Ferdinand Verbiest on the Qing Dynasty

Use the passage below to answer all parts of the question that follows

Source 1

In 1683, the Kangxi emperor of China asked that I and two other Jesuit fathers accompany him on a journey from Beijing to the Mongol and Turkic regions beyond the Great Wall with 60,000 cavalry and members of the court on a hunting expedition. The emperor wanted to keep the military in constant movement during peace and prepare it for war. He also wanted to prevent his Manchu and Turkic troops from becoming infected by Chinese luxury and, further, to keep the peoples of the region in obedience. 

The emperor has divided the immeasurable districts beyond the Wall into forty-eight provinces and has made them all subject and tributary. Thus, he is sovereign of the Chinese and the nomads and could be justly called the greatest and mightiest ruler in the world. Indeed, the emperor chastises offenders of the highest and lowest classes with impartiality according to their misdeeds and he alone makes decisions after considering the advice of his imperial council and hearing the sentences of the imperial law courts. On this account, men of all rank stand in his presence with deep awe and recognize him as sole ruler.

Ferdinand Verbiest, Flemish Jesuit missionary, adviser, and astronomer at the court of the Kangxi emperor of the Qing dynasty, letter to fellow Jesuits in Europe, 1683

Question 1

Short answer

Identify ONE way in which the passage illustrates the development of China in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Question 2

Short answer

Identify ONE other state in the period 1450–1750 that used methods of rule similar to those described in the passage.

Question 3

Short answer

Explain ONE factor that might have contributed to Verbiest’s view of the emperor in the second paragraph.

Teach with AI superpowers

Why teachers love Class Companion

Import assignments to get started in no time.

Create your own rubric to customize the AI feedback to your liking.

Overrule the AI feedback if a student disputes.

Other World History Assignments

07.16 The Rwandan Genocide of 1994: An Analysis of Prevention 10-26-23 1.0 The Fall of Rome: Analyzing Contributing Factors 11/13/23 - SAQ Reflection 11.1 The Great War Begins 11.2 A New King of War 11/3/23 - Compare Empires and popular religions 1450 to 1750 - Practice LEQ 11.3 Winning the War 11.4 Making of Peace 11.5 Revolution and the Civil War in Russia 1.2 & 1.5 SAQ 12.2 Nationalism in Africa and the Middle East 12.3 India Seeks Self-Rule 12.4 Upheavals in China 1.2 Developments in Dar al-Islam 1.2 Developments in Dar al-Islam from c. 1200 to c. 1450 13.1 Postwar Social Changes 13.2 The Western Democracies Stumble 13.3 Fascism in Italy 13.4 The Soviet Union Under Stalin 13.5 Hitler and the Rise of Nazi Germany 1.3 Origins of Humanity Mastery Check 14.1 From Appeasement to War 14.2 The Axis Advances 14.2 The Axis Advances 14.3 The Allies Turn the Tide 14.3 The Allies Turn the Tide 14.4 Victory in Europe and the Pacific 14.5 The End of World War II 1.4 Causes of the Neolithic Revolution 15.1 Quiz 15.1 The Cold War Unfolds - 15.2 The Industrialized Democracies 15.3 Communism Spreads in East Asia 15.4 War in Southweast Asia 15.5 The Cold War Ends 1.6 Developments in Europe SAQ 1.7: Development of Ancient Afro-Eurasian Societies 1.7: Specialized Labor, Social Status, and Gender Roles 19th & 20th Century Nation-Building 19th Century Imperialism 1) B204AP-1 AP WORLD HISTORY 1 Eclipse short answer questions (SAQs) w/Stimulus 20th Century Movements LEQ Practice AP World History 2.1 SAQ Practice Silk Roads (Make-up only)2.1 Silk Roads 2.2.A Reactions to Vedic religion and Brahmanism 2.2.B The Mauryan Empire and the spread of Buddhism in India 2.2.C The Gupta Empire and the revival of Hinduism in India 2.2 Eurasia and the Mongol Empire