1.2 Talking About A Revolution

For centuries, China was ruled by a series of dynasties. These dynasties held unquestionable power over the Chinese people in every facet of their lives. The dynasty that held power during the height of emigration was the Qing dynasty. By the 1800’s, the Qings had held “power for over 200 years” (Chang 2). However, as the nation expanded the structure of the government began to crumble. In the mid 18th century, “under Emperor Qianlong, corruption and graft began to creep back into the revenue and tax systems, creating large, cumbersome bureaucracies and exacerbating poverty” (Yale). Though the nerve center of the nation was in Beijing, local officials ruled the various provinces and townships. Their quickly expanding provinces often overwhelmed these local officials, “by the 19th century the lowest levels of Chinese government were responsible for on average 250,000 people” (Columbia). These continued stressors lead to the collapse of the Qing dynasty, “in 1911 Chinese revolutionaries overthrew the last dynasty” (CBC). The power was given to the individual provinces, which usually relied upon the local military. This was also ineffective, and the country continued to struggle as it sought stability.