[tshiggins]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Try this idea...

The Qing Dynasty, which valued the services of the Jesuits was inward looking in most parallels. However, in this Q6 parallel (Qing-3) one Jesuit gave translations from various gazettes and newspapers to the court ladies. The Confucian scholar bureaucrats started reading the circular that the priest put out and began asking questions.

Some of the answers were comforting. Early 18th century Europe was much smaller than China. But the details of so many other things including the fates of many non-European cultures that traded with the Chinese were gloomy. A small group of scholars promoted the idea that even if the red barbarians were inferior to the Qing Empire, barbarians had conquered China before. Therefore they promoted study of European technology and medicine.

The local year is 1890, China, like Japan has industrialized. Both China and Japan want to expand. They cut a deal. Japan may keep Korea and add the Philippines and if they can get them, the Dutch East Indies. China will take Siberian and India.

This is basically a revved-up version of the The Great Game with more players (the French, the Dutch, the Chinese, the Japanese, and the Spanish) and definately more aggression. You could start WWI early and in Asia.

I like this idea. Filed away for potential future use. :)