DBWI no European colonization of China?

Many people thought that China was really the most advanced nation in the world in the 18th century, so its falling under European rule later always struck me as somewhat ASB. What would have happened if the Europeans had been confined to a few coastal enclaves? You probably would have to do something with Chinese dynastic history to get a suitable POD, and I'm not sure what butterflies that would have.
 

JJohnson

Banned
Had Europeans not colonized China, maybe we wouldn't have that little communist northeast China next to Korea and the Republic of China in the south. Our colonization kept them fragmented which helped Mao gain a foothold in the northeast. Tragic.

I could see the Gansu-Shaanxi-Shanxi-Hebei border be a simple provincial border rather than the border between two nations claiming the others territory. I read about a North China citizen getting shot trying to defect crossing the border in November.

The UK might've been encouraged to give up Hong Kong to a unified China, if they also hadn't around 12% of the HK population there. And Tibet might not have gotten it's independence and India might not have lent aid (for a favorable border settlement) in the China War back in 1948-1952. Who knows, maybe Korea would have fallen to the commies back then or even be split in two!

I'm pretty sure the western Europeans wouldn't have kept their concession territories in Shanghai, Shameen, Hainan, and so on. Chang Kai Shek did a lot of dealing to shore up his power, but in the end he still got toppled. Though, I guess that's a good thing, for South China at least. They've opened up a lot more and liberalized their economy a lot. The dichotomy with the north is staggering. They keep saber rattling to get foreign aid from the UN to prop their regime up, while South China has had practically 5-8% growth year over year.

The only things really holding them back are the German Naval base in their Kiautschou Bay, along with Japan, Korea, and the Dutch Navy in Formosa. The US having bases in Japan also helps, along with the UK in Hong Kong.
 
China would probably have to be ruled by someone as canny as King Rama V of Siam, in the same exact time period; while China was the most advanced nation in the world for much of its history, by the 19th century it was lagging far behind Europe. Also, if Great Britain or some other European power had been able to defeat the Maratha Empire decisively, they would've been able to conquer much of the subcontinent instead of being confined to coastal outposts, and they wouldn't have felt the need to turn to China.

Some of the successor states of the Chinese Empire are doing quite well nowadays, especially Nanyue [OOC: Cantonese-speaking state covering most of Guangdong and eastern Guangxi, and a Commonwealth realm] who is one of the most prosperous states in the world period, so maybe a China not confined to the borders of the Chinese Republic would be a world power by now, instead of "just" a very successful developing economy.

Edit: fuck, ninja'd.
 
Well for one there wouldn´t be a so big Chinese diaspora in the USA, basically you get a Chinese neighbor in every a city and at least a Chinese restaurant in every town, and it´s the same for all the American continent, there is no other way that you get a Chinese neighbor from Anchorage, Alaska to Punta arenas, Chile. Without the European colonization of China, as these events precipitate the massive exile of the Chinese people
 
Many people thought that China was really the most advanced nation in the world in the 18th century, so its falling under European rule later always struck me as somewhat ASB. What would have happened if the Europeans had been confined to a few coastal enclaves? You probably would have to do something with Chinese dynastic history to get a suitable POD, and I'm not sure what butterflies that would have.
China's infrastructure wouldn't be so bizarre. Seriously driving through the Pearl River area you actually have to periodically switch what side of the road you're driving on!
 

Maoistic

Banned
Britain may initiate an opium trade that ends in many internal devastating wars and with potentially millions of Chinese addicts. If not that, aggressive Anglican proselytism is the cause of said wars. The colonial coastal enclaves may also end up hugging much of the Chinese surplus and general economy, impoverishing the population even more than before or at least slowing down their development. Who knows, maybe the Europeans decide to also conquer Korea, Japan and the Southeast Asian neighbours of China like Vietnam.

Alternatively, the Qing empire or a local ruler, official or insurrectionist may decide to invade the European enclaves in the north and in the coastal areas, leading to a scenario similar to Napoleon except this time in East Asia. That or there's somehow an alliance between China and Japan and whatever other neighbour to go liberate the areas held by the Europeans. I doubt the Europeans would let themselves be kicked out of one of the most profitable markets in the world (and especially by those effeminate Mongoloids), so an all out war, a "World War" if you like, occurs that would definitely led to the loss of many lives.
 
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