Diversity: Qing vs. Islamic Empires

Like the many other expansive empires such as the Ottoman Empire, the Qing dynasty encountered inevitable diversity. Qing China's domain expanded throughout Asia and, in the process, conquered a wide range of states with a variety of ethnicities, religions, and language. Due the incredibly diverse territory that China conquered, the Qing dynasty attempted to manage these various states by applying local rulers to each of them, depending on the cultural differences for each one. This way, China could claim these states and maintain control over them, yet promote diversity at the same time. This tactic of applying rulers to each state ties with the Ottoman Empire, who also assigned rulers to separate states. China also promoted cultural diversity by expressing tolerance towards Islam and Buddhism, as well as Tibetans and Mongols, who were all plentiful ethnic groups in China's territory. For instance, not only could monks practice Buddhism, but they also held a high rank in society and were exempt from taxes. This form of religious tolerance differs greatly from the Safavid Empire, who only allowed Shi'ite Muslims to reside in their empire. On the other hand, the Ottoman Empire were tolerant towards and allowed all religions, but taxed people who were not Muslim. According to comparison, China and the Ottoman Empire share many qualities. However, China seemingly promises more religious and cultural freedom than any of the Islamic Empires.