Tongzhi Restoration

The Tongzhi Restoration (simplified Chinese: 同治中兴; traditional Chinese: 同治中興; pinyin: Tóngzhì Zhōngxīng; Wade–Giles: T'ung-chih Chung-hsing; c. 1860–1874) was an attempt to arrest the dynastic decline of the Qing dynasty of China by restoring the traditional order. The harsh realities of the Opium War, the unequal treaties, and the mid-century mass uprisings of the Taiping Rebellion caused Qing courtiers and officials to recognize the need to strengthen China. The Tongzhi Restoration was named for the Tongzhi Emperor (r. 1861–1875), and was engineered by the young emperor's mother, the Empress Dowager Cixi (1835–1908). The restoration, however, which applied "practical knowledge" while reaffirming the old mentality, was not a genuine program of modernization. Academics are divided as to whether the Tongzhi Restoration arrested the dynastic decline, or merely delayed its inevitable occurrence.

The Tongzhi Restoration was a direct result of the Self-Strengthening Movement led by the statesmen Zeng Guofan (who became viceroy) and Li Hongzhang to revitalize government and improve cultural and economic conditions in China. A number of reforms were implemented such as the development of the Zongli Yamen, an official foreign ministry to deal with international affairs, the restoration of regional armies and regional strongmen, modernization of railroads, factories, and arsenals, an increase of industrial and commercial productivity, and the institution of a period of peace that allowed China time to modernize and develop.

Mary C. Wright suggested that, "Not only a dynasty but also a civilization which appeared to have collapsed was revived to last for another sixty years by the extraordinary efforts of extraordinary men in the 1860s." On the other hand, John K. Fairbank wrote, "That the Qing managed to survive both domestic and international attacks is due largely to the policy and leadership changes known as the Qing Restoration."

References

Wright, Mary Clabaugh. The Last Stand of Chinese Conservatism: The T'ung-Chih Restoration, 1862 -1874. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1957.

Qing dynasty topics
History	Seven Grievances First Manchu invasion of Korea Second Manchu invasion of Korea Qing conquest of the Ming Battle of Shanhai Pass Great Clearance Revolt of the Three Feudatories High Qing era Sino-Russian border conflicts Dzungar–Qing War Chinese expedition to Tibet (1720) Chinese Rites controversy Ten Great Campaigns Miao Rebellion (1735–36) Lhasa riot of 1750 Sino-Burmese War (1765–69) Battle of Ngọc Hồi-Đống Đa Sino-Nepalese War Miao Rebellion (1795–1806) White Lotus Rebellion First Opium War Sino-Sikh War Taiping Rebellion Nian Rebellion Red Turban Rebellion (1854–1856) Small Swords Society Miao Rebellion (1854–73) Nepalese–Tibetan War Panthay Rebellion Second Opium War Punti-Hakka Clan Wars Amur Acquisition Self-Strengthening Movement Tongzhi Restoration Dungan Revolt (1862–77) Mudan Incident (1871) Tianjin Massacre Margary Affair Northern Chinese Famine Qing reconquest of Xinjiang Sino-French War Sikkim Expedition Jindandao Incident First Sino-Japanese War Gongche Shangshu movement Dungan Revolt (1895–96) Hundred Days' Reform Boxer Rebellion Red Lanterns Eight-Nation Alliance New Policies British expedition to Tibet 1905 Tibetan Rebellion 1909 Provincial Assembly elections Chinese expedition to Tibet (1910) Railway Protection Movement Xinhai Revolution Wuchang Uprising Xinhai Lhasa turmoil Mongolian Revolution of 1911 Xinhai Revolution in Xinjiang Manchu Restoration
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Tongzhi Restoration

References

See also