The Start of “Sick Man of Asia”: the 1895 Sino-Japanese War

The Start of “Sick Man of Asia”: the 1895 Sino-Japanese War

No country on earth has suffered a more bitter history in modern times than China. In the second half of the 19th century, it was viewed as doomed to extinction. Its imperial rulers, heading an anachronistic regime, were brought low by enormous revolts, a disaffected gentry glass, Western incursions to “split the Chinese melon” and a disastrous defeat by Japan. Rocked by such a large amount of factors, China declined from the height it had reached less than a hundred years earlier, appeared as “Sick Man of Asia” in western’s eyes.

This study aims to explore the historical significance of the term “Sick Man of Asia”. The idea of “Sick Man of Asia” in particular has played an important role in the modern Chinese imagination of their national identity. It has long been regarded by many Chinese as an epithet ruthlessly imposed upon China by the Western imperialists to humiliate both China and Chinese people, especially the poor physical quality of the Chinese people. However, this kind of understanding of this term is indeed non-historical and full of distortions. By finding out the origin of the term “Sick Man of Asia”, my research will point out that this term was initially utilized by the Western political discourse to describe the weak and corrupt condition of the Ch’ing Empire after the 1895 Sino-Japanese War. My research will analyze the 1895 Sino-Japanese War, analyzing why the 1895 Sino-Japanese War marked the beginning of the concept "Sick man of Asia" and the impact of the lost of the 1895 Sino-Japanese War.

Process of the 1895 Sino-Japanese War

Japan and China fought the 1895 Sino-Japanese War during 1 August 1894 and 17 April 1895, primarily over control of Korea.

Korea, under the Joseon Dynasty, had traditionally been a tributary state to China's Qing Dynasty. In 1875, after exerting pressure, China allowed Japan to recognize Korea as an independent state. However, China continued to...