By the end of the Qing, like the late 19th, early 20th century? By that point it was ASB. The Qing government was strong enough and centralized enough to prevent any outright attempt at conquest, and the cultural identity embedded into the Chinese would have refused a foreign conqueror who would not move into China and adopt Chinese customs. The only thing the British could have done was spark an uprising to replace the Qing, but they had very legitimate fears that such a move would actually weaken their ability to influence and control the state. Further, other powers were interested in extracting trade and wealth from China so the British could not nakedly take it, even if they wanted to and even if they could, both of which are arguably not true.How close was it to happening towards the end of the Qing dynasty? Why didn't Britain try to establish a colonial administration in China like they did in India?
That's about as likely as Europe being able to do the same in the United States after the Civil War.China as a whole, as a puppet? No probably not. But I can see China broken up and administered like India was by the Brits, or split by the colonial powers.
I'd suspect less likely really. China had a far higher population density and a lot more differences. The US was built on fairly recent immigrants leaving nearish to the coastlines.That's about as likely as Europe being able to do the same in the United States after the Civil War.
China as a whole, as a puppet? No probably not. But I can see China broken up and administered like India was by the Brits, or split by the colonial powers.
How close was it to happening towards the end of the Qing dynasty? Why didn't Britain try to establish a colonial administration in China like they did in India?
Puppetizing the Emperor would be possible. Taking over the administration of the whole country, not so much.
It depends, perhaps, on what counts as 'colonizing'. Making China a de facto client state is certainly possible (although probably not at all worth it). Actually trying to take the country over? Guaranteed disaster. Not that that would prevent them from TRYING, perhaps. Or even succeeding for a decade or two, but I can't see it being a 'normal' colony.
It would be a touch easier to have a dynastic change, and have the British monarch be also the Emperor of China, but otherwise largely using the existing Chinese administration apparatus. But that would be very, very tricky to pull off.
It *might* be possible in a China that fractures at the end of the Ming and doesn't reunify under the Qing. Lots of separate states, weakened by chronic warfare, with the temptation to invite foreigners in for momentary advantage, and for the UK, the temptation to intervene to secure sources of luxury goods. An extended period of disunity in the early modern period also undermines the "One China" ideology, and potentially allows for more development of regional identities. So Europe gets into China much the same way it got into India, gradually consolidating and building a native administration apparatus, until after a Seven Years War equivalent the UK kicks everyone else out and ends up sole master of China. But invasion and outright conquest of a unitary state near the end of the 19th century? Highly unlikely.