Empresses in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912)
Overview When an empress or any rank of consort (imperial wife) was chosen to enter the palace, she pledged total allegiance to the imperial family and severed ties to her natal family. In effect, she became imperial property. At the same time, she was also highly regarded and could help shape the history of the […]
The Grandeur of the Qing Economy
By Madeleine Zelin At the end of the Ming dynasty, just before the Manchus overthrew the Ming and established the Qing dynasty, China’s economy was in a period of expansion. New markets were being founded, and merchants were extending their businesses across provincial lines and even into the South China Sea. Chinese merchants were already […]
The Garden of Perfect Brightness, part 1
The 3 Great Qing Emperors The Qing emperors (1644 to 1911) formed the last of the successive dynasties of China. As “alien” rulers, the Manchus inherited and adopted the cultural norms and political institutions of the previous Han Chinese Ming dynasty (1368 to 1644), at the same time maintaining their own Northeast Asian military organization, […]