i wonder if confucianism can be reformed with the emperors as the head of the religion? like the church of england for the british?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucian_church
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucian_church
Definetly something that could and SHOULD be touched on in coming posts!
I wonder if the stronger Qing will be able to retain public knowledge of the Manchu language? Kind've doubt it though. The number of people fluent in Manchu and its use in official business seems to have fallen off throughout the dynasty, so my gut would say that even at this point, adoption of one or several of the regional Chinese languages as the national standards is probably inevitable.
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Code talker type situations are a bit off timeline wise, and might be a bit gimmick-y.
Part 8-The Era of Prosperity (P2)
The Era of Prosperity Part 2; 1850s-1860s: China, Korea and Japan
Following the new Chinese power in Northern Indian, the rising power in the East had caught the attention of China, almost as an intellectual whole; Japan. The 1860s saw the beginning of the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese rise to Western standards, power and military ability. The Qing, who had been in the long-effort of modernizing, feared that Japan might be a rising new threat on the horizon. Qing had eyes over Korea, their long time tributary, which acted like a barrier between the China and Japan, albeit one more of political power than strategic. Japan was a much smaller nation than that of China, and and an island nation at that, so the Emperor recognized the need for a powerful Qing navy, one to rival any enemy. This would take time, as would any Japanese effort to rise to the ranks of Great Power, but the idea ate at the back of the Emperor's mind constantly.
Korea had been, for the longest time, a loyal tributary, and with the new age of prosperity and influence, the Emperor sought a new idea; Any loyal tributary, one who made regular tributes to the Heavenly Emperor, and whom shared a border, could call upon the Emperor if a barbarian was at their doorstep. This new idea was made almost entirely for Korea, who had previously had French and American (and soon to be Japanese) barbarians pressing their doorstep in spite of Korean 'isolation'. The Emperors of China and Korea shared good relations, and despite the Korean Emperor's words or mutual alliance, the Chinese held the idea of Chinese hegemony over Korea, comparing them more to a protectorate than an ally.
(Sorry for the short blurb, I've been really busy but didn't wanna leave this behind!)
Hey all, thanks you so much for the positivity around the TL thus far. I will try my best to give constant, flavorful updates to the future of the Qing Empire. I really do appreciate the encouragement, and any recommendations, criticisms, comments etc are welcome!
Also, I've added Threadmarks for all the updates. Cheers!
Also, I've added Threadmarks for all the updates. Cheers!
Part 9-The Era of Prosperity (P3)
The Era of Prosperity Part 3; The Tonghzi Emperor
China had, once again, found itself with a new Emperor, the young Tongzhi Emperor at that. He ascended the throne at only 5 years old in 1861 when the previous Emperor died unexpectedly. His early reign soon became marked with an era of relative instability despite the increased efforts to maintain the Qing hegemony. Many ethnic and religious minorities within China became discontent under the thumb of the Manchu Emperors, and became more and more resilient to it's policies and authority. Many small instances of violence broke out, often resulting in the deaths of some violent protesters. One such outbreak involved the untimely death of a man named Hong Xiuquan and a dozen like-minded individuals, after rocks were thrown at Qing soldiers, and weapons were drawn.
Despite the unrest at home, China prospered under foreign trade through Canton, as well as domestically, with the flow of new technology such as machining and new steel production methods. Qing's industry became revolutionized, allowing mass production of new and old products both native to China and from other parts of the world. Th production of porcelain further prospered, steel production multiplied many times over, and shipping had become a new and booming industry for Qing's wealthy class.
The fears of the previous Emperors seemed to draw nearer, as the Qing's naval officers communicated fears of a powerful Japanese force, with it's main forces near Korea and Eastern Manchuria, including Sakhalin. In order to contest the Japanese, the Emperor soon demanded a greater naval presence in the area, ultimately resulting in the Haishenwai Incident, in which Qing battleships fired upon a Japanese ship. Shots were traded before both forces pulled back, straining diplomatic relations further. The powderkeg was ever so tentatively ready to burst.
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I thought it would be an interesting way to avoid what was really an otherwise an unavoidable and devastating rebellion.
I concur
Understandable, since those pesky butterflies do change history in crazy ways. Although the sentiment behind the rebellion wouldn't be entirely gone, Xiuquan was the leader sure, but he capitalised on the growing anti-Qing sentiment. Although that's probably a lot less than in OTL because of the success of the Qing recently.
I know I keep making these compound-posts, but the Taiping aren't completely dealt with, as with any "butteryfly-d" rebellion.