Have China retain its strength, continue its path to modernization and prevent it from being seriously undermined by European powers.
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Easy, get rid of the Manchus. Li Zicheng takes control of China rather than the Aisin Gioro clan. A Han dominated China wouldn't have much of a problem adopting the various steam gizmos found in the Chinese court for more useful purposes.
You are ignoring tons of problems that China was facing during this era. How will a change in dynasty be able to resolve the overpopulation issues that plagued China during this period?
Short of embracing an industrial revolution, any "new" dynasty will face the same problems that was plaguing the Qing court.
Overpopulation, corruption in governmental branches, threats from the northern nomads, negative influences over society that came from Confucianism(restricted scientific development, merchants and artisans being discriminated, blind faith on the government and officials by the people etc.)...
Really, there are SO many problems in China during the early modern period, and if the state or dynasty can solve all these, China can become a power not to be underestimate with.
Oh, I know. It's not as simple as I made it out to be but not having Manchu rulers would be a start.
Oh, I know. It's not as simple as I made it out to be but not having Manchu rulers would be a start.
Well, I was trying to extend your point
But actually, maybe if there were a more competent Emperor after Qianlong, say he allowed or even encouraged Western knowledge and technique flow in the society, or repressed corruption etc., then Qing dynasty would also be a possibility.
I'm not sure a non-Manchu dynasty would be any less conservative than the Manchus themselves. The social climate might be even less welcoming to western knowledge, as a Han-centric dynasty will claim its legitmacy based on expelling foreigners.
I'm not sure a non-Manchu dynasty would be any less conservative than the Manchus themselves. The social climate might be even less welcoming to western knowledge, as a Han-centric dynasty will claim its legitmacy based on expelling foreigners.
True, however, the way the Manchus went about their business ended up creating something ugly and awful (hardcore ethnic Nationalism, the concept of Han people), while perpetuating the nomadic model of a small military elite dominating a large number of peasants. A "Han" dynasty would be no guarantee of technological progressiveness but a Manchu one is basically guaranteed to kill it stone dead.
I just think that there is a very real possibility that an 'Han' dynasty might be worse than the Manchurian dynasty. A more racist and isolationist state might emerge as an aftermath.
Historically, there was no "Han" people as a racial idea. Sun Yat-sen and his comrades turned it into a racial concept when they were trying to modernize the Chinese people's nationalist consciousness.
Historical social problems of China aside, couldn't this stronger China be found in a continued naval program under the Ming? For whatever reason, the Ming Emperors decide to go against the bureaucracy and continue naval excursions...
Historical social problems of China aside, couldn't this stronger China be found in a continued naval program under the Ming? For whatever reason, the Ming Emperors decide to go against the bureaucracy and continue naval excursions...
Easy, get rid of the Manchus. Li Zicheng takes control of China rather than the Aisin Gioro clan. A Han dominated China wouldn't have much of a problem adopting the various steam gizmos found in the Chinese court for more useful purposes.
The Han dominated dynasties were not much better with regards to innovation (see the Ming) than the foreign dynasties were.
Any Chinese dynasty which keeps control of the northern plains tend towards conservatism eventually.