The story of late Qing is most frequently remembered as the epitome of a nation which relied on outdated notions of its superiority as well as a corrupt upperclass unable to adjust to modernity, but less immediately talked about is how China's internal problems and large scale rebellions were caused by hatred for the foreign ruling class and its imposition of Manchu customs onto the natives, meaning there was little incentive to stand by the Empire as it was picked apart by foreign powers. I want to discuss however another consequence of the Qing being non-Chinese and from a culture rooted in the nomadic lifestyles of the north. I've lately come to believe the downfall of the Qing didn't start just with Baron Macaulay's expedition but ironically enough with the conquests pursued under its earlier emperors (yes, even Kangxi). Looking at Chinese history through a pattern of dynasties, a difference is noticeable in how each regime handled foreign relations, with Han states centering heavily around the notions of a tributary system rooted in cultural and hegemonic power over the surrounding states, with this sense of centrality being what kept imperial China a unified ideal, while barbarian run states tended to keep the warmongering and steppe expansion which initially gained them a large imperial state (The exception of course is Tang, with the the expenses of northwestern militarism and entanglements with the Gokturks leading to the rebellions that destabilized the dynasty.). Under the Qing this contrast reached its zenoth with not only the total imposition of non-Chinese customs onto the Han, but also the total conquest and subjugation of the Turkic peoples to the west of traditional boundaries. Say however, the Qing had failed to the Shun or Wu Zhou had led a successful bid fro the throne and kept tributary policies similar to the Ming; how would the court and general population react differently to European incursions? Would this alternative China have been able to command greater respect from its subordinates and more unified effort at modernization? Most likely the imperial regime would still fall due to cultural posturing as well as the rapid sevelopments of Europe and America, but I imagine there would be quicker transition between two Chinas, with musch shorter period of rule by warlords, with the newer China becoming a state aligned with western influenced ideologies.
TLDR: How would the collapse of the Chinese Empire have played out differently had the Qing been eliminated in favor of a native dynasty?
TLDR: How would the collapse of the Chinese Empire have played out differently had the Qing been eliminated in favor of a native dynasty?
