From a country's summary of history, we can see how the elite of this country see the world. Understanding American history textbooks may help us understand why the United States today behaves in all its ways.
The following is an excerpted translation of a high school textbook from a Texas public school:
The most obvious change in the rebalancing of global power in the 19th century was in China's relations with Europe, most notably during the famous Opium War.
Opium originated from Arab traders in the eighth century or earlier, and for a long time they were used as medicine on a small scale; considered a panacea for dysentery.
It was not until the end of the eighteenth century that the British began to grow and process opium in India to reverse the imbalance in trade with China. It was only at this time that opium became a serious problem.
By the 1830s, British, American, and other Western merchants had become this highly addicted drug, finding a huge, growing, lucrative market (referring to China).
From 1,000 cases in 1773 to more than 23,000 cases in 1832, China's opium imports surged.
But it wasn't long before the Qing government became aware of this growing problem.
Because opium imports are illegal, they must be smuggled to China, which flouts Chinese law. Many officials turn a blind eye to the illegal trade because they take bribes.
In addition, the purchase of opium led to a large outflow of silver. Reversing China's ability to attract most of the world's silver for centuries, this imbalance has created serious economic problems.
In the end, China found itself with millions of addicts — men and women, court officials, exam-taking students, soldiers going to war, and toilers seeking to overcome the pain of their jobs.
In 1836, the Qing government was in court. After a long debate over whether drugs should be legalized or banned, the emperor finally decided to ban them.
An upright official, Lin Zexu, known as the "drug tsar," led the campaign against opium. (The original text of "drug czar" is "drug czar", referring to Lin Zexu as what a drug tsar is!) ）
Angered by the confiscation of opium property and emboldened by its new military might, the British sent a large naval expedition to China determined to end longstanding restrictions on trade with the country.
They argue that they want to teach Chinese the virtues of free trade and the "right" way to deal with relations between states. Thus began the First Opium War. In this war, Britain's industrialized military power played a decisive role.
The war ended in 1842 and the Treaty of Nanking was signed at the request of the British, imposing many restrictions on Chinese sovereignty.
The Treaty of Nanking shows that with the advent of the British Industrial Revolution, the balance of global power has changed. For Chinese, the agreement was the first "unequal treaty" to seriously weaken China's independence. (Author: Why put inequality in quotation marks?) ）
But this is not the last one. The British burned down the Summer Palace during the Second Opium War, further humiliating China. It also forced the Qing government to open more ports.
Now, these foreigners were allowed to travel freely and buy land in China, preach under the protection of the Qing government, and patrol some of China's rivers. In addition, Chinese prohibited from using the word "barbarian" to refer to foreigners.
After failing military battles with France (1885) and Japan (1895), China lost control of Vietnam, Korea, and Taiwan. By the end of the 19th century, western countries, Japan and Russia. Both have delineated their spheres of influence within China, within which they have been granted the privilege of establishing military bases, mining raw materials, and building railways. Many Chinese believe their country is being "carved up."
Coupled with the domestic crisis, European imperialism reduced the proud Middle Kingdom to a vassal of the West.
It became part of Europe's "informal empire," and China was no longer a respected center of civilization, but just a weak and dependent country of many.
The Qing Dynasty is still in power, but in a weakened state, which is good for European interests and bad for Chinese interests. Restrictions imposed by unequal treaties have clearly hindered China's industrialization, as foreign goods and foreign investment have poured into China largely unrestricted.
Chinese businessmen mostly served foreign companies, rather than developing into an independent bourgeoisie capable of leading China's own industrial revolution.
Do you think Americans' descriptions are objective and fair? Welcome to leave a message in the comment area!
Focusing on the author, we will learn tomorrow how Americans view China's modern history.