New Culture Movement promoting progressive values emerges in China
They called for the creation of a new Chinese culture based on global and western standards, especially democracy and science. Y
East Asia
Emperor Gojong proclaims the Korea Empire
The Korean Empire was the last independent unified Korean state. It stood until Japan’s annexation of Korea in August 1910.
Japanese scientist Shibasaburo Kitasato discovers the infectious agent of the bubonic plague
He traveled to Hong Kong in 1894 at the request of the Japanese government during an outbreak of the bubonic plague, and identified a bacterium that he concluded was causing the disease.
The Japanese surgeon Hanaoka Seishū is the first to use general anaesthesia
Hanaoka Seishū was a Japanese of the Edo period with a knowledge of Chinese herbal medicine, as well as Western surgical techniques he had learned through Rangaku.
Cao Xueqin’s Dream of the Red Chamber, perhaps China’s greatest novel, is published
Dream of the Red Chamber, also called The Story of the Stone, composed by Cao Xueqin, is one of China’s Four Great Classical Novels. It was written sometime in the middle of the 18th century during the Qing Dynasty.
Four great Anhui troupes introduce Anhui opera to Beijing for first time
Hui opera, or Huiju, remains as a popular regional genre of Chinese opera. It is now most prominent in the area around Huangshan City and Chizhou, as well as Wuyuan County, Jiangxi.
The Qianlong Emperor orders the creation of the Siku Quanshu
The Siku Quanshu ended up surpassing the Ming dynasty’s 1403 Yongle Encyclopedia in size, which was China’s largest encyclopedia prior to the creation of the Siku Quanshu.
Pu Songling completes Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, one of the great pieces of Chinese literature
Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio or Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio is a collection of Classical Chinese stories by Pu Songling comprising close to five hundred “marvel tales” in the zhiguai and chuanqi styles which serve to implicitly criticise societal issues then.
Macau enters its golden age of trade
Macau’s golden age coincided with the union of the Spanish and Portuguese crowns, between 1580 and 1640. King Philip II of Spain was encouraged to not harm the status quo, to allow trade to continue between Portuguese Macau and Spanish Manila, and to not interfere with Portuguese trade with China.
The A-Ma Temple is completed in Macau
The A-Ma Temple is a temple to the Chinese sea-goddess Mazu located in São Lourenço, Macau, China. Built in 1488, the temple is one of the oldest in Macau and thought to be the settlement’s namesake.