Diversity in the Qing Dynasty

Something that I found really interesting was the the Qing were not of Chinese descent. Although they learned Chinese language and customs in order to build their empire, they forbade intermarrying between themselves and the Chinese. From this they seemed to take much pride in their ethnicity. However, as rulers, they welcomed diversity, and they didn't force citizens to adapt to a Chinese lifestyle. In addition, they seemed to be very tolerant of other cultures within the empire. All of this might bring up the question of how the Qing were able to manage the empire with conflicting interests. The Qing arose when the Mongols were becoming stronger. People of China still remember the Mongols previous hostile takeover, so they agreed that a united China would be better than one divided. Citizens didn't see themselves as following under some sort of tyrannical empire, but rather as part of China as a whole. As we have studied in the Islamic Empires, each empire found a way of facing diversity head on. The Safavid brought everyone under a common religion, the Mughals created a fusion of religions, and the Ottoman were, in general, tolerant of different religions. In a way, the Qing dealt with the diversity in the empire not by tackling the issue diversity on its own, but by finding a stronger way of uniting everyone under a common cause in order to strengthen China.