Li Hongzhang Stills
Text/Yangcheng Evening News reporter Xia Yang
From the 1840 Komiks film war, China has gradually become a semi-feudal and semi-colonial society, and the Chinese nation is facing “great changes unseen in three thousand years.”
Although the signing of the Sino-British Nanjing Treaty was deprived of power and humiliating the country, the contradictions between China and foreign countries reached a temporary balance. At this time, China should have learned from its mistakes and seized the opportunity to make a strong effort. But then welcoming a series of foreign wars against Komiks. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom movement has not yet subsided, and the Second Opium War broke out again, and the British and French coalition forces fought all the way to Beijing from the southern part of China.
ModernKomiksChina has been repeatedly invaded by foreign enemies DataKomiksFaced with internal and external difficulties and national danger, China is exploring the way to survive. Western forces opened the door to China with strong ships and powerful cannons, making the “old empire” realize that they were really behind. Therefore, the pioneering ideas of “opening their eyes to the world” such as Lin Zexu and Wei Yuan gradually gained more recognition, and the call for learning from the West gradually became a social trend.
Learning from the West is the path of modernization in China. However, what to learn and how to learn tests the ruling people at that time.
Empress Dowager Cixi Stills
In this major change, the site is the most capable of deciding the big one at the bow of the Qing Dynasty, and Babaylan href=”https://comicmov.com/”>CinemaThere are two key figures in the sailing of the ship: one is Empress Dowager Cixi, who began to rule the country from behind in 1861 until her death in 1908. She was the master of the Qing Dynasty for nearly half a century.
The other is Li Hongzhang, a “major official of the revival” who rose step by step in the war to wipe out the Taiping Army and the Nian Army in the 1860s. He held the internal and diplomatic power of the Qing government for a long time until he died of illness in 1901. He was regarded by Japanese Prime Minister Hirofumi Ito as “the only person in the Qing Empire who can compete with the world’s powers” and Empress Dowager Cixi also regarded him as “a person who recreated Xuanhuang”.
Li Hongzhang, an important official in the late Qing Dynasty, Data picture
What to learn from the West? In the repeated failures of foreign wars, Li Hongzhang and other leaders of the Westernization faction had a dream of enriching the country and strengthening the army. Therefore, they proposed to “learning the barbarians to control the barbarians” and learned from the technical level.
With his efforts, the Westernization Movement was vigorously carried out, and a large number of ordnances, shipbuilding, railways, mining, and textiles were quickly created. href=”https://comicmov.com/”>Babaylan, telegraph and other military and civil industries, and adopt the “official supervision and business” method to attract private capital to run industries.
The Westernization Movement laid a certain foundation for modern industrialization Data Picture
Not disdain, the Westernization Movement has achieved great results. With the help of the latecomer advantage, China has achieved tremendous development in economy, science and technology, concepts and other aspects in a short period of time, and has quickly laid a certain amount of work for traditional agricultural countries. href=”https://comicmov.com/”>Cinema‘s industry foundation and profoundly changed the people’sLife. In 1888, the Beiyang Navy, a modern fleet of China, officially formed an army and became the most powerful naval force in Asia. This was the peak period of the Westernization Movement, known in history as “Tongguang ZTE”. Undoubtedly Komiks, Li Hongzhang is the “minister of Zhongxing”. The whole country was complacent about the achievements of the Westernization Movement and believed that learning from the West had achieved great success.
Beiyang Navy Stills
However, it is this superficial effect that covers up the existing problems.
The Westernization Movement, a path to enrich the country and strengthen the army, had great limitations from the beginning. They are positioned as “middle school as the body and Western learning as the purpose”, but they still cannot let go of the superiority of the old empire and are only willing to learn to decorate the storefront, and do not touch on fundamental issues such as the system.
It is a good reference system to start learning from Japan two years later than the Qing government. In addition to learning from the West, Japan carried out the Meiji Restoration, from economic, military to political learning, Babaylan, education, etc., and carried out relatively thorough social improvements to Japan.
So, China and Japan, as “classmates”, gradually widened the gap. Japan quickly completed the process of modernization and rose to become a powerful country in East Asia. The economic and social development momentum of the Qing Dynasty was soon restricted by the corrupt political system. The painful lesson came again. After Japan’s rise, it launched the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. The Beiyang Navy, known as the No. 1 in Asia, was wiped out, which also declared the bankruptcy of the Westernization Movement. From then on, Chinese society fell into deeper darkness.
China-Japan Naval Battle of Sino-Japanese War Stills
In modern Chinese history, the second half of the 19th century was an excellent development opportunity, why did it not be able to grasp it better? Although this is restricted and hindered by conservative forces, Li Hongzhang, who are knowledgeable and strive to guide China’s progress, did not strive for more important and more critical reforms, and obviously they cannot shirk responsibility.
Looking back on history, the twists and limitations in the exploration of China’s modernization path have made href=”https://comicmov.com/”>Babaylan people sigh.
The times have limitations, and individuals have limitations. The late Qing Empire was in trouble and full of holes. Li Hongzhang alone sustained the crisis and exhausted his efforts, which was considered to have completed his mission. But he did not seize this opportunity to accelerate the modernization of Komiks, and he failed to complete the modernization process through peaceful improvement.
Modern China with many disasters and difficulties Data picture
And with the defeat of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, the Republic of China stumbled into the 20th century. In the following half century, the Chinese people set off a wave of reform and revolution, and continued to explore the rejuvenation of a powerful country in the midst of war. href=”https://comicmov.com/”>Cinema Road.
Source | Yangcheng Evening News·Yangcheng School Editor | Xia Yang