Travel Writing And The Imagination Of Chinese Nationhood

The late Qing dynasty was a pivotal period for China’s modern transformation,which had a profound impact on modern Chinese literature and modern ideological culture.As a historical product of this transitional period,the travel notes of the late Qing Dynasty carried rich historical and cultural flavors.On the one hand,they record the process of learning the West and strengthening the country to save the country a hundred years ago;On the other hand,it is also a true portrayal of the renewed generation of intellectuals and cultural changes.Therefore,this thesis will take the travel notes of late Qing dynasty as the research object,Investigate the national imagination and travel experience of Chinese in the global context,As well as feelings and mentality in the gap between traditional and modern,Chinese and Western cultures,The analysis of the rich cultural connotations behind these texts is the main research content of this thesis.This thesis falls into three parts:The first part is to explore how the late Qing travelers "discovered" China in the process of traveling around the earth at a macro level.Through a personal travel experience,Active learning of new geography,And supplements and amendments to existing geographies,Travelers have a new understanding of the world,Achieved the spatial transformation from "world" to "global";In the mirror of the west,In the change of perspective between seeing and being seen,The travelers began to Introspect others and themselves with a new perspective,The demonized western imagination has gradually become real and objective,The truth of the national decline is gradually emerging.In this regard,the travelers have maintained various national image and dignity,this shows that the geographical break of the "China Center" has not brought about the loss of the "China Center" at the cultural level.The second part analyzes the relationship between travel notes and identity from a micro perspective.The traveler’s records of difficult journeys,depictions of Chinese and Western food,and the pursuit of relics.These seemingly ordinary writings express the complex mentality of travelers toward Chinese and Western cultures.Traveling or not traveling not only represent the two values of loyalty and filial piety,but also relate to life.After going abroad,food has been given multiple meanings.Eating or not eating and what to eat represent different attitudes of travelers towards culture;facing the impact of Western civilization,travelers will dive into history,they use traditional resources to describe Western things,praise Chinese civilization or archeology in other countries,look at Chinese civilization,regain their identity with China,and re-establish confidence.They also promoted of the pace of "taking West as a teacher".The third part focuses on individual cases and analyzes theimagination of Chinese Nationhood under traditional literati.As one of the few officially recognized travel notes,Li Gui’s New Records Around the Earth built a utopian American with a beautiful tone,which had a great impact at the time.This travel writing is a post-modification work,and its success "popularity" includes the "conspiracy" of the author,the newspaper,and the official.This chapter cross-analyzes these factors in an attempt to reveal Li Gui’s spiritual secret as a traditional literati And the sales strategy of newspapers and periodicals,but also seek to understand the desires and needs of the times in the late Qing Dynasty.The conclusion summarizes the viewpoint of the full text and points out the significance of this thesis.In short,the travel notes of late Qing dynasty not only disseminated knowledge and enlightened Chinese,but also contained identities,and cultural conflicts.In the experience of seeing and being seen,and the role transition from observer to reflector,the struggle between "self" and "other" is being staged.This is a vivid expression of Chinese struggling between tradition and modernity,locality and alienation,and it is also the only spiritual path for China to go to the world.