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In neighbouring China, the Ming Dynasty eventually weakened thanks to a series of average emperors unable to deal with the growing threat of the rival Manchus from the north-east. In 1644 Beijing, the home of the emperor, fell to a rebel army80 and those loyal to the Mings invited the Manchus to help recover the Imperial City. It was the Manchus that established the last Chinese imperial dynasty, the Qing (or Ching, meaning pure), which would last for over 250 years, only coming to an end in 1911.
The Manchus were a fraction of the size of the Chinese population and had a different culture, language and writing. They insisted that all non-Manchu men shave their heads, leaving a long pigtail at the back as a sign of submission. They were incredibly successful in expanding the empire, managing to conquer Mongolia and establish a protectorate over present-day Tibet. It took them only 30 years to complete the conquest of China, including that of the island of Taiwan, the last outpost of anti-Manchu resistance.