7.7 Qing China and Tokugawa Japan

Notes

While Europe changed, powerful rulers in East Asia strengthened their states and limited Western influence.

• The Qing dynasty (1644 to 1912) was founded by the Manchus from the north. Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong expanded China and supported Confucian learning.
• China limited European trade to the port of Canton (Guangzhou). In 1793, Qianlong rejected a British request for wider trade, writing (1914 translation): "we possess all things. I set no value on objects strange or ingenious, and have no use for your country's manufactures."
• Tokugawa Ieyasu became shogun in 1603 and united Japan, beginning over 250 years of peace with its capital at Edo (Tokyo).
• Fearing Christian missionaries and foreign influence, the Tokugawa closed Japan in the 1630s. Only Dutch and Chinese traders were allowed, at Nagasaki.
• Japan's cities, trade and culture (such as kabuki theater) grew during this isolation.