How Did Imperialism Affect China

For the Americans, imperializing China was a way to keep European countries from colonizing it and gaining too much power. For the Europeans, it was a great economic investment. But from the Chinese point of view, the foreigners were evil and out to destroy their ancient culture. European imperialism has had a long standing impact on Chinese society today, being both good and bad. Before imperialism, life in China was simple and self-sufficient. Agriculture was a major part of most Chinese people’s daily life and they were satisfied with their lives. Many people did not want to be influenced by industrialization and the western ways of Europeans. This did not matter to the Europeans however, as they wanted the silk, tea and porcelain that was only coming from China. According to Tao He’s article, British Imperialism in China,

It was also a very convenient way for the United States to prevent European nations from colonizing throughout China and making a ton of money off of their expansive resources. The policy ensured equal trading rights for the countries that traded with the Chinese people. There were both positive and negative effects of imperialism in China. First, there was the opium wars because the Europeans were losing a lot of silver to China, who had the trading advantage. The west sold opium to the Chinese, getting millions of people addicted to it. In 1839, the Chinese government tried to ban opium from a port city called Canton. Columbia University 's article, China and the West, says that, “the Chinese are defeated by superior British arms and which results in the imposition of the first of many “Unequal Treaties.” These treaties open other cities, “Treaty Ports” — first along the coast and then throughout China — to trade, foreign legal jurisdiction on Chinese territory in these ports, foreign control