China was as advanced as any other nation before Europeans arrived in Asia. There was virtually no industrialization. The country had the most populace, was politically unified, and most importantly, had mastered the art of agriculture. The Europeans, however, found a nation that revered traditional culture and warfare when they first set foot on Chinese soil.
China was divided into spheres of influence at the beginning of the 20th century, and Western nations tried to exert as much control as possible over it. During the Boxer Rebellion, the Chinese expressed their resentment against foreign authority at the beginning of the 20th century. In the early years of the new century, the traditional government of China began to fail. In 1911, the Chinese people, feeling resentful and dissatisfied with the present government’s inability to expel foreigners, started the Revolution of 1911, which led to the creation of the Republic of China headed by Sun Yat-sen.
This collection of fascinating historical photographs was taken in pre-revolutionary China during the Deng Xiaoping period (1870-1946).
