The Chinese Empire: After the absolute roflstop of the Opium War, China and her citizens were shaken. They lost to a island nation not even near the size of the Middle Kingdom! Despite traditionalist resistance in court, the Emperor had made up his mind.
What followed was three decades (1840-1870) of modernisation, with intrigue, murder, setbacks and advancements. It was the stuff of epics and the rich amount of diaries, documents and recorded debates between the traditional 'Emperors Eunuchs' and reformist 'White Loutuses' formed a comprehensive, detailed history and it is one of the most popular topics of history. It was a close run thing, and until year 26 the modernisation effort was always at severe risk at being stopped.
The person who contributed the most to the effort was Emperor Xianfeng, a charismatic intelligent man with a knack for the liberal sciences. It was he who started the Qing Constitution in 1860, to be finished by his grandson Gungaxu in 1884. Xianfeng often consulted with the Bureau of Modernisation (Created in 1840 by the Daoguang Emperor) on the next step that china should take. Xianfeng:
Finished Reforming the Imperial Army.
Started work on the Imperial Navy.
Started and Finished on the reformation of education and made it available to the masses.
Personally oversaw the Imperial Railroad project.
Fatally struck the Emperors Eunuchs with the arrest of several hundred top government conspirators, and executed them in the name of treason.
He died in 1861, but he would be honoured, and currently there is a statue of him in Beijing which is visited by Chinese and westerner alike.
After the westernisation the Chinese decided to test out the new technology at their disposal. Of course, who better to test out the new tech than on Britain, and in the war of Vengeance (1871) the British were overwhelmed (They even got into India!) and all concessions were rendered null and void, and Hong Kong retaken. Macao was bullied back into Chinese hands, and several hundred philosophers in Europe meanwhile, raised eyebrows. The white man had been beaten by yellows! Preposterous!
Back in China, a revolution of all topics advanced. Philosophy, History, Politics, Science, Maths, Education, you name it, a flood of ideas engulfed the Empire. Previously a stagnant nation, China became the leading country in innovation, and it had new ideas. Mainly, it took a page out the US constitution, and ideas and liberty gripped the educated elite. The future Emperors education also changed in line with democratic ideals. In 1884, Emperor Gunagxu continued his grandfathers work and finished the Qing Constitution, in which rights of minorities are respected, all men, universal women's rights, and the ability to vote for a President, and his prime minister. Several parties formed:
The Chinese Communist party.
The White Lotus Party.
The Party for Traditional China.
The Dragon Party.
A parliment with 600 seats formed, and the ability to allow legislation which the Emperor wanted to pass, and parliament could veto it in case it didn't have more yes votes than no votes. This ensured that the Emperor still had a role to play, but didn't have absolute power.
After conquering Vietnam and Laos in 1874, China in 1894 had a massive loss when their erstwhile friend Korea was annexed by Japan. A massive war followed, in which surprisingly, Japan won. The Chinese were surprised by the suicidal tactics of Japanese soldiers, and the inch-by-inch warfare. The first documented use of Trenches, and in September the Chinese actually experienced a mass shock when the Japanese launched a naval inavasion near Nanjiing, and very nearly took it if it wasn't for the massive guerrilla resistance they encountered and the fact that Chinese railways were very effective, they would have captured Nanjiing. And in fact, the final straw came when the Emperor himself nearly died by a Japanese assassination attempt. The men were told to leave in early November 1894, and many Koreans were recorded tearful, and there are actually photos taken of Soldiers leaving notes saying "We'll come back for you friends! Stay strong!"
In 1900, the scars left by the war are deep, and Japanese and Chinese hate each other with a burning passion. Yet the Empire remains an innovative hotspot.
And that is not even the peak of Sino-Japanese hatred.
