Over the next six decades, the United States, France, Britain, Germany, Russia,
and Japan extracted more demands from China by either threatening or waging war.
And the Qing capitulated again and
again by negotiating a series of unequal treaties.
China not only paid hundreds of millions of taels of silver and
ceded it's territories such as Korea, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Taiwan, but
lost control of the key elements of it's commercial, social and foreign policies.
The Americans imposed a treaty of Wanghia in 1844, obtained a most
favorite nation clause, and inserted extra territoriality right for its citizens.
From the point of view of the Chinese, no matter which nationality,
all foreigners seemed to enjoy special privileges, and to be above the law.
Foreigners were able to sell opium, to live in specially designated areas
under their own laws, and to preach Christianity.
These treaties forever demolished their tributary system
that formed the basis of China's foreign relations over thousands of years.
While there were conservatives at court, who were in denial about China's weakness,
other intellectuals began to realize that China was in big trouble.
Chen Duxiu, the future founder of the Chinese Communist Party,
wrote in his Anhui vernacular paper in 1904, ten years ago,
when I was home studying, all I knew was to eat and sleep.
At most, in order to honor my family, I'd read a few essays and
hope to bluff my way into a few degrees.
Who knew what a country was and what it had to do with me.
Then, in 1895, I first heard of Japan and that it beat our China.
And came 1900, when countries called England, Russia, France, Germany,
Italy, America, Austria and Japan, joined their troops and beat China again.
That's when I realized that I was part of China and that my country's rise and
decline had to do with all of our welfare.
I had to be 20 to know there was such a thing as a country.
What a shame it is.
China in the 19th century was beset with internal rebellions,
natural disasters and external threat.
As a result, young men in the coastal regions of Canton and
Fujian went abroad to look for a better living.
About 370,000 young Chinese men came to
the United States starting with the Gold Rush in California in 1848.