How did China fall from world leader to dominated state so rapidly in the 19th c

Question: How did China fall from world leader to dominated state so rapidly in the 19th century!?

Please explain this, I don't get it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

Somewhere in the 15th century the Chinese took the decision they didn't need anything from the outside world anymore!. At the same time the (last) Chinese fleets sailed to Africa and more or less confirmed this!. Everything China needed they could get from within the empire or their sphere of influence!. At that time this was an undeniable fact!.

Unfortunately for the Chinese, Europe developed strongly!. Right after they closed themselves off from the outside world!. And a lot of that was military!. It took the Europeans until the 19th century to catch up with China!. Even then they didn't have anything worthwhile to trade!. But at that time the Europeans were military and technologically a lot further developed than China was!. The rest is history!.

Now, you may ask why not Japan!? They were, compared to the Chinese, a lot more backwards!. True enough, but the Japanese were much more open to change!. (When forced to!.) Once they discovered the outside world was far ahead of them, they raced to catch up!. And Japan needed more goods from the outside world than China did, so the trade balance was never that inequal!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

china hadn't been a world leader since the Tang dynasty(way before the 19th century)!.

for the person who said that china never had been a world leader, during the Tang dynasty it was not only the most powerful state in the world but also had a very open society!. after the end of that dynasty china became isolationist!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

China`s isolationist policy meant that it fell behind the Europeans in some fields, especially weapons technology and manufacturing!.

By the time the Europeans were making serious demands from the Chinese, they didn't have the firepower to repulse them and the treaties they were forced to sign made them weaker still ( tea for opium, for example)!.

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this might help

http://www!.socyberty!.com/History/In-Dept!.!.!.
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China was not a world leader, is not a world leader, never has been!. They have been an isolationist state forever!. Where did you get that idea!?Www@QuestionHome@Com