe, share, leave a rating. THIS IS FREE!Give once, give monthly at www.buymeacoffee.com/crpodcastSubscribe to the substack newsletter at https://chineserevolutions.substack.com/Also... Please reach out at chineserevolutions@gmail.com and let me know what you think!

Chinese Scholarly Discussion of Foreign Trade, Before the Opium Wars In this episode, we look at how Chinese scholars examined trade with foreign countries, prior to the First Opium War (1839-1842). Chinese academia was extremely sophisticated, but it was aimed toward passing exams for the traditional Confucian civil service in China. Bao Shichen (1775-1855) One of the key scholars examining foreign trade was Bao Shichen, from Anhui province. He passed the provincial level exams, but he never passed the national-level exams. He turned his attention to "statecraft" studies, including subjects like agriculture and military studies. He influenced a whole generation of scholars working for higher-level officials, who in turn influenced higher policy. Chinese Analysis of Foreign Trade Officials with experience in Canton would not take such a hard line as closing all trade with foreign powers, but they were all concerned with the opium trade draining silver out of China. They were able to correctly deduce that trade was the main thing foreigners wanted from China. They also noted the superiority of British naval power and highly advanced British naval artillery. Many of the themes picked up in this episode will return when we look at how China responded to the Opium Wars. If You'd Like to Support the Podcast Subscribe, share, leave a rating. THIS IS FREE!Give once, give monthly at www.buymeacoffee.com/crpodcastSubscribe to the substack newsletter at https://chineserevolutions.substack.com/Also... Please reach out at chineserevolutions@gmail.com and let me know what you think!

Protestant Missionaries Going to China, 1 of 2 In this episode, we look at one of the key parties playing a part in the Taiping Rebellion: foreign Protestant Christian missionaries. Christianity is a universal faith (it means you too!) with a message revolutionary in magnitude. Though it isn't the main player, it's a critical background player. Quick Rundown of Church History Christianity was founded by Christ. All of the ancient churches (Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, etc.) share formal liturgy, a literary/literate core and a complementary oral culture, and a formal hierarchy. Around 1500, in the Roman Catholic Church, the Protestant Reformation took off against a series of abuses and rampant corruption. It got ahead of the Catholic hierarchy's ability to control it, and so there's that now. The introduction of printing was key to the ethos of the Protestant Reformation. The centrality of a religious text (the Bible) and the increased accessibility of literature made sharing the Protestant message much, much easier. The Magisterial Reformation was the first stream of Protestantism. It kept a lot in common with its Roman Catholic origins—as much of a force for revolution that it was. The Radical Reformation went even further, further emphasizing conscious personal conversion and explicit profession of faith. It was a further break from centuries of authority and tradition. When Protestants started to send missionaries, print was a primary way they shared their message—and so that's how the founder of the Taiping movement got the resources he started out with. What This Means for China Messengers coming with a universal religion, revolutionary message, sharing their message in print. They are driven to share their spiritual and moral message, no matter what happens next. And it's entering the ferment that is China at this time. Next week: history of Protestant missionary efforts in China before the Opium War. If You'd Like to Support the Podcast Subscribe, share, leave a rating. THIS IS FREE!Give once, give monthly at www.buymeacoffee.com/crpodcastSubscribe to the substack newsletter at https://chineserevolutions.substack.com/Also... Please reach out at chineserevolutions@gmail.com and let me know what you think!

Protestant Missionaries Going to China 2 of 2 In this episode, we look a bit more at the work that Protestant missionaries are trying to do and why they spend so much time trying to learn the language and culture. We look at how this paved the way for the Taiping Rebellion to emerge. What Missionaries Try to Do Protestant missionary work in China started with translating the Bible into Chinese. The critical work went into things like determining exactly what to call God, how to express ethical teachings, and how to address the culture without totally condemning everything. Getting exactly the right name for God helps communicate exactly what teachings missionaries want to teach. If you get that sort of thing wrong, you have to deal with weird cults. Like the Taiping Rebellion. Robert Morrison (1782-1834) London Missionary Society member Robert Morrison did the pioneering work for Protestants looking to learn Chinese, translate the Bible for Chinese audiences, and do evangelistic work in Chinese. His early converts and his publishing and printing efforts set the agenda for future generations of Protestant missionaries coming to China. And we'll be hearing a lot more about them in this podcast ... but as part of the story now, and not just more exposition episodes. If You'd Like to Support the Podcast Subscribe, share, leave a rating. THIS IS FREE!Give once, give monthly at www.buymeacoffee.com/crpodcastSubscribe to the substack newsletter at https://chineserevolutions.substack.com/Also... Please reach out at chineserevolutions@gmail.com and let me know what you think!

Prelude to the Opium War In this episode, we directly pick up the main track of this podcast. Here, we're looking at EXACTLY what came before the Opium War. Next episode will be about the precise incident that set the British wheels in motion to send a naval expedition against China. Charles Elliot, the official in charge of British trade at Canton The British sent Charles Elliot to see to the safety of British subjects doing trade in China, make sure they weren't engaged in criminal activity, and keep trade flowing. When he showed up, the East India Company's monopoly was over and the official British control over trade with China was in an ambiguous, between place. Because of the ambiguity of his position, he was left hoping for a change in basic conditions. He was left hoping for the legalization of opium in China as the official sent to suppress it once and for all was on his way. Lin Zexu, Chinese commissioner directly from the emperor to suppress opium Lin Zexu, official with exceptionally high integrity, was sent by the Daoguang Emperor in 1839 to suppress the opium trade in Canton. He pursued a comprehensive suppression of drug consumption and trade and rehabilitation for addicts approach to the situation. When the emperor turned toward total suppression, Lin Zexu was on hand to carry out the emperor's vision. If You'd Like to Support the Podcast Subscribe, share, leave a rating. THIS IS FREE!Give once, give monthly at www.buymeacoffee.com/crpodcastSubscribe to the substack newsletter at https://chineserevolutions.substack.com/Also... Please reach out at chineserevolutions@gmail.com and let me know what you think!

Lin Zexu Cracks Down on the Opium Trade In today's episode, we look at exactly the inciting incident for the Opium War. The British official on the scene, Charles Elliot, wanted to protect British subjects but also keep good relations between Chinese and British subjects. Chinese officials in Canton wanted to avoid direct conflict, but Beijing wanted to suppress the opium trade. Increasing Measures Taken Against Foreigners In December 1838, Chinese soldiers built a public execution site in view of the places where the foreigners lived in the foreign settlement of Canton. Foreigners, offended at the sight, started taking the scaffold apart. A riot ensued, as foreign sailors started beating Chinese crowd members standing by, watching the demolition of the scaffold. It was unclear what the Chinese government was going to do. Deng TIngzhen, governor-general of Guangdong, ordered another public execution in the foreign settlement in February 1839, but sent enough soldiers to make sure it happened speedily and without disturbance. A warning to the foreign opium traders, if there ever was one. Lin Zexu Blockades the Foreign Settlement When Lin Zexu actually arrived in Canton, he started a huge crackdown on Chinese users and dealers in opium. But he also blocked off the foreign quarter to intimidate foreign traders into giving over their stocks of opium for destruction. Lin went against advice and precedent when he did this. The foreign community didn't know what was going to happen: was it just a show? did Lin really mean business? could they just wait it out? Charles Elliot's Solution to the Problem British trade official Charles Elliot arranged to give promissory notes to all the traders in Canton, backed by his supposed authority as a functionary of the British government, in exchange for their opium. He turned the opium over to the Chinese, who destroyed it. But the value of the opium destroyed was worth over US$250 billion in today's money. The British government, which relied on good relationships with trading companies in London, couldn't just dismiss the promises of a rogue official and didn't just have that money laying around. Come back next week for what they did about it. Hint: it's the Opium War. If You'd Like to Support the Podcast Subscribe, share, leave a rating.Give once, give monthly at www.buymeacoffee.com/crpodcastSubscribe to the substack newsletter at https://chineserevolutions.substack.com/Also... Please reach out at chineserevolutions@gmail.com and let me know what you think!

The Opium War: War Because Drugs This week, we talk about the Opium War and cracking China open for revolution. We won't go into great detail about the war itself, but we'll look at how it made things possible for revolution in China. Our narrative relies for just one more episode on Imperial Twilight by Stephen Platt. Actually Doing the Crackdown Even though Charles Elliot promised to turn 20,000 chests of opium over to the Chinese government, it's not because he was overawed by imperial authority. As the panic of being blockaded in the Canton foreign settlement wore off, he became angrier and angrier as the crisis dragged on. Lin Zexu did not appreciate the wounded pride of a cornered British aristocrat who had nothing left to lose. Elliot was externally complying with Chinese demands but secretly writing back to London for a battle fleet to show the Chinese what's what. The British traders who received Elliot's unauthorized IOUs knew he didn't quite have the authority to promise to repay them for the confiscated opium, but they also knew the British government provided the best opportunity to get ANYTHING back for what they had to give up. They certainly had no hope of remonstrance with the Chinese government. Britain Decides to Go to War Trade was Britain's jugular vein. No trade, no anything else. At once, letters started pouring in from people invested in the opium trade demanding to know how and when they might be repaid by the British government. Also the legal trade for tea and other above board products had stopped. Britain was also still paying off the former owners of emancipated slaves and paying down debts from the Napoleonic Wars over 20 years previous. So they resolved to make China pay for it. The Opium War The British went to war to preserve their prestige in Asia. They kept India by continuing to look powerful, so they didn't want to let the Indians get any ideas that British power might be slipping. It wasn't to get opium legalized—indeed, one of the guys recommending against legalizing opium had a lot to gain from continuing to smuggle it. The war fractured divides already in motion in China: Han against the ruling Manchu, merchants against officials, militia against locals. The emperor's inability to appreciate the scope of the war and how to win weakened China's response. The 1842 Treaty of Nanjing opened five Treaty Ports for British trade, gave Hong Kong Island to the British as a permanent colony, and forced China to cough up for the cost of the war and the cost of the opium confiscated by Lin Zexu. Because of the Opium War, foreign powers would play a deciding role in Chinese politics until 1949 and will play a vital part in our narrative. If You'd Like to Support the Podcast Subscribe, share, leave a rating.Give once, give monthly at www.buymeacoffee.com/crpodcastSubscribe to the substack newsletter at https://chineserevolutions.substack.com/Also... Please reach out at chineserevolutions@gmail.com and let me know what you think!

The Taiping Rebellion: Introducing Hong Xiuquan In this episode, we introduce the founder of the Taiping Rebellion, Hong Xiuquan. The books we are relying on: God’s Chinese Son by Jonathan D. Spence Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom by Stephen R. Platt Historical Context of Taiping Rebellion Because the Taiping Rebellion kicks off in the aftermath of the First Opium War (1839-1842), our coverage of the Taiping Rebellion will intertwine with the evolution of foreign intervention in Chinese affairs. As ordinary Chinese watched the British destroy the Chinese navy and force a treaty on the Chinese government, it provided a shift in impressions of the Qing government that opened the way for rebellions against it. Personal Background of Hong Xiuquan Born Hong Huoxiu, the founder of the Taiping movement grew up in a Hakka farming family in South China. He was educated, though he did not make it far in the Confucian civil service examinations. In 1836, he met a Protestant missionary who gave him a copy of Protestant convert Liang Afa's tract Good Words to Admonish the Age, a bundling of shorter works Liang had written. In 1837, he failed the exams and had a nervous breakdown. On his sickbed at home, he had visions of Chinese deities from heaven and hell and the heavenly family revealing him to be their son. Liang Afa's tract became the key to interpreting his visions. If You'd Like to Support the Podcast Subscribe, share, leave a rating.Give once, give monthly at www.buymeacoffee.com/crpodcastSubscribe to the substack newsletter at https://chineserevolutions.substack.com/Also... Please reach out at chineserevolutions@gmail.com and let me know what you think!

The Taiping Rebellion and the First Visions of Hong Xiuquan In this episode, we look at the influences working on Hong Xiuquan, founder of the movement behind the Taiping Rebellion and look at his beginning visions. We look briefly at the Jade Record, a Buddhist/Daoist tact functioning like a Dante's Inferno associating wicked deeds on earth with punishments in hell. We also look at the book Good Words to Admonish the Age by Liang Afa, the first Chinese ordained Protestant minister. Hong Xiuquan's Vision of Himself as a Son of God Hong Xiuquan received the book Good Words to Admonish the Age from a Protestant missionary in 1836 or 1837. After his failure (again) to pass the civil service examination in Canton, he fell into a nervous breakdown and was laid up in a sickbed for many days. While he was bedridden, he had visions of himself being introduced to his heavenly family and his identity as a son of the highest god of heaven. He rises from his sickbed ready to slay demons and purify the world ... and then calms down. For a while. Then he reads Good Words to Admonish the Age, which links his visions with the message of Christianity. He has the starting material to syncretize Christian and traditional Chinese religious beliefs, which will result in the core ideology of the movement behind the Taiping Rebellion. If You'd Like to Support the Podcast Subscribe, share, leave a rating.Give once, give monthly at www.buymeacoffee.com/crpodcastSubscribe to the substack newsletter at https://chineserevolutions.substack.com/Also... Please reach out at chineserevolutions@gmail.com and let me know what you think!