Taiping Rebellion.

The causes of the Taiping Rebellion reach back into the fifteenth century, when the Chinese emperor decided to adopt an isolationist policy. Over the next three and a half centuries, China’s power slowly declined, mainly because China refused to adjust to changes in the world order produced by new industrial and technological developments. China took the position that it had nothing to learn from the rest of the world. By the early nineteenth century, China was losing the battle to maintain its political, economic, and cultural autonomy because of the impact of Western imperialism. A scene of the Taiping Rebellion, 1850-1864. By Wu Youru (http://www.battle-of-qurman.com.cn/e/hist.htm) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons A historic monument to the Tai Ping Heavenly Kingdom, an early seat of Government of the Taiping Rebellion. By Meumo (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons