The Celestial Empire In The Yangyo Incidents

From the first half of the 19th century, the western countries increasingly attempted to establish trade relations with Korea and go on a mission here during their course of expansion in East Asia. However, as the Koreans refused all their trade requests, they had to turn to the Qing Dynasty for aid. They hoped the Qing Dynasty could require Korea to embrace the western countries in the name of "the Celestial Empire" It was a new problem for the Qing Government, as a middleman, to deal with the diplomatic tension between Korea and other nations, in the late 19th century.The French Navy invaded Kanghwa Island (江华岛) to take revenge on the Catholic Persecution in 1866, which was known as Pyong’in Yangyo (丙寅洋扰). Then the U.S. Army’s Invasion of Kanghwa Island in 1871 was known as Sinmi Yangyo (辛未洋扰). The related countries in these series of Yangyo incidents happened before the Opening Port Period were not included in the traditional tributary system, as a result of which, these incidents issued a challenge to the Qing Government’s vassal state police. It is significant for us to understand the process and its reason of the relationship’s transition between Qing and Choson in the early modern period, and then make a further understanding about relationship between China and the Korean Peninsula nowadays.Therefore, this paper focuses on how Qing Dynasty intervened in the Yangyo incidents and handled with Korean external affairs as well as the lasting effect of the policies thereof. The benefit request attributed to the aforementioned events and how were they reflected in the foreign policy making and implementation will also specifically included. At last, the author fully analyzes the Late Qing Dynasty’s diplomatic transition thereafter.Chapter I analyses the status of East Asian countries’internal and external affairs in the middle of the 19th century. Since Qing Dynasty’s defeat in the Opium War, a series of treaties were signed between Qing Government and the west countries, which became the beginning of the treaty system in modern China. The new diplomatic system was established generally and the Qing Government began to accept and learn the western diplomacy at the same time, which brought about a long peace period and provided the starting and development space of the Westernization Movement (洋务运 动). Meanwhile, there were more and more western vessels appearing in the Korean coastal water in the first half of the 19th century and Korea gradually came into the sight of western countries in the late 19th century. However, the Closing Policy and the Catholic Persecution peaked during the ruling period by the Regent Daewon-goon (大 院君) from 1863. Although Japan was also invaded by western countries at the end of Tokugawa period, the Meiji Restoration happened in 1868 as a result of the invasion, which was different from China. The Government of Meiji Japan was be enthusiastic about sending army and ambassador to Korea, which also produced a deeply effect on the situation and relationships among East Asian Countries.Chapter II focuses on the Pyong’in Yangyo and the negotiations among Qing Dynasty, Choson Dynasty and France, analyzing the Qing Government’s self-role orientation and its change. In 1866, France invaded Korea and caused a diplomatic crisis between Qing Dynasty and France. As "the Celestial Empire", Qing Dynasty should take charge of Korean’s external affairs, honoring its due role as under the Huayi Order. Between Korea and other nations having diplomatic relations with Qing Dynasty, the roles she played changed. Before the Second Opium War, she was a broad-minded leader, who wanted to be a bystander during the crisis. Finally, Qing Dynasty was forced to become a meddler. This transition was undermined by calculation of state strength and the consideration on self-interest.Chapter III elaborates the process of negotiations among Qing Dynasty, ChosonDynasty and the U.S. around the Sinmi Yangyo, analyzing how the Qing Government established the policies. The Qing government tried to mitigate the conflicts between them by the way of mediating as an outsider beforehand, but failed and then she was forced to intervene. However, the Zongli Yamen’s (总理衙门) policies were resisted by Korea. After the battle, the Qing government attempted to appease them in order to ease the pressure on the Traditional East Asian Order. As the policy maker, the Zongli Yamen’s purpose of the mediation was remained the traditional tributary system. But during the process of policy implementation, there were many problems between the Zongli Yamen and the Board of Rites, the Qing Dynasty and Korea, which pushed Qing Dynasty’s diplomatic transition objectively.Conclusion summarizes the effect of Yangyo incidents. Firstly, It was a new problem for the Qing Government to handle the Choson foreign affairs. Hence a new processing mechanism, which the Zongli Yamen began to deal with issues about vassal states instead of the Ministry of Rites, was gradually established subsequently. The nebulous limit of power led to the contradictions between two departments and the accumulations of contradiction finally gave impetus to the political reform in the late Qing Dynasty. Secondly, the Qing-Choson relation transitioned to actuality under the menace of western countries’invasion. However, two countries distanced from each other as a result of the differences about national interests, which accelerated the disintegration of tributary system. Finally, the conflict between Tributary and Nations with Diplomatic Relations also meant the confrontation between the tributary system and the treaty system in the view of international relation. As the center of Huayi Order, it is inevitable that this order will disintegrate with the Qing Dynasty’s decline.