To make peace with the Western powers in China, Prince Gong was made regent, grand councilor, and head of the newly formed Zongli Yamen (Office of Foreign Affairs).

The Self-Strengthening Movement (1861–1895) was a period of institutional reforms initiated during the late Qing Dynasty following a series of military defeat & concessions to foreign powers.

Self-Strengthening Movement

The majority of the ruling elite still subscribed to a conservative Confucian worldview, but following China's serious defeats in the First and Second Opium Wars, several officials now argued that in order to strengthen itself against the West, it was necessary to adopt Western military technology and armaments. This was achieved by establishing shipyards and arsenals, and by hiring foreign advisers to train Chinese artisans to manufacture such wares in China.

It was believed that the intelligence & wisdom of the Chinese civilization was superior to those of Western "barbarians", and thus China would first learn from foreigners, then equal them, and finally surpass them. As such, the "self-strengtheners" were by & large uninterested in any social reform beyond the scope of economic and military modernization.