Chapter 4

Hesitant Learner
The struggle of Halfway Westernization

Starting with a story

Shanghai-August 11, 1872- Qing Government sent 30 boys to
America for enlightening, empowering the country.
Shanghai-Sept 7th, 1881, they returned not as heroic patriots but as
suspicious traitors needing to be monitored.
Excellent achievement- by 1880, among 50 students, 22 went to
Yale University, 8 into MIT, 1 in Columbia
Many of the students later returned to China and made significant
contributions to China's civil services, engineering, and the
sciences.
Among them, Zhan Tianyou

A Grand Experiment
The reason of terminating the program:
Qing dynasty-military and technical skills
The students-be immersed into American culture
Take a liking in sports
Cut off their queues
Socializing-dancing
Converted into Christianity and abandoned Chinese tradition.
Being refused -the application to go to Military Academy

Before and After

Wishful Thinking
Restoration- to restore the ancient rules and principles, not make
innovative change.
Doctrine- Chinese learning as the foundation, Western learning
as the utility.
Tong Wen Guan-the first modern institute of higher learningforeign languages.
The Chinese Government- do not want to acquire Western
technology at the expense of cultural stability.

Under the governing of Communist Party of

China

Maos autocratic rule western- educated intellectuals were

considered traitors and had to be reeducated.
Self- Strengthening Movement
1958-steelmaking surpassing the western countries
Agriculture-national contest of grain production-massive
starvation.

Under the governing of Communist Party of

China

Dong Xiaoping- Reform and opening up to

the outside world
Reform- granting autonomy to Chinas citizens and
withdrawing governmental control from their daily lives.
Opening up-reengaging with outside world.
In 1978-sending Chinese to study abroad.
1980- intellectuals began to deliberately introduce Western
ideas and knowledge about the West.
River Elegy-negation of the value of Chinese tradition, to
bring about harsh retaliation and a full crackdown

Under the governing of Communist Party of

China

Under Hu Jintao -Harmony and Innovation

China remains China at its core- the Confucian
tradition runs deep, and the government remains
opposed to the Western forms of government and
cultural values.

Q: Can Confucian harmony breed Western innovation?

In the future, China needs to move to a new stage, one where
it can innovate rather than simply borrow or improve on
existing technology.
Do you agree with him?
What is your proposal?