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Qing dynasty

Explorer · ages 7 and underAdapted from Wikipedia
A historical map showing the extent of the Qing Empire in 1760, during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor.

The Qing Dynasty

The Qing dynasty was a group of rulers who led China for a very long time. They were called the Manchu people. The Qing was the last family of emperors in China's long history.

Long ago, the Qing lived in the north of China. Their land was in a place called East Asia. Their empire was very big, and it had more people than any other state of its time.

A Family of Emperors

The first Qing leader was Nurhaci. His son, Hong Taiji, became the first emperor of the Great Qing. The Kangxi Emperor ruled for many years and helped the dynasty grow strong.

Later, the Qianlong Emperor was the leader when the Qing was at its strongest. Many years after that, the dynasty came to an end in 1912. The Republic of China came next.

Why We Remember the Qing

The Qing dynasty helped build the land that is now modern China. People love to learn about their poems, paintings, and beautiful glass and pottery. Their story helps us understand how China became the country it is today.

Quiz time!

3 questions about Qing dynasty

Question 1 of 3

What were the Qing rulers called?

Pictures

The Putuo Zongcheng Temple, a historic Buddhist temple in Chengde, China, known for its beautiful architecture.
A map showing where the Jurchen tribes lived in the 1600s, labeled in the Manchu language.
A painting from the Qing dynasty showing the Battle of Sarhu in 1619, when Nurhaci's forces defeated the Ming army.
A painted portrait of Dorgon, Prince Rui, a 17th-century prince of the Qing Dynasty and son of Nurhaci.
A formal portrait of the Kangxi Emperor, who ruled China during the Qing dynasty, shown in his elaborate court robes.
A section of an old scroll painting showing Emperor Kangxi's camp on the Kherlen River during his 1696 campaign against the Dzungar Khan, Galdan Boshugtu.
A painting of the Battle of Oroi-Jalatu in 1756, when Chinese general Zhao Hui attacked the Zunghar forces at night near present-day Wusu in Xinjiang.
An 1793 painting of Lord Macartney's first meeting with the Qianlong Emperor of China. The young boy on the right is George Staunton, who impressed the Emperor by speaking Chinese.
A detail from a historical Chinese scroll painting showing busy trade on the waterways of Suzhou, painted in the 1700s for Emperor Qianlong.
An oil painting from the 1850s showing the Foreign Factories, the trading buildings at Canton (Guangzhou) where foreign merchants once did business with China.
A Qing Dynasty painting by Wu Youru showing a scene from the Taiping Rebellion, a civil war in China from 1850 to 1864.
A page written in Manchu script, the writing system used by the Manchu people. This example comes from a book printed in 1895.
A Qing dynasty mandarin
The emperor of China from The Universal Traveller
2000–cash Great Qing Treasure Note banknote from 1859
Japanese troops defeat Qing forces in Korea 1895.
A brush container, a symbol of gentry culture during the Qing
A Qing-era copper cash coin
A Qing postage stamp from Yantai
Pine, Plum and Cranes, 1759, by Shen Quan
A Daoguang period Peking glass vase. Colored in "Imperial Yellow", due to its association with the Qing.

Keep exploring

Beijing
Mandarin Chinese
East Asia
Qianlong Emperor

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Qing dynasty, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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