History glossary
Manchu
a people originating in northeastern Asia whose rulers founded the Qing dynasty and took control of Beijing in 1644.
- Category
- People and cultural identity
- Region
- Northeastern Asia and China
What it means
The Manchus are an ethnic people originating in the region of northeastern Asia often called Manchuria. Their leaders built the Qing state, and Manchu-led forces entered Beijing in 1644, beginning Qing rule over China. The ruling house preserved elements of Manchu language, customs, and military organisation while adapting Chinese governing traditions and working with Han Chinese and Mongol allies. Manchu describes a people and cultural identity, not simply everyone who lived under Qing rule.
Stories using this term
The First Opium War
From the opium trade at Canton to the Treaty of Nanking, the First Opium War brought Qing law and British imperial power into collision.
The Opium Wars
From the Canton System to the fall of Beijing, the Opium Wars turned illegal trade, imperial power and Qing weakness into a new unequal treaty order.
The Qing Dynasty
From Manchu conquest to republican revolution, the Qing dynasty built China's largest empire, oversaw centuries of prosperity, and then struggled to survive foreign intervention, rebellion, and the collapse of imperial legitimacy.
