Invasions, Rebellions, and the Fall of Imperial China
An overview of modern Chinese history
Join Harvard University faculty in this online course for an overview of modern Chinese history, including the fall of the Qing and the end of imperial China.
1-3 hours per week
What You'll Learn
In the 18th century, the Qing Dynasty is at its height; it is the wealthiest, most powerful,most civilized state on earth. And yet the 19th century brought enormous challenges for the Qing and for the place we call China. By the 20th century, a 2,000-year imperial tradition is gone. What happened?
In this overview of modern Chinese history, you’ll learn about the Qing was forced to engage with the West, the impact of imperialism and dynastic decline, and, ultimately, the causes of the Qing dynasty’s fall. This course will cover the effects of opium, how the Qing responded to that epidemic, and how the opium war brought fundamental changes to the country. You’ll also learn about the introduction of Christianity in this period, and about the ideology of Chinese salvation.
This is a time when intellectuals were wrestling with new western ideas and new western technologies. This course will help you to understand how China engaged with the West, and how this confrontation still resonates today.
The course will be delivered via edX and connect learners around the world. By the end of the course, participants will learn:
- An overview of modern Chinese history.
- About the Qing’s forced re-encounter and engagement with the West.
- The impact of imperialism and dynastic decline.
- What ultimately caused the fall of the Qing dynasty.
- How intellectuals wrestled with the confrontation of western ideas and technology.
- The historiography of periodization and how one can define the modern period.
Your Instructors
Peter K. Bol
Charles H. Carswell Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations
at Harvard University
Read full bio.
Ways to take this course
When you enroll in this course, you will have the option of pursuing a Verified Certificate or Auditing the Course.
A Verified Certificate costs $149 and provides unlimited access to full course materials, activities, tests, and forums. At the end of the course, learners who earn a passing grade can receive a certificate.
Alternatively, learners can Audit the course for free and have access to select course material, activities, tests, and forums. Please note that this track does not offer a certificate for learners who earn a passing grade.