Statecraft Ideological Trend In The Late Qing Dynasty And The Starting Of The Early Chinese Modernization

At this late hour, modernization have become a global movement over the world. It is a difficult course that the third world nations transform into modern industrial countries. In particular, it is in a country like China that has a broad territory and a deeply rooted "China center culture concept". Therefore, how to open the thought front door that people close tightly and to adapt to the world general situation become initial problem that modern China need urgently resolve. In 1827, with the "Qing Dynasty Statecraft Article Compilation" Wei yuan compiled for He changling as its mark, statecraft thought got up afresh after a overcast period in the midst of the Qing Dynasty, and formed three wave tides in the reign of Dao ,Xian , Tong ,Guang. Statecraft ideological trend pushed people to have a object and actual foothold and to accept western modern culture. This was an important thought background existing in the starting of the early Chinese modernization. Starting the early Chinese modernization meant that a set of material and cultural system differing from traditional society would be established. Beyond question, it was a very difficult problem for a nation regarding its own culture as unique. Statecraft thought that attached importance to practical use and rejected empty forms resolved the era matter and paved the way for modern China striding toward modernization.Firstly, investigating from the macro view, in the late Qing Dynasty, several generations of statecraft schools wrote books and advocated to administer country from new path. So, statecraft ideological trend made a great development. This greatly freed people from old ideas and benefit people to accept new things.In Dao and Xian periods, statecraft school figures transferred the statecraft way into introducing western culture. They tried to resolve the crisis of nation with the western advanced implements and technique. Under the guiding of the idea, they wrote successively some books such as and to introduce the history and present condition of the world. These books not only broadened contemporary' s outlook but also influenced several generations Chinese after their death. The that Feng Guifen wrote in 1861 played an important role in the development of the statecraft ideological trend in the late Qing Dynasty. The author put forward in the book "with the Chinese Confucian ethical code as its substance and with the prosperous and strong ways of western countries as its assistant means", which became a fundamental pattern that foreign affairs school tackled Chinese – western culture. The prevalence of book provided the ideological help for the starting of the early Chinese modernization. Secondly, analyzing from the concrete view, many foreign affairs school bureaucrats such as Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zhongtang ,Li Hongzhang ,Zhang Zhidong etc played an important role in the starting of the early Chinese modernization. Although they came from different learning schools, they share a common character —— statecraft. The learning atmosphere pushed they abandoned "the traditional differentiating Chinese from barbarian ideas" and introduced modern things in many aspects such as politics,economy, ideology, military affairs and national defense etc. Chinese modernization started thereby. The early Chinese modernization benefited from the revival of the statecraft ideological trend. However, after Opium War the development and change of the statecraft ideological trend was determined to a large extent by the widespread influence that the starting of the early Chinese modernization brought about in the modern China. They complimented each other and promoted mutually. Tough the statecraft ideological trend made great contribution in the early Chinese modernization, it still brought some disadvantages to the development of early Chinese modernization because of its own some inevitable negative factors. This is the lessons from that today's modernization constructor...