The Sino-British Relations And "Hua Yi Distinction" Around The Opium War

"Hua Yi distinction", handled ethnic and foreign relations, is an important thinking of traditional Chinese feudal dynasties. On the basis of this ideology, a china-centred tributary system including neighboring countries gradually formed.Around the Opium War, the British actively explored the trade market in China, but the "Hua Yi distinction" became a major obstacle to the UK.The English government, businessmen and missionaries took active measures to break the "Hua Yi" system. However because of this thought, they came to believe force was the primary means to resolve resistances that British encountered in the Sino-British negotiations. After the Opium War, all levels’social attitudes to"English"of the Qing Dynasty gradually changed. The emperor and ministers tried to give up some parts of the "Hua Yi" system in exchange for temporary peace. While the anti-British sentiment of the people was higher. With the change of the government’s position, relationship between the government and the people break down.The Qing government gradually became mediator between "people" and "barbarians". By comparing the change of status between "China" and "barbarians", we can understand and grasp the ideological and cultural changes more rationally during the Opium War.The thesis includes three parts:the preface, the text and the conclusion. The introduction discusses the purpose and significance of this study, and by reviewing the present situation of academic circles on "Hua Yi distinction", I found the short of research on "Hua Yi "attitude of different classes which was different and changing. I strive to do further study on the Sino-British relations around the Opium War. The text has three chapters. The first chapter discusses the "Hua yi" and "equality" diplomatic thoughts which gave birth to the closed and expansive international systen between China and Britain in different political,economic and cultural background. It is the different foreign thoughts and systems promoted the the Sino-British conflict around the opium war.The second discusses the British society of all levels’different measures and its effects in the shork of "Hua yi" system. The limited measures before the opium war promoted its use as a tool of that open the door to China. In the end the "Treaty of Nanjing" break through the stubborn "Hua Yi" concept from changing communication mode, the collapse of Guangzhou system and so on. The third mainly discusses the changing attitudes towards Britain because of British aggression in the qing society. The relations between officers and people is from uniting against "Yi" to the qing government gradually become the mediator between "people" and "Yi". And the relations between officers and people went toward the opposition. The change of the relationship reflects the impact on Chinese traditional ideology and the social relations because of the invasion of western powers. The conclusion part discusses the "Hua Yi distinction" thought was a means of the Qing government to defend alien invasion, but to some extent it accelerated the pace of the British invasion;British invasion promoted the change of Qing social relationship and accelerated the pace of the collapse of the "Hua Yi" thought and system, which reflects the interaction effect between Sino-British relationship and the "Hua Yi distinction" thought.