alternatehistory.com

I've been told variably by people that the primary reason that the British thought China was a weak target and easily influenced (though no one ever used the word trounced or annexed), was because the first British envoys to the Qing Dynasty's court got there in the latter life of one of the Qing Emperors, who was passed his prime and rather sickly. Any truth to that?

The Emperor in question was Qianlong, IIRC.
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