China had been forced to accept the Treaty of Nanjing on 29th of August 1842 due to her defeat in the opium war. This could be considered as her first defeat and her first time being humiliated by the "barbarians".

... China had been forced to accept the Treaty of Nanjing on 29th of August 1842 due to her defeat in the opium war. This could be considered as her first defeat and her first time being humiliated by the "barbarians". The Treaty of Nanjing was a turning point in the respect of China's international relations. The Middle Kingdom had to give up her traditional pattern of the relationship which had always let her be superior. China, having its cultural excellence, economic affluence, military power and vast territorial expanse, was outstanding in East Asia for 2000 years. Even though the dynastic decline began to set in after 1775 in China, she still kept up the face of a great empire and cherished the glory of its former years. China considered herself as the Middle Kingdom on the earth and if any country desired to have a relationship with China, it

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