From 1450 to 1750, global networks began to expand. Though not every part of the world was involved in these expanding global networks, countries like China were. This was the time period of the Ming and the Qing Dynasties. There were changes and continuities with China’s participation in the global networks around this time period. During the time period between 1450 and 1750, China limited outside influence and their participation in the Silk Road Trading remained constant in global network trading, while there were significant changes in China’s participation in global networks such as Chinese converts to the Christian religion and China’s demand for an alternative medium of exchange. During the time period from 1450 to 1750, the immense …show more content…
One change between 1450 and 1750 that occurred in China’s participation in the expanding global networks was Chinese converts to the Christian religion or more specifically Roman Catholicism. The reason for this change is because of the arrival of Jesuits, or Christian missionaries, and the welcoming of these missionaries by the Chinese. An example of this would be the Chinese people respect for the Jesuits as learned the Chinese language and showed interest in Confucianism. Another example was Kangxi’s tolerance for these missionaries which allowed for hundreds of thousands of people to be converted. One other change between 1450 and 1750 that occurred in the participation of China in the expanding global networks was China’s demand for alternative medium of exchange other than paper money. The reason for this change is because paper money was cheap to produce causing it to become low in worth. An example of this would be China’s trade with the Europeans for their silver since it was a precious metal that could not be found in China. Another example of this would be the Chinese smuggling in opium when silver declined in worth later