Qing Empire
The Manchu rulers of the Qing dynasty took Beijing in 1644 and governed China until the monarchy fell in 1912. Their empire extended across China, Mongolia, Tibet and much of Central Asia, bringing different peoples and institutions under one court. Palace gardens, princely residences, Confucian temples, coastal forts and merchant houses preserve its contrasting settings. These places connect imperial ceremony and administration with regional society, while their later damage, rebuilding and reuse also form part of the transition from empire to modern China.
Explore Qing sites
Qing buildings reveal contrasting settings for imperial ceremony and regional life, from Beijing’s palace gardens to Macau and the southern coast.
Daily life
Daily Life in Qing Communities: Households, Work, and Belief
Qing households joined family duties, crop and craft work, markets and belief. Food, dress, recreation, medical care and learning depended on local resources.
- Childhood, Schooling and Literacy in Qing Communities: How Learning Took Place
- Food, Dress, Festivals and Recreation under the Qing Dynasty
- Household Worship, Temples and Festivals in Qing Communities
- Illness, Practitioners and Everyday Care in Qing China
- Qing Families and Household Life: Kinship, Homes and Social Obligations
- Rural Work, Workshops and Markets in Qing China
History and society
The Qing Empire: History, Institutions and Society, 1636–1912
Manchu rulers built a Qing empire through conquest and varied institutions. Farming, commerce, religion and cultural production changed before the monarchy ended in 1912.
- Agriculture, Taxation and Internal Trade in the Qing Dynasty
- Qing Buildings, Workshops and Cultural Production: Imperial Patronage and Skilled Production
- Qing Government: Banners, Officials, and Law
- Religion, Education and Local Institutions under the Qing Dynasty
- The Qing Empire: Conquest, Expansion and Dynastic Crisis
- The Qing Empire: Regional Government and Frontier Administration