Ma Jianzhong’s Understanding Of Western Civilization

In 1840,the Opium War opened the door of China,and the Qing government was faced with internal and diplomatic difficulties.With the aggression and expansion of the West,advanced western technology and lifestyle have also spread to China.Some advanced intellectuals began to take the initiative to understand and learn from western culture,trying to use this as a means to get the Qing government out of the backward situation and realize the national prosperity.Ma Jianzhong is one of these advanced intellectuals.Born into a Christian family,Ma studied in a church school and later went to France,systematically studying law,constitutionalism and European history.It was in the process of long-term contact and learning of western culture that he formed a unique understanding of western civilization.First of all,in terms of western legal concepts,Ma Jianzhong explained the legal concept,natural law and civil law,believing that western laws contribute to social stability and national prosperity.Second,in terms of western economic theory,through learning economic knowledge,Ma Jianzhong realized that foreign trade can promote national economic prosperity,tariff policy can promote the development of domestic industry and commerce,and the business philosophy of western industry and commerce is also an important factor to promote its economic development.Third,in terms of western political and military culture,Ma Jianzhong has a clear understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of the western parliamentary system,analyzed the role of western diplomatic theory in safeguarding national sovereignty,and examined the western military concept,military system and its characteristics.Ma Jianzhong is one of the important representatives of modern Chinese intellectuals.These intellectuals are deeply influenced by the traditional Chinese culture and the western advanced culture,and their unique historical background and personal background make them become the cultural marginalized people in the sense of sociology and psychology.The marginal people of modern Chinese culture are not only the products of the old and new times,but also the collision and conflict of different cultures,and their marginal people is also the epitome of the tragedy of the modern Chinese era.