The Comparison Of The New National Thoughts Of Yan Fu And Liang Qichao

Yan Fu and Liang Qichao are the influential enlightenment thinkers in modern Chinese history. In face of the western invasion and the failure of China’s seeking for strength and prosperity, Yan Fu put forward three proposition about improving the power of the people, open the wisdom of the people and renewing the morality,depending on his deep understanding for the western cultural values. He wants to realize the country strength by national character transformation. After exiled to Japan, Liang Qichao put forword the view of new national thought after drawing hard lessons from the failure reform movement and learn from Japan’s successful experience.The new national thought of Yan Fu and Liang Qichao is designed to realize the country strength by improving the national quality. The two’s thought have a lot in common, but the thought of Yan is deeper than Liang’s because of the different in their academic background and character. Yan Fu advocates the new national thought all his life and Liang Qichao advocates it only in the period of being exiled to Japan.The two’s new national thought is difficult to realize under the social situation at that time and the reformers disagreed the thought which aim to realize country strength by improving the national quality.The purpose of the new national thought is searching for where China to go.Comparing their new national thought, we can find Yan Fu’s constant and Liang Qichao’s changes and will have more clear realization about the complex and changeable situation in modern Chinese history of ideas. The evolution theory which reflect in new national thought of Yan Fu and Liang Qichao and the national transformation triggered by the thought have a profound effect on the May 4th movement and the later generations, it also affected the course of the modern thoughts.