Tongzhi Restoration

Lore & Background

The Tongzhi Restoration was an attempted political reform initiated by the Tongzhi Emperor's mother, Empress Dowager Cixi. The Self-Strengthening Movement, in which Qing officials pursued radical institutional reforms following the disasters of the Opium Wars and the Taiping Rebellion, began during his reign. The inspiration for the future Self-Strengthening Movement arose from the notion that China's defense in the face of war and rebellion must come from within, as the superior man strengthens himself under imperative of Heaven's robust action. The costs of war and rebellion dictated that the Qing dynasty undertake vigorous measures to ensure its survival. Moreover, the very survival of China itself was now at stake. Self-strengthening efforts evolved in a succession of stages over a period of almost half a century. In 1840 Imperial Commissioner Lin Zexu, impressed by the power of British warships in the initial battles of the Opium War, advocated adoption of Western naval technology. The paddle-wheel steamer Nemsis had run circles around cumbersome Chinese war junks. Some Chinese at first believed the paddle-wheels were powered by men inside the ship, but soon came to appreciate the power of steam, Commissioner Lin was the first self-strengthener. Self-strengthening enterprises, including arsenals, shipyards, and technical schools, were now established in the principal treaty ports where access to Western technology was most direct. By 1860, the overwhelming bulk of the Chinese scholarly class had become cognizant of the enormity of changes that were taking place due to the increasingly prevalent Western presence in China. They now proclaimed that change was irresistible and advocated for deeper studies of Western technology. Many reforms were proposed and implemented such as the Self-Strengthening Movement, but ultimately the failure of reforms was due to multiple factors such as political machinations.

Reader's Guide

The Tongzhi Restoration is significant as a late Qing effort to strengthen China after the Opium Wars, unequal treaties, and the Taiping Rebellion. However, the source states only that it was an unsuccessful modernization program. The events of the Tongzhi Emperor's reign gave rise to what historians call the "Tongzhi Restoration". The Self-Strengthening Movement, in which Qing officials pursued radical institutional reforms following the disasters of the Opium Wars and the Taiping Rebellion, began during his reign. Many reforms were proposed and implemented such as the Self-Strengthening Movement, but ultimately the failure of reforms was due to multiple factors such as political machinations.

Did You Know?

• The Tongzhi Emperor was the only surviving son of the Xianfeng Emperor.
• The Tongzhi Emperor ascended the throne at the age of five.
• The Tongzhi Emperor died of smallpox at the age of 18 in 1875.
• The Tongzhi Emperor's era name means 'order and prosperity' coming from Confucian teaching.
• The Tongzhi Emperor's death without a male heir created a succession crisis.