EdX

Modern China’s Foundations: The Manchus and the Qing (edX)

Modern China’s Foundations: The Manchus and the Qing (edX)

Learn how the Manchus conquered the Qing and established the last of the imperial dynasties. This course, part of a comprehensive series on China, looks at the Qing state in the early 1600s and the challenges that the Manchus faced as minority rulers. While living in Chinese cities and surrounded by Chinese culture — a culture that was far more sophisticated than their own — the Manchus struggled to hold onto their identity as a conquesting people.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see EdX's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

We'll look at the last period of ascendancy for China before the modern era. We’ll cover China in the 18th century, under the Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong emperors — a period in which the size of the empire nearly doubles.
The Qing was the last dynasty before the foundation of the modern republics and sets the stage for everything that will come after. Join us to learn about this critical era in Chinese history, an era that sets the stage for a truly modern China.
This course is part of the History of China: The Modern Era XSeries Program.

What you'll learn

  • How the Manchus conquered Ming China.
  • How the last of the imperial dynasties were established.
  • How the Qing dynasty became the foundation on which modern China was built.
  • How to evaluate the imposition of foreign rule.
  • How to develop your own approaches to history and gain a critical appreciation of China’s literary, philosophical, political and cultural resources.
  • How to express ideas more clearly and confidently.
Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

The amazing world of the ethnic groups of Yunnan Province (Coursera) Coursera
Shanghai Jiao Tong University

The amazing world of the ethnic groups of Yunnan Province (Coursera)

Yunnan, abbreviated as Yun and called Dian for short, is a multi-ethnic province which has historically been situated in the southwest frontier of China. Over time, the ethnic minorities evolved into splendid cultures, each with their own unique social life, religious beliefs and customs. The course is taught in English and provides an introduction to 25 ethnic minorities in Yunnan Province, namely the Yi, Bai, Hani, Dai, Zhuang, Miao, Hui, Lisu, Lahu, Wa, Naxi, Yao, Jingpo, Tibetan, Bulang, Buyi, Achang, Pumi, Mongolian, Nu, Jinuo, De'ang, Shui, Man and Dulong nationalities.

Oct 5th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Understanding China, 1700-2000: A Data Analytic Approach, Part 2 (Coursera) Coursera
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology - HKUST

Understanding China, 1700-2000: A Data Analytic Approach, Part 2 (Coursera)

The purpose of this course is to summarize new directions in Chinese history and social science produced by the creation and analysis of big historical datasets based on newly opened Chinese archival holdings, and to organize this knowledge in a framework that encourages learning about China in comparative perspective. Our course demonstrates how a new scholarship of discovery is redefining what is singular about modern China and modern Chinese history.

Sep 28th 2026
4 Weeks
China Humanities: The Individual in Chinese Culture (edX) EdX
HarvardX,Harvard University

China Humanities: The Individual in Chinese Culture (edX)

Explore Chinese history and culture from the perspective of the individual through philosophical texts, literary works, and art. In China’s history, there has been a longstanding belief that being cultured and being moral are necessary for a person to participate in public life. We often think of China in political terms – and focus on the history of government – or in social terms – and study the role of the family in society. But this course looks at the individual and the striving for culture and morality.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Development in Emerging Economies: The Case of China (edX) EdX
Peking University,PekingX

Development in Emerging Economies: The Case of China (edX)

Curious about China's development and the Chinese market but haven't known where to start? Peking University brings you an easy-to-understand primer. Guanghua's professors will unpack China's development over five weeks, first giving an overview of China's economic growth as context before addressing private equity, real estate financing, banking, the stock market, wealth management, and other topics associated with China's financial markets.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Social Science Approaches to the Study of Chinese Society Part 1 (Coursera) Coursera
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology - HKUST

Social Science Approaches to the Study of Chinese Society Part 1 (Coursera)

This course seeks to turn learners into informed consumers of social science research. It introduces concepts, standards, and principles of social science research to the interested non-expert. Learners who complete the course will be able to assess evidence and critically evaluate claims about important social phenomena. It reviews the origins and development of social science, describes the process of discovery in contemporary social science research, and explains how contemporary social science differs from apparently related fields. It describes the goals, basic paradigms, and methodologies of the major social science disciplines.

Sep 28th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Contemporary China: The People's Republic, Taiwan, and Hong Kong (edX) EdX
HarvardX,Harvard University

Contemporary China: The People's Republic, Taiwan, and Hong Kong (edX)

Use the case study method to study China from the rise of Deng Xiaoping to the present. Using case studies from the Harvard Business School, this course will cover the contemporary Chinese scene by focusing on five main themes in China’s development: agriculture, entrepreneurship, education, environment, and literature.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Chinese Culture: Interaction (edX) EdX
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University,HKPolyUx

Chinese Culture: Interaction (edX)

This compact course introduces 5 interesting aspects of Chinese cultural exchange and interaction with other countries in history. They are (a) China and the West, (b) China and Central Asia (c) China and Vietnam, (d) Colonialism, Anti-Colonialism and Pan-Asianism, and (e) Chinese Food and Cuisine. This dynamic course forms part of the HKPolyUx series on Chinese culture.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Invasions, Rebellions, and the Fall of Imperial China (edX) EdX
HarvardX,Harvard University

Invasions, Rebellions, and the Fall of Imperial China (edX)

An overview of modern Chinese history, including the fall of the Qing and the end of imperial China. In the 18th century, the Qing Dynasty is at its height; it is the wealthiest, most powerful, most civilized state on earth. And yet the 19th century brought enormous challenges for the Qing and for the place we call China. By the 20th century, a 2,000-year imperial tradition is gone. What happened?

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Intellectual Change in Early China: Warring States and Han (Coursera) Coursera
The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Intellectual Change in Early China: Warring States and Han (Coursera)

This sequence of four courses will propose a multi-disciplinary approach to the study of Chinese cultural history conceived of as a succession of modes of rationality (philosophical, bureaucratic, and economic). The focus will be on the moments of paradigm shift from one mode of rationality to another. For each of these moments, cultural facts and artifacts—thought, literature, ritual—will be examined in relationship to changing social, political, and economic systems.

Oct 5th 2026
5-12 Weeks