The Opium War and the online readings

 This Unit Task draws on the lectures and readings in Unit 2, including the book
The Opium War and the online readings (M4, M5). Due 10/28 on Moodle
(learn.illinois.edu). Please do not submit a paper copy.
I. Multiple Choice (20%)
1. Which of the following things was not outlawed in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom?
a) Smoking opium
b) Civil service exams
c) Adultery
d) Foot-binding
2. In the Treaty of Nanjing, “extraterritoriality” referred to the right to:
a) Attack others on Chinese territory
b) Be judged by English law in designated treaty ports
c) Add territory to the British Empire
d) Collect a tariff on imported goods
3. Which of the following is true?
a) President Millard Fillmore sent Commodore Perry to open Korea to
American ships.
b) The Japanese emperor signed the Treaty of Amity and Commerce with the
U.S.
c) Commodore Perry’s visit to Japan frightened the Qing emperor into signing
the Treaty of Nanjing.
d) Europeans and Americans had made little impact on Korea by 1860.
4. Saigo Takamori wrote that if Japan sent an envoy to Korea in the 1870s, “the
Koreans would resort to violence and ______________” (fill in the blank).
a) would certainly give us an excuse for attacking them.
b) our plans would be ruined.
c) form an alliance with Russia.
d) the United States would intervene.
Unit Task 2
II. Short Answer (80%)
Answer each of the following questions in a paragraph of about 4-6 sentences. Where
appropriate, cite page numbers from the readings in parenthesis: eg. (1). Don’t include
filler text—be concise, cut straight to the point.
1. According to Lovell’s The Opium War, how did the Qing tribute system contribute
to misunderstandings between the British and Chinese in the years leading up to
the Opium War?
2. How did Lord Palmerston and his allies justify the Anglo-Chinese War of 1856-60?
3. In establishing the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, what influence did Hong Xiuquan
draw from Western (ie. European and American) societies, and what influence did
he draw from Chinese society?
4. [Visual Culture] Browse the following two visual essays and answer the questions
that follow:
a. https://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/black_ships_and_samurai/bss_e
ssay04.html
b. https://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/black_ships_and_samurai/bss_e
ssay05.html
How did American and Japanese artists depict the first American missions to Japan
differently? What does this suggest about their respective experiences of those
encounters? Cite at least one specific image or artistic genre on each side (Japanese
and American).
5. [Visual Culture] Look at Image 38 (“Contemporary tourists at the ruins of the
Yuanmingyuan”) in the color plates of The Opium War. What is happening in this
picture? What do you think the setting symbolizes for the people in the picture?