Historical Timeline of Imperialism in China

The story of European and Chinese relations in the 18th and 19th century is important to understand, especially when connecting it to events later on in the century. The struggles of China at the hands of a very ambitious Europe set the groundwork for modern relations between these regions. In this activity, students will create a timeline that describes how China became a victim of European Empire-building and how they responded.

The timeline should address the following questions:

1. What role did opium play?
2. What were the Taiping Uprising and the Boxer Rebellion?
3. What is a “sphere of influence”?

For an alternative to the timeline layout, have students create a timeline poster to incorporate into a presentation or gallery walk. You can add more than one template to this assignment to give students lots of options and adjust the instructions accordingly.

Imperialism in China Timeline Suggested Events

• 1815 - Britain Imports Opium into China
• 1839 - Opium War
• 1864 - Taiping Rebellion
• 1890 - Spheres of Influence
• 1900 - Boxer Rebellion

Extended Activity

Extend this activity by asking students to connect China’s eventual adoption of a communist political ideology with the events of this timeline. They should be able to understand how events connect to others and even directly identify some cause and effects of imperialism on the adoption of communism.

Student Instructions

Create a timeline detailing the major events leading to Imperialism in China.

1. Click "Start Assignment".
2. Identify important wars, events, and actions, and type them into the titles of each cell.
3. Describe the wars, events, and actions in the description box.
4. Create an illustration using appropriate scenes, characters, and items.