Closed country in the Ming and Qing dynasties was a long-term national policy, implemented for hundreds of years, this national policy will consolidate the rule of the dynasty, but also to the coastal people's lives to bring certain troubles, but also seriously hindered the exchange between China and overseas, so that the late Qing Dynasty lagged behind the times but did not know it, resulting in foreigners in China to make a fortune for more than a hundred years.
So why did the Qing Dynasty shut down the country? Here we cite 5 reasons, the first 4 points are still excusable, but the last point is really unacceptable to the majority of netizens! Shame on you!
The first point: China is rich in products
The Territory of the Qing Dynasty reached more than 10 million square kilometers, with many ethnic groups and vast land, it could be self-sufficient, the rulers did not need to trade with foreign countries, and the interior could still live well, and this limited worldview restricted China's external development and self-awareness.
Second point: fight against piracy
As early as the Ming Dynasty, piracy on the southeast coast was rampant, and the early Japanese ronin colluded with coastal pirates, often harassing the people in Shandong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Fujian, and Guangdong, until the Jiajing period was swept away by Qi Jiguang, Yu Dayu and others, and the two were also collectively known as "Yu Long Qi Hu".
However, the good times did not last long until the late Ming Dynasty Pirates rose again on the southeast coast, and colluded with Western merchant ships, harming the interests of the Ming Dynasty, and Zheng Zhilong, the father of the national hero Zheng Chenggong, was a famous pirate at that time, and later served the "Small Court of the Southern Ming Dynasty," and also surrendered to the Qing Dynasty but did not get good results.
The rampant piracy led the Qing Dynasty to begin to close the country like the Ming Dynasty.
Third point: Guard against espionage
Due to the rise of the maritime rights and interests of Western countries, they began to have ill intentions towards the continents of Asia, Africa and Latin America, and established colonies everywhere, and caravans became a tool for Western countries to spy on intelligence.
Fourth point: Prevent collusion between foreign forces and anti-Qing forces in coastal areas
It is well known that the Qing Dynasty regime came from outside Guanwai, with a small population, a small army, and a weak culture, and its ruling foundation was very unconfident. In terms of the policy of treating flag bearers, the Qing Dynasty vigorously advocated the old customs outside Guanwai, requiring the children of the Eight Banners to learn Manchu, wear full clothes, practice riding and shooting, and retain the old customs, hoping not to be assimilated.
In terms of internal relations, "anti-Qing and restoration" has become a factor that the Qing court has to pay attention to, and in the Qing dynasty, uprisings and rebellions under the banner of the Ming Dynasty have emerged in an endless stream, and if there are people who are not subjects to the southeast coast with the help of foreign forces to raise their arms, it is inevitable that the Qing rulers will not be able to sleep.
Although the Qing Dynasty was dismissive of firearms at that time, it was still necessary to nip this small flame that wanted to overthrow its rule in the bud, so the implementation of "closed country" would greatly eliminate the emergence of this phenomenon.
Fifth point: the traditional concept of "guihua and untouchables"
If the above four points are still relatively objective, then this point is the blind arrogance of the "Heavenly Dynasty and the Kingdom of Heaven", the Chinese emperor has had the concept of "Guihua and Untouchables" since ancient times, as early as the Spring and Autumn Period, it was believed that the ethnic minorities and small countries around the Central Plains were "barbarians, Rong, Yi, and Di", these areas were under the radiation of Chinese culture, and they were vassals of the Central Plains Dynasty, and for a long time the Central Plains Dynasty had cultivated a sense of superiority of the "Heavenly Dynasty on the Kingdom".
It is believed that "the whole world can not be the royal land, the coast of the land can not be the king's subjects," only the Chinese family is unique, other countries do not understand etiquette, righteousness, honesty, shame, then they are all barbarians, this concept now seems very inappropriate, ashamed and embarrassing, in the international context of the West has surpassed the East, but also hold this concept is to cling to the shortcomings, closed their eyes and listen.
Therefore, a sentence from the Qianlong Emperor can be used to draw a conclusion: "The Heavenly Dynasty is rich in products and has everything, and originally did not borrow foreign objects to know whether there is anything or not." ”
Conclusion: The Qing Dynasty did not have a foreign policy, did not have the concept of equality between countries, and equal diplomacy did not exist, which meant that the establishment of consulates on Chinese territory was also intolerable, which seemed normal today as a diplomatic equality relationship, but it was not the case at that time.
At that time, the civilian and military generals did not understand diplomacy, nor did the emperor understand, and understood that it was only disobedient killing and obedient appeasement, and this logical concept was based on the fact that China was a "heavenly kingdom", either you obeyed and gave you some benefits, or if you did not obey, you would be beaten obedient, or ignored you.
So the first four reasons also have objective factors, and the last one is very self-righteous, empty-eyed, when people today see these closed reasons, there will be many netizens who are difficult to accept, all of them are sad.
The rulers of the late Qing Dynasty missed the great opportunity to make contact with the world, and could have humbly learned from the West, worked hard, and changed their destiny, but in the end, because of the inherent concept of "heaven is the kingdom of heaven and the supremacy of the self-esteem," they lost the opportunity to reinvigorate themselves, but it was better to "have several islands in the Eastern Ocean region," and only took 30 years to join the ranks of the great powers through the transformation of the law. On the other hand, the backward concept of the late Qing Dynasty misled the country and the people, which was really shameful to the extreme, and the face was disgraced...
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