Overview
The Manchus were a people from Manchuria in what is now northeastern China. They founded their dynasty, called the Qing (Pure), in 1644 and ruled China until 1912, when rebellious Chinese forces overthrew the Manchus.
The Manchu rulers extended Qing imperial influence into Mongolia, Tibet, and central Asia. During the 1700's, contacts with Europeans multiplied. The Manchus admired the Europeans' scientific knowledge and their skills in mapmaking and the manufacture of guns, but they did not wish to imitate European ways of life.