1. What was the condition of China by the 1860s?

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2. What was the 'Self-Strengthening Movement' and why did it fail?

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Lesson Objectives
​To identify the key features of the self-strengthening movement and to evaluate the reasons for it failure

Lesson Tasks

1. ​Download, read, and make notes from the Lesson PowerPoint
2. Research and write a biography/obituary of no more than 200 words for each of the following reformers, focusing on their roles and achievements between 1861-1894: Prince Gong, Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang; Zuo Zongtang; and Sheng Xuanhuai.
3. Answer the following questions by reading and make notes from either pages 22-32 of China 1839-1997 by Michael Lynch and/or pages 192-222 of The Search for Modern China by Jonathan D. Spence:
   1. Why did religious missionaries arouse resentment among the Chinese?
      
   2. What led to the Tianjin Massacre?
      
   3. What consequences followed from the Tianjin Massacre?
      
   4. What factors inspired the development of the self-strengthening movement?
      
   5. What were the main achievements of the self-strengthening movement?
      
   6. From what weaknesses did the self-strengthening movement suffer?
      
   7. How significant was the contribution of Li Hongzhang to China's economic development?
      
   8. In what ways did Sheng Xuanhuai contribute to the self-strengthening movement?
      
   9. How did Cixi view the self-strengthening movement?
      
   10. In what ways did the Chinese middle class change in the late Qing period?
       

3. Did Prince Gong & Empress Dowager Cixi help or hinder reform?

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