The Qing Dynasty: Map & History
The final imperial dynasty of China, founded by the Manchus, consolidating Tibet, Xinjiang, Mongolia, and Taiwan into a 14.7-million-km² territorial apex.
Wikipedia Encyclopedic Compendium
Historiographical synthesis & structured realm registry
The Qing dynasty, officially the Great Qing, also known as the Qing Empire or Qing China, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia which existed from 1636/1644 to 1912. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the Ming dynasty and succeeded by the Republic of China. At the height of its power, the empire stretched from the Sea of Japan in the east to the Pamir Mountains in the west, and from the Mongolian Plateau in the north to the South China Sea in the south. Originally emerging from the Later Jin dynasty founded in 1616 and proclaimed in Shenyang in 1636, the dynasty seized control of the Ming capital Beijing and North China in 1644, traditionally considered the start of the dynasty's rule. The dynasty lasted until the Xinhai Revolution of October 1911 led to the abdication of the last emperor in February 1912. The multi-ethnic Qing dynasty assembled the territorial base for modern China. The Qing controlled the most territory of any dynasty in Chinese history, and in 1790 was the fourth-largest empire in world history to that point. It was also the most populous state at the time, with over 426 million citizens in 1907.
Modern Countries Once Part of The Qing Dynasty
At its mapped extent, The Qing Dynasty covered territory in 8 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
- Mongolia1696–1911 CE · nearly all
- Hong Kong S.A.R.1653–1841 CE · nearly all
- China1645–1911 CE · nearly all
- Taiwan1683–1894 CE · most
- Kyrgyzstan1757–1821 CE · a large part
- Vietnam1788–1790 CE · a large part
- Kazakhstan1757–1847 CE · a small part
- Russia1645–1911 CE · a small part
States and Provinces
- Heilongjiang, China
- Nei Mongol, China
- Jilin, China
- Shandong, China
- Gansu, China
- Hubei, China
- Liaoning, China
- Guangdong, China
- Sichuan, China
- Hebei, China
- Henan, China
- Xinjiang Uygur, China
- Jiangsu, China
- Yunnan, China
- Anhui, China
- Hunan, China
- Zhejiang, China
- Fujian, China
- Jiangxi, China
- Shanxi, China
- Almaty, Kazakhstan
- Guangxi, China
- Khabarovsk, Russia
- Shaanxi, China
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside The Qing Dynasty's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
The Qing Dynasty in Depth
History
The Qing dynasty was founded not by Han Chinese, who constituted a majority of the population, but by Manchus, a sedentary farming people descended from the Jurchens, a Tungusic people who lived in the region now comprising the Chinese provinces of Jilin and Heilongjiang.
The early form of the Manchu state was founded by Nurhaci, the chieftain of a minor Jurchen tribe – the Aisin Gioro – in Jianzhou in the early 17th century. Nurhaci may have spent time in a Han household in his youth, and became fluent in Chinese and Mongolian languages and read the Chinese novels Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Water Margin. As a vassal of the Ming emperors, he officially considered himself a guardian of the Ming border and a local representative of the Ming dynasty.
Government
The early Qing emperors adopted the bureaucratic structures and institutions from the Ming, but split rule between Han and Manchus, with some positions also given to Mongols. Like previous dynasties, the Qing recruited officials via the imperial examination system, until the system was abolished in 1905. The Qing divided the positions into civil and military positions, each having nine grades or ranks, each subdivided into a and b categories. Civil appointments ranged from an attendant to the emperor or a Grand Secretary in the Forbidden City (highest) to being a prefectural tax collector, deputy jail warden, deputy police commissioner, or tax examiner.
Economy
By the end of the 17th century, the Chinese economy had recovered from the devastation caused by the wars in which the Ming dynasty were overthrown. In the following century, markets continued to expand, but with more trade between regions, a greater dependence on overseas markets and a greatly increased population. By the end of the 18th century the population had risen to 300 million from approximately 150 million during the late Ming dynasty. The dramatic rise in population was due to several reasons, including the long period of peace and stability in the 18th century and the import of new crops China received from the Americas, including peanuts, sweet potatoes and maize. New species of rice from Southeast Asia led to a huge increase in production.
Arts and culture
Under the Qing, inherited forms of art flourished and innovations occurred at many levels and in many types. High levels of literacy, a successful publishing industry, prosperous cities, and the Confucian emphasis on cultivation all fed a lively and creative set of cultural fields.
By the end of the 19th century, national artistic and cultural worlds had begun to come to terms with the cosmopolitan culture of the West and Japan. The decision to stay within old forms or welcome Western models was now a conscious choice.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Qing dynasty (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Qing Dynasty Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which The Qing Dynasty appears, with the other states of the time.
Imperial History & Territorial Expansion
Founded in Manchuria by Nurhaci and expanding south of the Great Wall in 1644 following the collapse of the Ming, the Qing Dynasty created the territorial template of modern China. Under the High Qing era of Emperors Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong, the empire experienced exponential economic and demographic growth, producing over a third of global GDP and compiling the monumental Siku Quanshu encyclopedic library.
Qing Dynasty Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
The Eight Banners pass the Shanhai Pass and establish rule in the Forbidden City.
First formal diplomatic border treaty between China and the Russian Empire along the Amur.
Qianlong Emperor completes the incorporation of the western Tarim and Dzungaria basins.
Empire reaches 14.7 million square kilometers under Qianlong.
Key Monarchs, Architects & Strategists
Enduring Planetary Legacy
- ✓Consolidation of the definitive frontiers of modern China including Tibet, Xinjiang, and Inner Mongolia
- ✓Compilation of the Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries), the largest manuscript collection in history
- ✓The Grand Council administrative system and the dual Manchu-Chinese bureaucratic structure
- ✓Prolific porcelain, jade, and landscape painting exports shaping global European Chinoiserie
Qing Dynasty: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Qing Dynasty exist?
The Qing Dynasty is dated to 1644 CE – 1912 CE (Peak: 1790 CE), in the Early Modern & Age of Discovery era.
What was the capital of the Qing Dynasty?
The capital of the Qing Dynasty was Beijing (Forbidden City), Shengjing (Shenyang).
How large was the Qing Dynasty at its peak?
At its peak in 1790 the Qing Dynasty covered about 14,700,000 km².
How did the map of the Qing Dynasty change over time?
The Qing Dynasty appears on 4 dated world maps in the atlas, from 1700 CE to 1900 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
Geographic Lifelines
Other Sovereign Realms
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Söğüt, Bursa, Edirne, Constantinople
Industrial Era • Capital: London
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Lahore, Delhi
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Raigad