There have been a great number of notable events and high points in the post-1840 history of China. The main themes and major orientations of this period were rebellion, revolutionary turbulence and national consolidation. At the heart of this period was China's response to the outside world.
The first major event was the Great Taiping Rebellion which lasted from 1851 to 1864. Actually, that period was full of rebellions against the Qing regime, which were set off by the British "barbarians" in 1842. Rebellion began in an area with great foreign influence (Fairbank 206), including Christian missionary input.
The 1860s saw a period of restoration for the Qing, but Westernization continued under weakened leadership. The Qing was at least strong enough to put down more rebellions. The period is summed up: "All in all, the movement for change in modern China began by following the traditional patterns of peasant-based rebellions and a Restoration that suppressed them" (216). The West had gotten a foothold in China which it would retain until the victory of the communists in 1949.
The period from 1860 to 1900 was dominated by leaders tending toward modernization and Westernization. However, the "Confucian literati" (218) used their power to forestall Westernization. In general, industrialization was stymied by a number of fears, bureaucracies, and other obstacles.
The Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95 was China's "first modern war" (221), a war which China lost and which threw the country into great debt to Europeans: "In 1898, Russia, Germany, Britain, Japan, and France all occupied or claimed spheres of influence in China" (221). Also, Christian missionaries were an important arm of Westernization and control by foreigners.
The Boxer Rising of 1898-1901 was an attempt to throw out the foreigners and restore the Qing dynasty, but it short-lived and ineffective.
The Republican Revolution of 1901 to 1916 was marked by division ...