Question 1

The movement to bring about the ________ (taiping tianguo) on earth became known as the Taiping Rebellion and was headed by the former Confucian follower Hong Xiuquan.

Accepted Answer

The Taiping Rebellion aimed to establish the "Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace" (taiping tianguo), led by Hong Xiuquan, who envisioned a utopian society based on his own interpretations of Christianity.

Question 2

The British imposed the policy of _________, or immunity of a country's nationals from the laws of their host country, on the newly open ports on the Chinese mainland.

Accepted Answer

The British imposed the policy of extraterritoriality on the newly open ports on the Chinese mainland, which meant that British nationals were subject to British law, not Chinese law, while in China. This was part of the unequal treaties following the Opium Wars.

Question 3

In later treaties signed by China with France and the United States, an important addition was the most-favored nation clause, which stated that:

Accepted Answer

The most-favored nation clause ensures that any concession granted to one country must also be granted to all other countries that have this status in their treaties. This means if China gave a special privilege to France, the United States would automatically receive the same privilege if it had most-favored nation status with China.

Question 4

By the end of the eighteenth century, the illegal trade in _________, or "foreign mud," constituted the most profitable import commodity in China, especially around the area of Guangzhou (Canton).

Accepted Answer

Opium trade became highly profitable and was indeed referred to as "foreign mud" during the late 18th century, especially impacting the region around Guangzhou (Canton), China.

Question 5

The Treaty of _________ between Commodore Matthew The Treaty of _________ between Commodore Matthew C. Perry of the United States and the Tokugawa shogunate in 1854 was Japan's first with an outside power and ushered the nation into the "treaty port" era with the opening of ports such as Yokohama and Nagasaki, thereby ending Japan's policy of seclusion.

Accepted Answer

The Treaty of Kanagawa, signed in 1854 by Commodore Matthew C. Perry and the Tokugawa shogunate, marked Japan's first treaty with an outside power, ending its seclusion policy and opening ports like Yokohama and Nagasaki.

Question 6

The Boxer Rebellion came about as a result of the anti-Qing and anti-foreign plots of a group known as the _________, also known as the "Boxers" on account of their ritual exercises.

Accepted Answer

The Boxer Rebellion was initiated by the Society of the Harmonious Fists, a secret organization in China that opposed foreign influence and the Qing dynasty. They were nicknamed "Boxers" because of their practice of Chinese martial arts, which they believed made them impervious to bullets.

Question 7

In order to stem the tide of Western encroachment and influence, a growing number of Chinese officials advocated a policy of _________, whose two most prominent advocates were Li Hongzhang and Zeng Guofan.

Accepted Answer

The policy advocated by a growing number of Chinese officials, including Li Hongzhang and Zeng Guofan, to counter Western influence was the self-strengthening movement. This policy aimed at modernizing China's military and economy while retaining its cultural identity.

Question 8

Which of the following was not a Meiji regime economic reform?

Accepted Answer

The Meiji regime focused on modernizing Japan's economy by reducing regulatory controls over private enterprise, encouraging ownership to remain in Japanese hands, diversifying exports, and fostering entrepreneurship, including among former samurai. Tight regulatory controls over private enterprise would contradict the broader goals of economic modernization and liberalization pursued during the Meiji period.

Question 9

While Western powers wished for Qing China to become a more stable trade and diplomatic partner, the Chinese were primarily concerned with _________.

Accepted Answer

The Chinese were primarily concerned with suppressing both the internal rebellion of the Taipings and reducing the control and influence exerted by foreign powers within their territory during the period in question.

Question 10

A backlash against the foreign presence in Japan, resulting from the "treaty port" era of exposure to Western powers, led to the creation of an anti-foreigner movement aimed at driving out the Tokugawa and _________ had coalesced around the samurai of two southern domains, Satsuma and Choshu, the so-called "Satcho clique."

Accepted Answer

The anti-foreigner movement aimed at driving out the Tokugawa shogunate and restoring imperial rule, which coalesced around the samurai of Satsuma and Choshu, leading to the Meiji Restoration.

Question 11

Among other provisions, the Treaty of Shimonoseki:

Accepted Answer

The Treaty of Shimonoseki, signed in 1895, ended the First Sino-Japanese War. It allowed Japan to annex Taiwan and the Pescadores Islands from China.

Question 12

Recent scholarship has shown that China's economy:

Accepted Answer

Recent scholarship indicates that China's economy played a crucial role in supporting the interconnected Eurasian commercial system, facilitating trade and economic exchanges across the region.

Question 13

As the trade in "foreign mud" (opium) began, heavily armed ships would unload their cargo of opium on small, sparsely inhabited offshore islands, from which:

Accepted Answer

Middlemen would pick up opium from these offshore locations and then distribute it throughout the mainland, facilitating its widespread use and the subsequent addiction issues that arose in China. This system allowed foreign traders to bypass Chinese regulations and taxes on opium, exacerbating the opium crisis.

Question 14

Lin Zexu confiscated 20,000 chests of opium, publicly treated the product with ______ and water and flushed the resulting mess into the sea at Canton.

Accepted Answer

Lin Zexu confiscated opium and treated it with lime and water before disposing of it into the sea, as part of his efforts to combat the opium trade in Canton.

Question 15

The Chinese signed treaties with France and the US, conceding in a clause that any new concessions granted to one country automatically reverted to those who were "__________ nations."

Accepted Answer

The term "most-favored nation" is used in treaties to ensure that any concession, privilege, or favor granted by one country to another must also be granted to the country that has most-favored-nation status. This clause was common in treaties to ensure equal trading rights among countries.

Question 16

After China's failure against the British in 1840, Lin Zexu and other officials argued that China, at the very least, needed the same kind of __________.

Accepted Answer

After China's defeat in the First Opium War (1839-1842), Chinese officials like Lin Zexu recognized the need to strengthen China's naval capabilities to match the British and protect their sovereignty, leading to the advocacy for modern naval ships.

Question 17

After he had __________ and suffered a nervous breakdown, Hong Xiuquan came to believe that he was Christ's younger brother.

Accepted Answer

After failing his civil service examination for the third time, Hong Xiuquan experienced a nervous breakdown. During this period, he had a series of visions that led him to believe he was the younger brother of Jesus Christ, which eventually influenced the formation of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

Question 18

The French, who considered themselves the ______, joined with the British in a war to force a new treaty upon the Chinese government in Beijing.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The French, who considered themselves the ______,...

Question 19

The Emperor's brother Prince Gong remarked to the British ambassador, "_______ and you will be welcome."

Accepted Answer

Prince Gong's remark to the British ambassador emphasized the desire to remove the negative influences of opium and missionaries from China, reflecting the Qing dynasty's stance on foreign intervention and the opium trade.

Question 20

One of the dangers some opponents to "self-strengthening" in Japan articulated was the:

Accepted Answer

Opponents of "self-strengthening" in Japan were concerned about the cultural impact of Westernization, such as the adoption of Western clothing, which was seen as a symbol of losing traditional Japanese identity.

Quiz 24: The Challenge of Modernity: East Asia, 1750-1910