What was self strengthening movement

Unequal Treaties. Sino-Japanese War. A Chinese military and political reform movement of the second half of the 19th century. Prominent among the innovations introduced were the Zongli Yamen , an imperial office established to manage relations with foreign countries, the Jiangnan Arsenal , the Nanjing Arsenal , the Beiyang fleet China's first modern navy , and various government-sponsored modern industries.

Such reforms, however, were superficial and failed to solve deep-seated institutional problems, as was made clear by China's humiliation in the Sino-Japanese War of — View all related items in Oxford Reference ». But despite its leaders' accomplishments, the SelfStrengthening Movement did not recognize the significance of the political institutions and social theories that had fostered Western advances and innovations.

This weakness led to the movement's failure. Modernization during this period would have been difficult under the best of circumstances. The bureaucracy was still deeply influenced by Neo-Confucian orthodoxy. Chinese society was still reeling from the ravages of the Taiping and other rebellions, and foreign encroachments continued to threaten the integrity of China.

The first step in the foreign powers' effort to carve up the empire was taken by Russia, which had been expanding into Central Asia. By the s, tsarist troops also had invaded the Heilong Jiang watershed of Manchuria, from which their countrymen had been ejected under the Treaty of Nerchinsk. The Russians used the superior knowledge of China they had acquired through their century-long residence in Beijing to further their aggrandizement.

By the mids these arsenals were producing thousands of small arms generally comparable in quality to the breechloading Remington rifles used by Europeans. However, the program was beset from the outset by a series of major obstacles, including a lack of raw materials and insufficient technical talent. There was also rampant corruption in the awarding of construction contracts and in the hiring of overpaid and incompetent foreign advisors.

Consequently, naval construction during the Tongzhi Restoration proved to be slow, costly, and wholly inefficient. Prince Gong was well aware of the superiority of Western military technology.

By Richard Baum, Ph. Was the movement successful in its endeavor? To remedy this weakness, Prince Gong established a new imperial department, the Zongli Yamen or Office for General Management to deal with foreign affairs. To prepare Chinese scholars and officials to interact more effectively with foreigners, Gong promoted the establishment of a new foreign language institute, with instruction offered, for the first time ever, in major European languages.

Also for the first time, a few modern schools were opened, with classes offered in mathematics, astronomy, physics, chemistry, and international law.

Technologies of communication and transportation were also upgraded with the introduction of the first railroads and modern telegraph lines. In these and other respects, the Tongzhi Restoration planted the first seeds of a genuine Chinese renaissance. This is a transcript from the video series The Fall and Rise of China. Watch it now, on Wondrium.

Consequently, an influential group of archconservative Manchu court officials mounted a campaign of resistance and sabotage against the Self-Strengthening Movement.