Passage 1 of 25. Since the Qing took power of the Central Plains, the Manchus have ruled this land for more than 260 years. Strict laws and despotic government officials have provoked countless uprisings— including the Miao Rebellions and the Hui Revolt— yet have not contributed to a powerful central government. Today, foreign nations come and go freely, looting villages wherever they arrive, raping our women and slaughtering our men, while the government is paralyzed, seemingly trying to overturn the situation yet, as always, to no avail.