British Understanding Of China From The Perspective Of The Chinese And Japanese Repository

The Chinese and Japanese Repository is a comprehensive English monthly published by James Summers(1828-1 891),Professor of Sinology at King’s college,London University.UK.It was published in London from 1863 to 1865,with 29 issues in total.China and Japan are the main concerns of the journal.At the time of the founding of the China Japan series,it was just 12 years since the world exposition in Britain showed the proud achievements of its industrial revolution.With the results of the industrial revolution,Britain expanded its colonies greatly.The British people had a strong sense of superiority to their national culture and a sense of "mission" to spread their civilization to the world.The middle of the 19th century was also a time when China changed its "closed door"status and Europeans expanded their activities in China.Besides,in the 19th century,the European humanities became more and more specialized,and the specialized subject of the other civilization was gradually formed on the basis of the extensive colonial activities.In this context,James Summers became a professor of Sinology at King’s college,London University,in 1853.During his tenure,Summers founded the Sino Japanese series.The main purpose of this publication is to popularize the knowledge of China and its surrounding countries to the readers,meet the needs of British activities in China,and attract the support of native people for activities in China.Secondly,Summers also needs to enrich his academic resume in publications and works.This essay is based on the articles about Chinese history and culture in Chinese and Japanese Repository.There are 68 articles concerning Chinese history and culture in the Chinese and Japanese Repository.These chapters can be roughly divided into four categories,including history,folk custom,science and literature.First of all,these contents were designed to satisfy readers’curiosity.Secondly,for the smooth development of British activities in China,especially missionary activities,British society needed knowledge of Chinese language,etiquette and customs.Finally.understanding Chinese history and culture could help the British deepen their understanding of China.The articles about Chinese history and culture in the Chinese and Japanese Repository came from the British observation of China,and also reflected the British interest in China.Through in-depth research and analysis of this understanding,we can get a deeper understanding of the focus of British activities in China,and also understand the UK’s positioning of the Sino British relationship at this timeFrom the period of Marco Polo to the first half of the 19th century,the knowledge of Chinese history and culture accumulated in England in the past 500 years formed the basis of the knowledge in the Chinese and Japanese Repository.Due to the expansion of British activities in China,the understanding of China has also been deepened,some of which have changed in detail and generated new understandingIn addition to the expansion of British activities in China and other factors,Britain’s understanding of Chinese history and culture in the Chinese and Japanese Repository was different from before,and the British(European)ideological circles also have changed.The emergence of the classic social evolutionism in the 19th century influenced the observation of the other by the British,including the authors of the Chinese and Japanese Repository.