After the Arrow War, various foreign nations felt frustrated with the falling social status of Zongli Yamen, which had become burdened with the diplomacy that the Qing dynasty placed great importance on, and as a result Zongli Yamen was abolished and replaced with the Foreign Office.
アロー戦争以後清朝の外交を担ってきた総理衙門が清朝官庁内で次第に地位低下したことに不満を覚えた諸外国が、清朝が外交を重視するよう求めた結果、総理衙門を廃止し外務部をつくらせるに至った。