ABSTRACT
Our story begins with the Qing (1644–1911). The Manchus had entered China at the invitation of the Ming General Wu Sangui (1612–1678) as his mercenaries to deal with a powerful rebellion led by Li Zicheng (1606–1645?). The rebellion was crushed. But the invaders did not honour their agreement with Wu. They started their own dynasty. Right from the start, the Manchus were concerned with how to rule the Han majority in this large empire in East Asia.
