To what extent did the age of European expansion impact the Chinese? Who benefited more from this seaborne interaction? Explain, with examples.

Answer 1

The "Rise of the West" as it is usually termed relates to the idea that European powers (and later the United States) proceeded to overtake non-Western societies in the 1800s. It was during what you term "European expansion" that this "rise of the West" is said to have begun. East Asia's interactions with Europeans are, perhaps, the best case studies of this phenomenon. China's response to the West was mostly one of resistance. China attempted, with some exceptions, to challenge Western influence (e.g. the Boxer Rebellion and the Opium Wars). Historically, Chinese society saw itself as the center of civilization, and the world/universe. This was often called "All Under Heaven" (天下). When the Chinese encountered Europeans with more advanced and effective military technology, they were ill-prepared to grapple with Western expansion. Europeans, while unable to fully colonize China as they had the Americas, were able to bring China into their "spheres of influence." Japan, seeing this interaction, took a different path. They quickly modernized along a Western paradigm, and became colonizers themselves. In this way, I would argue that the West and Japan benefited from these interactions, as it led to increased trade for the West and began Japan's own imperial expansions.