Ruanchao Ming Lives In Vietnam During The External Relations

The Nguyen Dynasty(1802?945)which was the last fedual dynasty, became very powerful and prosperous in the reign of Emperor Minh Mang(1820?840). Through learning and developing the chinese model,the Nguyen fedual central power was much strengthened than ever by Minh Mang. However, during this periodoftime,thewholeworldhadchangedgreatly. Under the promotion of the Industry Revolution,the western countries had expanded their colonial effects to every corner of the globe by the advantages of their predominant poi itic and economic system, advanced culture and powerful military forces. The majority of countries and areas in the Southeast Asia had gradual iy been involved in the western colonal system. So it was necessary to look at the outside world with a new sense. But the Nguyen Dynasty dealt with the foreign affairs affected deeply by the oldashioned Confucianism. In handling the diplomatic relations with the other countries,the Nguyen cOurt paid tribut to Qing Dynasty exactly acording to the ritual and order of sinoietnamese tributary system. And then ,vietnam also tried to set up a tributary system between it and its neighbours of the Southeast Asia, and treated the western countries in a narrow confucian world view. In the economic relationship with the outer, the Nguyen Dynasty paid great attention to developing the foreign trade, but the state owned the authority of trade mostly, and the private trade was severely confined. Profoundly affected by the traditional confucianism, the foreign trade was connected with the politic action of domesticating the arbarians? and lacked of the true economic incentive. In the way of treating the western civilization, on the one hand, the Nguyen Court needed to learn the advanced technology of the west, but on the other hand was afraid of the western military invasion and religion 3 penetration caused by the touch with them. In the dilitmia between development and safety ,Minh Mang finally choose the policy of closing the door.From the Catholicism was banned to the western businessmen were severely controlled in vietnam,Minh Mang hoped tobuild up an indestructible bulwark to stand up to the impact of the western culture.As a result,vietnam was more selfomplacent and conservative, broadened the gulf of the social development with the west, and later became a colony of France. When talked about the vietnamese tragedic state of being colonized in the later 180O's,from the view of the global history,the powerfulness of the west and the barbarious policy of expansion were certainly the main reasions. But Minh Mang and his successor's attitudes and policies towards the external world, wich had disatrous consequences on the modern history of Vietnam v~~e also an important factor.