29 jun 1857 año - Chinese Weakness by Mid-1850s

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1. Payments to Europe after the war - the treaties signed after the Opium Wars demanded high reparations to Europe, sapping the Chinese coffers. A symbol for this would be a check written to Europe for a ridiculously high sum of money. (img: https://fexco.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/cheque-payments.jpg)

2. Insolvency - the empire suffered bankruptcy from its efforts in quashing the Taiping Rebellion, exacerbated by their payments to Europe after the war and the wages demanded by troops who fought the rebellion. A symbol for this would be a weight dragging someone down, as the Qing government was unable to recover from their debt. (img: https://lawofficeofmichaelwest.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/bankruptcy-lawyer-newnan.jpg)

3. Environmental disaster - a major loss in arable land due to warfare harmed Chinese agriculture, as more people left agricultural centers were depopulated. In 1855, the Yellow River changed course, leading to widespread floods and droughts. This included literal floods, but a flood can be used to represent how decreasing agriculture washed people out of their homes and into cities. (img: https://static01.nyt.com/images/2018/07/31/world/31myanmar-floods-1/merlin_141804063_a4be9881-127b-402e-8373-c0a3092cba5f-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)

4. Ineffective leadership - after the reign of Zeng Guofan, China faced a series of weak leadership, and reform was primarily controlled by the aristocracy and governors. There was no real centralized government, and governors held most of the power. A symbol for this would be ---

5. Loss of culture - During the Taiping Revolution, major cities and cultural centers were besieged, leading to a significant loss in culture. Art, literature, printing presses, architecture, and libraries were destroyed. This can be symbolized by book burnings, which lead to a permanent loss in culture and history. (img: https://i1.wp.com/culturised.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Cover-Image-Book-Burning.png?resize=1028%2C640&ssl=1)

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