The last empire of China was not Chinese. Manchu horsemen from the northeast conquered the Ming, doubled China's size, and ruled the largest state on earth for nearly three centuries — until opium, steamships, and revolution ended two thousand years of imperial rule for good.
Beijing ★ Canton Hong Kong Xinjiang Tibet Mongolia Greatest extent — stylized map 1644 Conquest 1683 South subdued 1735 Qianlong's reign 1839 Opium Wars 1912 Qing falls Rise · zenith · fall The rise The Manchus were Jurchen descendants from beyond the Great Wall who had built a formidable banner army — Manchu, Mongol, and Chinese banners fighting as one machine. In 1644, invited through the Wall to crush a peasant rebellion, they took Beijing for themselves, and the child Shunzhi Emperor was proclaimed. The guests kept the house.
