Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 3.djvu/762

 CHINA

682

CHINA

His successor compelled the Sung to leave their capital K'ai-feng, and their emperor Kao Tsung re- tired to Hang-chou, called Lin-ngan (1129). China was then divided into two empires. The northern, or Kin. with the capital at Yen-king (Peking) was Cathay; the southern was the Nan-sung. The latter was also known as Marizi (Man-tze). The Mongols destroyed both empires, the Kin in 1234, and the Sung in 1280.

The Mongol or Yuen dynasty (1280-1368) com- prised ten sovereigns. Jenghiz, the first great Khan, established his capital at Karakorum (Ho-lin); he died is Aug., 1227. His successors were Ogotai, Cuyuk (1246), Mangku (1251), Kttblai (1260). The first real Chinese emperor of the dynasty 1 12S0) was Kublai, known also under the names of Chung T'ung and Che-yuan. He transferred his capital to Cam- baluc (Peking) and undertook an unsuccessful war against Japan, but was more fortunate against Mien (Burma). This is the period of successful Catholic missionaries, such as John of Montecorvino, and of great travellers like Marco Polo. In 1356, Chu, a BuddHist monk, rebelled, took Nan-king (1356), and under the title of Hung \Yu founded the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), which included sixteen sov- ereigns. The third emperor, Yung-lo, transferred the capital from Nan-king to Peking. In 1514 the Portu- guese arrived in China. The weakness of the last Ming emperors caused rebellions. One of the rebel chiefs, l.i Tze-ch'ing, who had subjugated Ho-nan and Shen-si, captured Peking, and Emperor Ts'ung Cheng hanged himself in despair (1643). But the faithful general, Wu San-kwei. who was at the head of the imperial troops in Liao-tung, called the Man- chus to the rescue. For many years the Tatars had threatened the empire. Their chief, Ts'ung Teh, son of T'ien Ming, defeated Li. Shun Che, the son of Ts'ung Teh, entered Peking ami founded the Ts'ing dynasty, the dynasty now reigning over China. Shun Che, the first emperor, was succeeded in 1662 by his son, the illustrious K'ang-hi, who after a short minority took charge of the empire. He had many struggles to sustain in Fu-kien and Formosa against Koxinga, the rebellious Wu San-kwei, and the Kalmuks (Eleuths). Arts and letters were pros- perous during this reign. In 1716 K'ang-hi pub- lished the celebrated dictionary "K'ang-hi Tze-tien", including 44,449 characters, classed under 214 radi- cals. K'ang-hi died 20 Dec. 1722, and was succeeded by his fourth son, Yung Cheng (1723-36), who per- secuted the Christians. The fourth emperor, K'ien I. mig (1736 96), son of Yung Cheng, annexed T'ien li hi 1759), carried on an unsuccessful war against the Burmese, subjugated the Miao-tze (1775), and established Chinese power in Tibet. He abdicated mi 8 Feb., 17!)(i. in favour of his son, Kia K'ing, an. Idied 7 Feb., 1799. Kia K 'ing's reign (1796-1820) was marked by internal troubles; the members of the secret society of Pet Lien-Woo seized the imperial palace at Peking, L8 July, 1813. Kia K'ing died 2 Sept.. 1820, and was succeeded by Tao Kwang

(1821 51), during whose reign began the T'ai Ping rebellion. This reign and the following, those of llien Fung (1851 HI), T'ung Che (l.Slil 75), and Kwang Sin ib. 15 Aug., 1871), will be treated in the section on the foreign relations of China.

Foreign Relations.— Some commentators have

i I Chins in this passage of [saias i \. V., xlix,

12): "these from the land of Sinim". Ptolemy divide Ea tern \ ia into the country of Since and Serice, north of Sinse, with its chief city Sera. Strabo, Virgil, Horace, Pomponius Mela, Pliny, and Ammi- Marcellinus, speak of the Seres, and thej ire mentioned by Florus among the nations which ent

sies to Koine at the time of Augustus.

1 hi I, tern pari of the Roman

Empire (Syria, Egypt, and Asia Minn,. Ta Ts'in,Fu-

Kn during the Middle Ages. The monk Cosmas had a correct idea of the position of China (sixth century). The Byzantine writer, Theophylactus Simocatta (seventh century), gives an account of China under the name Taugas. There is a Chinese record o) a Roman embassy in a. i>. lliii. The sea voyages of Arabs and the pilgrimages of Chinese Buddhists to India have thrown considerable light on the geo- graphy of Asia during the Middle Ages.

The voyage of Yasco da < lama I 1 197) and the cap- ture of Malacca by Albuquerque opened the Par East to the Portuguese, who arrived at Canton in 1514; Perestrello came in 1516; Femao Perez de Ahdrade followed in 1517 with Thomas Pires, but the mis- conduct of Simon de Andrade caused tin expulsion of the Portuguese from Canton (1521) and the de-

Gbeat Wall

struction of the fleet of Coutinho (1522): the Portu- guese establishments of Liampo (1545) and Chang- chou (1549) were completely destroyed, and the inhabitants massacred. Finally, the Portuguese settled on the island of Hiang-shan ai Macao, either in 1553 or in 1557. The Dutch commander, i lornelis Reyersz, took the Pescadore Islands in L624; but after an agreement made with the Chinese (19 Feb., L625), Martin Sonk, the governor, transferred the Dutch colony to Tai-wan (Formosa), where it was captured by the ( Ihinese pirate. Koxinga I 1661 ). The capture in 1592 of the Pom ',. Ma, Ire de

I tins, gave the English the secret of the East-Indian Trade In 1596 three ship,, the Bear, the Bear's Whelp, ami the Benjamin, under the command of

Benjamin Wood, were fitted out al the expense of Robert Dudley, anil Queen Elizabeth wrote a letter

il(i July) to the Emperor of China in favour of the

London merchants Richard Allen and Thomas

Broomfield. The expedition, however, never reached china. The first English vessel that visited China reached there by accident. It was the Unicorn

which, going from Bantam to Jaj was east by a

storm mi tin' coast of Mean at the en. I of June, 1620. In L634 Captain Weddell explored the Canton Rivei Tin' lust English Company organized for the purpose 1 i rading with India, commonly called the "Old Company", was incorporated by Queen Elizabeth,

31 Dec, 1 lit II), under the title of "The ( iovernour and

Company of Merchants of I. on Ion trading into tie