Question

Why did china and japan have such different experiences during the age of imperialism

Answer 1

Despite being so close to each other, China and Japan differed immensely in every aspect. During the age of imperialism this was well seen. China was ruled by emperor of another ethnic group, as well as being very corrupted, not really caring about the Chinese people. Also, the Chinese were not united, and they had conflict between each other. The country was open to the world, which exposed its vast natural resources, but also weaknesses, so the imperial powers used this in their advantage. Japan, on the other hand, was closed to the world. It was developing behind closed doors. The nationalistic core was very strong, and the nation was united. Being closed to the world also meant that the imperial powers were not really aware of neither the Japanese military power, nor do they have any valuable natural resources, which led to avoiding it.