Li Hongzhang Stills
Text/Yangcheng Evening News Reporter Xia Yang
Since the Opium War in 1840, China has gradually become a semi-feudal and semi-colonial society, and the Chinese nation is facing “a major change that has not been seen in three thousand years.” Although the signing of the Sino-British Nanjing Treaty was deprived of power and humiliating the country, the conflict between China and foreign countries reached a temporary balance. At this time, China should have learned from its mistakes and seized the opportunity to work hard. But then welcoming a series of domestic and foreign wars. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom movement had not yet subsided, and 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 national dangers, China is exploring the way to survive reform. Western forces opened the door to China with strong ships and powerful guns, making the “Boss Empire” realize that they were really behind. Therefore, Lin Zexu, Wei Yuan and other pioneering ideas of “opening their eyes to the world”, gradually gaining more recognition, and the call for learning from the West gradually became a social trend.
Komiks Learn from the West, this is the path of modernization in China. However, what to learn and how to learn tests the ruling people of Cinema at that time.
Empress Dowager Cixi Stills
In this major change, standing at the bow of the Qing Dynasty, the most important thing isKomiksThere are two key figures who have the ability to determine the course of the ship: one is Empress Dowager Cixi, who began to rule the country from behind in 1861. Until her death in 1908, she was the master of the Qing Dynasty.
The other is Li Hongzhang, the “Cinema Restoration Minister”. He rose step by step in the war to wipe out the Taiping and Nian Army in the 1860s, and for a long time, he held the internal and diplomatic power of the Qing government. href=”https://comicmov.com/”>Babaylan until Cinema died of illness in 1901. He was regarded by Japanese Prime Minister ICinema as “the only person in the Qing Empire who was able to compete with the world’s powers”, and Empress Dowager Cixi also regarded him as “a person who recreated Xuanhuang”.
Li Hongzhang, an important official in the late Qing Dynasty, Data picture
What to learn from the West? In the repeated failures of foreign wars, Li Hongzhang and other leaders of the Westernization faction all had a dream of enriching the country and strengthening the army. Therefore, they proposed to “learning the barbarians to control the barbarians” and learn from the technical level.
With his efforts, the Westernization Movement was vigorously carried out, and a large number of armies were quickly created. href=”https://comicmov.com/”>BabaylanShipbuilding, railways, mining, textiles, telegraphs and other military and civil industries, and adopts the “official supervision and business” method to attract private capital to run industries.
The Westernization Movement laid a certain foundation for modern industrialization. Data picture
Not disdain, the Westernization Movement has achieved great resultsKomiksWith the help of the latecomer advantage, China has achieved great development in economy, science and technology, concepts and other aspects in a short period of time, quickly laying a certain industrial foundation for traditional agricultural countries, and profoundly changing the lives of the people.
In 1888, China’s first modern fleet, the Beiyang Navy, 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 “Tongguang Zhongxing”. Undoubtedly, Li Hongzhang was the “minister of Zhongxing”. The whole country was complacent about the achievements of the Westernization Movement, and believed 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 href=”https://comicmov.com/”>BabaylanThe road to enriching the country and strengthening the army 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 are only willing to learn to decorate the storefront, and do not touch on fundamental issues such as the system.
It was a good reference system to learn from Japan, which started learning from the West two years later than the Qing government. Also learning from the West, Japan carried out the Meiji Restoration, and conducted a comprehensive study from economy, military to politics, education, and carried out a relatively thorough social improvement to Japan.
So, China-Japan negotiations between ShimonosekiBabaylan Stills
As a “classmate”, China and Japan gradually widened the gap. Japan quickly completed the modernization process and rose to become a powerful East Asia country. The development momentum of the Qing Dynasty’s economic and social society was soon restricted by the corrupt political system. The painful lesson came again, and Japan launched the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 after its rise.The Beiyang Navy, known as Asia’s number one, was wiped out, which 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 and others 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.
Cinema looks back on history now, and the songs in the exploration of China’s modernization path are sad.
The times have limitations, and individuals have limitations. The late Qing Empire was in trouble at home and in trouble, and Li Hongzhang alone sustained the crisis, exhausted his efforts and completed his mission. But he did not seize this good opportunity to accelerate modernization and failed to complete the modernization process through peaceful improvement. He finally had some regrets.
Modern China with many disasters and difficulties 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