TITLE: The Making of Modern China: The Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty (1368-1912) (Understanding China Through Comics)
YEAR: November 2017 (US Release)
COMPANY: Stonebridge Press
Story and Art by Jing Liu
When I was in college, I had the opportunity to take a class on China for my minor. While I did quite well in the class, learning about the various Emperors and Dynasties was not easy.
But writer/artist Jing Liu has figured out a wonderful way to reach out to those who are interested in studying Chinese history and that’s through comics!
I recently read “The Making of Modern China: The Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty (1368-1912) (Understanding China Through Comics)” from Stonebridge Press and this timeline is important to learning how China began its way of modernization but also the challenges that were met after China was invaded by the Monguls but how various Emperor’s had difficult of trying to find out how to continue the country’s stability with various currency and taxation.
But how China had to endure corruption from officials, to overprinting money or not having enough silver to provide currency of the country’s growing population.
And due to bad leadership, bad planning and a growing population, trying to please the people through little taxation but then not having any currency to provide stability to the people made things difficult. As certain areas did well, smaller locations in the country side and mountainous regions started to become angry as they did not have the same type of treatment and they rebelled.
And with too many rebellions happening throughout China, it no doubt caused instability.
While things got better in the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the need of silver led to the country of opening its ports to people from other countries and when Britain brought Opium to China, that changed things as it drained the economy of silver in China and increased opium addiction inside the country which led to the first Opium War.
Seeing how China’s openness to foreign trade led to China using their money and military to fight the British, which the British had superior weaponry and firepower and ushering China into Modernism.
There is so much that happens between 1368-1912 and Jing Liu does a magnificent job of showcasing history in a simplistic way for people to read and understand China’s history and how they entered into modernism but also how it led to turmoil within the country and with other countries.
It’s a well-written comic and educational as well!
Overall, I was really pleased with “The Making of Modern China: The Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty (1368-1912) (Understanding China Through Comics)” and I definitely recommend it!