China is experiencing growing internal pressures of…

China is experiencing growing internal pressures of economic origin by the nineteenth century.

By the start of the century, there are over three hundred million Chinese, but there is no industry or trade of sufficient scope to absorb the surplus labor.

Moreover, the scarcity of land leads to widespread rural discontent and a breakdown in law and order.

The weakening through corruption of the bureaucratic and military systems and mounting urban pauperism also contribute to these disturbances.

Localized revolts erupt in various parts of the empire in the early nineteenth century.

Secret societies, such as the White Lotus sect in the north and the Triad Society in the south, gain ground, combining anti-Manchu subversion with banditry.