Bringing in the Big Guns: How Western Artillery Transformed Chinese Warfare in the 17th Centur

At the beginning of the 17th century, a new power challenged the Chinese Ming dynasty. The mobile and powerful troops of this new contender, the later Manchu, caused major difficulties for the Chinese armies. Only after several defeats did they find a way to stand up to them—they equipped their border fortresses with Western-style artillery. But would this new weapon be enough to ward off the threat from the north? In this video, we look at how Western artillery influenced the war between the Ming and the Qing and ultimately proved a decisive factor in this clash of dynasties.