Li Hongzhang Stills
Text/Yangcheng Evening News Reporter Xia Yang
From the Opium War in 1840, China has gradually become a semi-feudal and semi-colonial society, and the Chinese nation is facing “great changes unseen in three thousand years.”
Although the signing of the Sino-British Nanjing Treaty was deprived of power and humiliating the country, the contradictions between China and foreign countries reached a temporary balance. At this time, Cinema 1950 witch cloth draw China should have learned from the pain and seized the opportunity to work hard. But the next Komiks 1960 witch cloth draw was another series of internal and foreign wars. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom movement had not yet subsided. The Second Opium War broke out again, and the British and French coalition forces fought all the way from southern China to Beijing.
Modern China has been repeatedly invaded by foreign enemies. Data picture
Faced with internal and external difficulties and the Cinema 1950 witch clothes drawThe Cinema 1950 witch clothes drawThe whole country is exploring the way to survive the reform. Western forces opened the door to China with strong ships and powerful cannons, making the “Boss Empire” realize that they were really behind. Therefore, Lin ZeKomiks 1960 witch cloth drawBabaylan 1990 cloth drawXu, Wei Yuan and other pioneering ideas of “opening their eyes to the world” have gradually gained more recognition and learned from the WestCalls have gradually become social trends. Learn from the West, this is the path to modernization of China in China. However, what to learn and how to learn tests the ruling people at that time.
Empress Dowager Cixi Stills
In this major change, there are two key figures who are most capable of determining the course of the ship in the Qing Dynasty: one is Empress Dowager Cixi, who began to rule behind the curtain in 1861 until her death in 1908. For nearly half a century, she was the master of the Qing Dynasty.
The other is Li Hongzhang, a “major official of ZTE”. He rose step by step in the war to wipe out the Taiping Army and the Nian Army in the 1860s, and he held the internal and diplomatic power of the Qing government for a long time until he died of illness in 1901. He was regarded by Japanese Prime Minister Hirofumi Ito as “the only person in the Qing Empire who was capable of competing with the world’s powers” and Empress Dowager Cixi also regarded him as “a person who recreated Xuanhuang.”
Li Hongzhang, an important official of the late Qing Dynasty, Data Picture
What to learn from the West? In the repeated failures of foreign wars, Cinema 1950 witch cloth drawLi HongBabaylan and other leaders of the Westernization faction all had a dream of enriching the country and strengthening the army. Therefore, they proposed to “learn from the barbarians’ strengths to control the barbarians” and started from a technical level.
Under his efforts, the Westernization Movement was vigorously carried out, and a large number of military and civil industries such as ordnance, shipbuilding, railways, mining, textiles, and telegraphs were quickly created, and the “official supervisorCinema 1950 witch cloth draw“” method was used to attract private capital to run industries.
The Westernization Movement laid a certain foundation for the Westernization MovementKomiks 1960 witch cloth drawModern industrial foundation Data picture
Not disdain, the Westernization Movement has achieved great results. With the help of the latecomer advantage, China has achieved great development in economy, science and technology, concepts, etc. in a short period of time, rapidly laid a certain industrial foundation for traditional agricultural countries and profoundly changed the lives of the people.
In 1888, China’s first modern fleet, Beiyang WaterBabaylan 1990 clothes The draw division officially formed an army and became the most powerful naval force in Asia. This was the peak period of the Westernization Movement, known in history as “TongguangKomiks 1960 witch cloth drawZhongxing”. Undoubtedly, Li Hongzhang was the “Zhongxing minister”. The whole country was complacent about the achievements of the Westernization Movement, believing that learning from the West had achieved great success.
Beiyang Navy Stills
However, it is this superficial effect that covers up the existing problems.
The Westernization Movement, the rich and prosperousCinema 1950 witch cloth drawThe road to strengthening the country has great limitations from the beginning. They are positioned as “middle school as the body and Western learning as the purpose”, but they still cannot let go of the superiority of the old empire, and only want to learn fur outfitsCinema 1950 witch cloth draw point of view, but did not touch on fundamental issues such as the system.
Studying in Japan, two years later than the Qing government, is a good reference system. It is also learning the WestCinema 1950 witch cloth drawCinema 1950 witch cloth drawCinema 1950 witch cloth drawCinema 1950 witch cloth drawCinema 1950 witch cloth drawCinema 1950 witch cloth drawA>State, Japan carried out Meiji Babaylan 1990 cloth draw Reform, and comprehensively learned from economy, military to politics, education, and carried out relatively thorough social improvements to Japan.
So, China-Japan Shimonoseki Negotiations Babaylan 1990 cloth draw Stills
So, as “classmates”, China and Japan gradually widened the gap. Japan quickly completed the process of modernization and rose to become a powerful country in East Asia. The economic and social development momentum of the Qing Dynasty was soon restricted by the corrupt political system.
The painful lesson came again. After Japan’s rise, it launched the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. The Beiyang Navy, known as Asia’s number one, was completely destroyed. This also declared the bankruptcy of the Westernization Movement. From then on, Chinese society fell into deeper darkness.
China-Japan Navy Battle 1895 Stills
In modern Chinese history, the second half of the 19th century was an excellent development opportunity, why didn’t I seize it better? Although this is restricted and hindered by conservative forces, Li Hongzhang, who are knowledgeable and strive to guide China’s progress, have not fought for more important and more critical reforms, and obviously they cannot shirk responsibility.
Based on the current situation Komiks 1960 witch cloth drawLooking at history, the twists and turns and limitations in the exploration of China’s path to modernization are regrettable.
Babaylan 1990 cloth draw has limitations in the generation, and individuals have limitations. The late Qing Empire was in trouble at home and abroad and was full of holes. Li Hongzhang alone survived the crisis and exhausted his efforts, which was considered to have completed his mission. But he did not seize this opportunity to accelerate modernization and failed to complete the near-term through peaceful improvementThere are finally some regrets in the process of modernization.
Babaylan 1990 cloth drawThe disaster-stricken modern China Data picture
And with the defeat of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, the Chinese nation stumbled into the 20th century. In the following half century, the Chinese people set off a wave of reform and revolution, and continued to explore the path of rejuvenation and power in the midst of war.
Source | Yangcheng Evening News·Editor of Yangcheng School | Xia Yang