View source for Did Civil/independence wars play a role in Chinese history?

Rebellions and civil wars are no strangers to China. A vast number of them occurred throughout the 19th century. These wars resulted each in an estimated loss of millions of lives, leading to disastrous results for the economy and the countryside. 
Korea's declared independency from China 1894, lead to the First Sino-Japanese War. This resulted in the Qing Dynasty's cession of both Korea and Taiwan to Japan. China entered the early 20th century suffering from mass civil disorder and calls for reform and revolution. In 1912 ended two thousand years of imperial rule.