The Qing dynasty was founded by the Jurchen Aisin Gioro clan, a family of Manchu rulers. Emperor Nurhachi founded the Late Jin regime. Nurhachi's son, Huang Taiji, moved the capital to Shenyang and renamed the regime Qing. At that time, the empire was divided into the eighteenth provinces that we know today. The Qing dynasty was the last imperial dynasty of China. They ruled from 1644 to 1912, by the Manchus. The Qing dynasty is also known as the Manchu dynasty. The reigns of the first three monarchs, who persevered for 133 years, were a period of harmony and success for China. The Manchus ruled the Qing dynasty but encountered strong resistance from the Han Chinese people. The Manchus primarily ruled and the Chinese were not allowed to hold high office. The Manchus adopted a neo-Confucian philosophy, venerating Buddhism and Taoism. Shamanism was also popular at this time. Catholic and Protestant missionaries built churches to spread their beliefs. Christianity grew rapidly until it was outlawed in the 1830s and 1840s. The Manchus built large public structures and national irrigation systems. The government distributed light taxes while commerce and trade flourished. The main exported products were porcelain, silk and spices. Society was divided into 4 categories: landowners, peasants, artisans and traders. The position of emperor was above all hereditary. The artisans and peasants were divided between the bourgeois people and the “wicked people”. Mean people were heavily discriminated against due to their low social status. Bad and good people were forbidden to marry. In 1800, the Qing dynasty of the Manchus was at the height of its power. Western shame and torment lured the Qing dynasty middle of paper......dragged into war. During this period, commercial and industrial cities emerged across China, leading to an expanded working and middle class. There are not only economic changes, but also cultural changes that will influence the Chinese for decades. From the Jesuits' earliest interactions with the Chinese, Western composition and education were introduced to the Chinese people. In the late 1800s, this influence was felt strongly as Western ideas became more accessible to China's middle and working classes. The significance of this period in Chinese history is that the political instability of this era would lay the foundation for future revolutions that would shape the Chinese system. the society we witness today. Another meaning is that it continued to spread Western ideas in the areas of information, sophistication, finance and legislative power..