Global United Front 1757

After Zheng He sailed west during the reigns of the Yongle and Xuande Emperors, the Ming Dynasty imposed a maritime ban and built the Great Wall in the north, symbols of its isolationist policy.

In 1723, as the controversy with the Roman Catholic Church over Chinese rites reached a boiling point, the Yongzheng Emperor banned Catholicism, prohibited foreign missionaries from preaching in China, and restricted trade. This is regarded as the beginning of China's isolation.

In 1757, an imperial edict from the Qianlong Emperor was sent from the capital to the coastal provinces, ordering the ports of Xiamen, Ningbo, and elsewhere to cease trade with the West, leaving only Guangzhou open. This so-called