This book uses time as a line to sort out the development process of modern Chinese society. The book starts with the Opium War and details the war caused by the British opium trade, as well as the signing of unequal treaties such as the Treaty of Nanjing. Then it describes the rise and development of the Taiping Rebellion and its impact on the political situation of the late Qing Dynasty. It then involves the Second Opium War and the implementation of the Westernization Movement, showing the Qing court's attempts to strive for self-improvement. The book also tells the story of the Sino-Japanese War and the consequences of the Treaty of Shimonoseki, the implementation and failure of the Reform Movement of 1898, the rise of the Boxer Rebellion and the invasion of China by the Eight-Power Allied Forces, until the Revolution of 1911 overthrew the rule of the Qing Dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China. It fully presents the social changes and major historical events in modern China under the impact of foreign powers.
