Arc 3: Western Challenge = Thriller Bark

What was the significance of the Opium Wars (1839–42, 1856–60)?

Britain’s industrial weapons crushed Qing forces, forcing China into “unequal treaties.” Ports were opened, tariffs slashed, foreigners gained rights, and sovereignty eroded.

Britain = Gecko Moria draining shadows → just like Britain drained China’s sovereignty.

How did the “unequal treaties” weaken Qing control?

They forced China to accept foreign bases, legal immunity for foreigners, and loss of tariff autonomy. China became a “semi-colony” controlled by outsiders.

Like Moria’s zombies obeying someone else’s will, China’s people still lived there, but control was gone.

What happened in the Sino-Japanese War (1894–95), and why was it shocking?

Japan, newly modernized, crushed China and took Taiwan and Korea. It proved “Little Japan” had surpassed the “Middle Kingdom.”

Japan = Oars — once underestimated, but suddenly towering and unstoppable, flattening China.

Why was the Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901) a symbol of China’s weakness?

Anti-foreign peasants rose up but were defeated by an international coalition. Qing tried to support them but ended up humiliated, paying huge indemnities.

Like Perona’s ghosts — big show of force, but ultimately powerless against true strength.

Lin Zexu (1785–1850, anti-opium official, moral crusader)

Tried bravely to stop opium trade, destroyed opium at Canton.

Outmatched by Britain’s military might.

Mnemonic: Like Brook standing up to Thriller Bark’s horrors, brave but overpowered.

Zeng Guofan (1811–1872, reformist general, suppressed Taiping, pushed modernization)

Skilled, pragmatic, but often compromised by serving the corrupt system.

Mnemonic: Like Hogback’s genius put to serving Moria, Zeng’s modernization still upheld Qing power.

Li Hongzhang (1823–1901, diplomat, modernizer, negotiated with foreign powers)

Always negotiating with foreign powers, making compromises to preserve Qing survival.

Mnemonic: Like Absalom wheeling and dealing for scraps of power with Moria.

Emperor Guangxu (revisited, Hundred Days’ Reform leader, 1898) → Cindry

Tried to embody reform and change, but controlled by others (Cixi shut him down).

Mnemonic: Like Cindry, a puppet trapped under Hogback’s control, unable to act freely.

Empress Dowager Cixi (1835–1908, still ruling, blocked reforms, survived through manipulation) → Gecko Moria

Drained the life out of the system, survived by absorbing others’ power.

Mnemonic: Like Moria draining shadows to maintain himself, Cixi drained resources to preserve her rule.

Why is the Western Challenge seen as a “century of humiliation”?

From the Opium Wars to the Boxer Protocol, China lost sovereignty, faced foreign domination, and failed reforms. National pride collapsed, fueling later revolutions.

🪙 Mnemonic: Like Thriller Bark itself — a nightmare world where outside forces steal your shadow, leaving you humiliated and weakened.