Concluding Remarks: The Writing of History Is Terrifying

The historical panorama of East Asia during the early era of economic globalization was dark and filled with tears and bloodshed. The military technological revolution brought about new forms of violence, where behind the echoes of gunfire lay hidden commercial interests. The atrocities caused by firearms and financial records led to the transformation of friendly neighbors into bitter enemies, which became a necessary condition for the transition from traditional to modern societies. The late Ming Dynasty at the crossroads failed to overcome the global ‘17th-century crisis’ that swept across nations. Although the subsequent Qing Dynasty took some measures to alleviate the crisis and witnessed new prosperity, it failed to address the underlying issues, laying the groundwork for its eventual failure in the nineteenth century.