Wang , Gungwu
(2014)
Book Review – White Lotus Rebels and South China Pirates: Crisis and Reform in the Qing Empire.
International Journal of Asia Pacific Studies (IJAPS), 10 (2).
pp. 202-204.
ISSN ISSN: 1823-6243
Abstract
This book studies the Qianlong-Jiaqing transition (1796–1810), a relatively
neglected period in modern Chinese history. It probes some key factors that
led to the rise of High Qing in the 18th century and its subsequent decline in
the 19th century. It is widely known that the Qianlong emperor, in his last
years, was responsible in weakening his powerful empire, but there have
been arguments on the extent to which his successor's careful and
conservative reforms helped restore order to imperial governance. The
author, Wang Wensheng goes further than previous studies in identifying
not only the White Lotus Rebellions of 1796–1804 but also the South China
pirate attacks of 1802–1810 as relevant events in understanding the limits of
Jiaqing's reforms. He points to the desultory but not insignificant attempts
by some of the leaders of both groups to link their respective anti-regime
causes. Using the two sets of events, the author suggests that the end of this
period was neither the beginning of a dynastic decay nor the lull before the
storm. The study shows that Emperor Jiaqing, subtly and cautiously, did
reorganise the administrative machinery and regain credibility for the Qing
regime. The emperor also recognised that changes in the external
environment brought about by British and French interests along China's
maritime frontiers required adjustments to traditional ideas of inter-state
relations.
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