Founded by the Jurchen Aisin Gioro clan, a family of Manchu rulers, is the Qing Dynasty. Emperor Nurhachi founded the Second 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 we know today. The Qing Dynasty was China's last imperial dynasty. They ruled from 1644 to 1912, under the Manchus. The Qing Dynasty is also known as the Manchu Dynasty. The reigns of the first three monarchs, which persevered for 133 years, were a time of agreement and success for China. The Manchus ruled the Qing Dynasty but encountered strong resistance from the native Han Chinese people. Mainly the Manchus ruled in power, while the Chinese were not allowed to take part in high-level positions. The Manchus adopted a neo-Confucian philosophy, worshiping Buddhism and Taoism. Shamanism was also popular during that time. Catholic and Protestant missionaries built churches to spread the beliefs. Christianity grew rapidly until its outlawing in the 1830s and 1840s. The Manchus built large public structures and national irrigation systems. The government distributed light taxes while trade and commerce flourished. The main exported items were porcelain, silk and spices. Society was divided into 4 categories: landowners, farmers, artisans and merchants. The emperor's position was primarily hereditary. Craftsmen and peasants were divided into bourgeois people and "petty people". Mean people were heavily discriminated against due to their low social status. Bad and good people were forbidden to marry. In the 1800s the Manchu Qing Dynasty was at the height of its power. Western shame and torment led the Qing Dynasty to... middle of paper... dragged into war. During this period, commercial and industrial cities emerged throughout China, leading to a larger working and middle class. There were not only economic changes, but there were also cultural changes that would affect the Chinese for decades. Already with the Jesuits' first interactions with the Chinese, Western composition and education were introduced to the Chinese people. By the late 1800s this influence was strongly felt as Western ideas became more available to China's middle and working classes. society we witness today. Another meaning is that it continued the spread of Western ideas in the areas of information, sophistication, finance, and legislature..