The territory of the Qing dynasty was in 1840 still at its maximum, roughly 25 percent larger than the present Chinese territory and more than double the size of the previous Ming dynasty. The history of the Qing dynasty is about this expansion and how Han Chinese tradition and institutions interacted with a leadership dominated by ethnic or organizational minorities, the Manchus and other bannermen. It was a time of change in society and government that belies the still heard claim that it was an immobile empire both internally and in a world context. This article focuses mainly on government and political history; it touches on social and cultural history, but these are dealt with more extensively in other articles in the Oxford Bibliographies in Chinese Studies. The population probably doubled in the period, and many people may have experienced rising or at least adequate living standards. There were few technological breakthroughs in production, but rational application and expansion of existing methods to more land in combination with other economic measures secured a rise in production, at least until around 1800, aided by a government apparatus with qualifications and flexibility to solve problems that arose. The ethnic or organizational complexity of government administration may have helped to create a strong administration, but state finances were never strong enough to evade corruption and its threats to society. Foreigners arrived as before, Qing subjects went abroad, and the integration of China in the world and the world economy before the European powers started to intrude on Qing territory, both on the coast and the continental borders, is now accepted by most historians although it is always possible to find rhetoric, rules, and actions that, seen in isolation, may support the impression of an isolating empire.
Research on the silver in the world flowing into Qing Dynasty
