The Qing government lost the Sino-Japanese war from 1894 to 1895. Losing to Japan in this war woke the Qing government up to the fact China was no longer the most powerful nation even in Asia. Japan had started learning western technology and accepting western standards earlier. This urged the Qing government to progress and modernize. The Chinese female ruler Cixi looked up to Japan as the model. The Qing court organized tours to Japan. Many Chinese elites were sent to Japan to learn how they could build China like the Japanese were able to do. Qiu Jin was one of the girls who got the chance to study overseas as these opportunities were only given to the children of higher social class.