Late Qing dynasty China brought to life in British Museum exhibition about the century leading up to the end of imperial rule
- The 100 years leading up to the end of the Qing dynasty were turbulent but a period in which creativity flourished, as ‘China’s Hidden Century’ exhibition shows
- Through clothing, art and documents, the British Museum exhibition presents a well-rounded picture of the decades before China became a republic
China’s Qing dynasty began in a blaze of glory. Founded by the Manchus in 1636, at its peak it ruled over one-third of humanity.
Two centuries later, the dynasty was beset by civil unrest, British meddling, the opium wars, then the Boxer Rebellion and the first Sino-Japanese war in which millions were killed. By 1912 the Qing dynasty had collapsed, bringing an end to more than 4,000 years of dynastic rule in China.
A new British Museum exhibition, “China’s Hidden Century”, uses more than 300 objects to tell the story of this volatile period.
“There has never been an exhibition which focuses on 19th century creativity and resilience, and brought textiles, furniture and silver together,” says Jessica Harrison-Hall, head of the China section at the London museum. “We borrowed from 30 international lenders, and researched for a period of five years with some 200 scholars across 20 countries supported by a further 200 people.”
The object welcoming visitors at the entrance to the exhibition is revealing: the 1800 map of the Qing empire called the “All-Under-Heaven Complete Map of the Everlasting Unified Qing Empire”– a striking blue chart extending over eight scrolls.