The Manchus (The Peoples of Asia) (Illustrated)

This book relates the history of the Manchus, the rise and fall of their vast empire and their legacy today. The Manchus 3 Contents 7 Plates 9 Maps 11 Preface 13 1 The Paradox of the Manchus 17 2 Shamans and “Clans”: The Origins of the Manchus 30 3 The Enigma of Nurgaci 63 4 The Qing Expansion 91 5 The Gilded Age of Qianlong 125 6 The Lingering Death of the Empire 166 7 Epilogue: The Manchus in the Twentieth Century 205 Appendix I. Reign Periods of the Aisin Gioro Rulers 218 Appendix II. Cherished Soldiers 219 A Glossary of Names and Terms 222 Notes 232 Bibliography 236 Index 249 A history from the origins of the Manchus to the murder of the former last Manchu emperor by the guards of the people who ruled China from 1685 to 1912. The book explains how the Manchus achieved their empire and what the consequences were for themselves and their subjects. The Manchus looks at the development of this ethnic group from its achievements as ruler of its own people to ruler of all China and now, in the 1990s its resurgence after the downfall of the last Manchu Emperor in 1912