Essay On European Influence On Japan And China

Both China and Japan were greatly affected by the arrival of Europeans in Asia. The Europeans wanted to trade, but they didn’t have many items to trade. China and Japan soon began to develop policies to keep European influence at bay while still maintaining trade dominance. Both nations developed similar yet unique policies and methods of dealing with Europeans that would have large impacts socially, economically, and politically for centuries to come.

China and Japan each developed policies that controlled European trade with them. In China, Europeans, particularly the British were confined to trading through Canton. They were not allowed access to a variety of locations. This can be attributed to the fact that China wanted to continue to control trade prices. If Europeans had access to other trade markets they would be able to negotiate prices, damaging the Chinese economy. The British had a large imbalance of trade, and in 1793 Lord MaCartney attempted to compromise with China to

allow more trade acces. However, Qianlong refused due to previous negative experiences with missionaries. Missionaries, particularly the Jesuits, had previously been successful converting locals to Catholicism. However, they allowed them to keep some traditional practices such as ancestor veneration. The Dominicans and Franciscans told the pope of this, and soon the Jesuits were ordered to enforce strict Catholicism. This led to problems and the decline of missionary and European presence in China. Consequently, when trade was limited with Britain, the British became angry and the Chinese suffered the consequences. Economically, trade decreased leading to less technological innovation and the end of the era of Chinese dominance. Furthermore, social impacts included ethnocentrism and xenophobia, as the missionaries had left Confucianism thriving. Therefore, the Qing Dynasty was able to stay in power for an extended period of time.
A very similar sequence of events occurred in Tokugawa Japan, though there were differences . Christian missionaries and Christians in general earned a poor reputation in Japan almost immediately. They began converting traditional Shinto shrines in churches and had little respect for native practices. This led to the persecution of Christians, and in 1612 Tokugawa Ieyasu ordered all missionaries to leave. Trade was also only allowed with the Dutch once per year from then on, as the Dutch had been the least aggressive. Trade was also allowed in very small quantities with China. Much like the Chinese, this isolated Japan from the technological achievements taking place in the world around them. They fell behind and would not catch up for centuries. However, politically, it led to a “Great Peace.” The government became more centralized, with the emperor in Kyoto and shoguns in Edo. The daimyo were controlled by the shogun and the size of the samurai class was limited, as there was no need for warriors during this time of peace. The isolationist policy also led to the rise of capitalism. The growth of urbanization and manufacturing led Edo to have a population exceeding one million by the mid 18th century. The merchant class gained power, and paper money and banks became more common. These changes led to an increase in living standard for many. However, the samurai and peasants often faced hardships during the times. Samurai lost money on their land and were often in debt. Others were released by their masters, causing them to be masterless samurai, also known as ronin. Accordingly, peasants became landless laborers due to increasing costs and taxes. They tried to revolt, but were unsuccessful. Japan had a slower population growth than China, leading the Japanese to have less deprivation. Like the Chinese, the nuclear family unit defined society. Yet, there were no clans as there was in China. Nonetheless, the Japanese isolation policy was very similar to China’s leading to many similarities in politics, economy, and society.
Both Qing China and Tokugawa Japan faced the problem of the Europeans.

The problem began when missionaries started destroying the traditional culture of the area. While China allowed some trade, Japan cut off almost all trade. In each case, both countries lost the respect of the Europeans. Therefore their economies and technological advancements suffered for years to come, Yet, both societies stayed stable. The Qing Dynasty was the longest lasting dynasty in history, and the Tokugawa Shogunate lasted for over 250 years. This can be attributed to the fact that the countries were once again united. China especially became ethnocentric and xenophobic. Meanwhile, Japan began to develop the capitalist society China could not because of China’s negative attitude towards the merchant class and Japan’s slower rate of growth (more land available). Thus, while the policies adopted by China and Japan in regards to Europeans appear similar at first, they affected society in many different

ways.