The influence of Western science towards China’s way of thinking
Melia Chui Lok Yi (20097621)
The influence of Western science towards China’s way of thinking
When we look at the history of China before the Western invasion, we can see that it was a self-sufficient country. It supplies itself with food and all sorts of necessities. Owing to the geography, China did not have many chances to connect with the West. Therefore, it has developed its own ideology, correlative thinking (Hall & Roger, 1998). But after the invasion starting from 1839 (1st opium war), Western ideology has begun to be instilled with the aid of science, and China started to open its eyes to accept outsiders’ advanced technology and was eager to learn. But some might argue that China actually was reluctant to accept these new things. In this essay, I will take a close look at how and to what extend science has influenced way of thinking in China according to the timeline with three major time periods, namely late Qing, the Self-Strengthening Movement and the New Culture Movement.
To begin with, the late Qing period seems to be the most controversial period regarding China’s eagerness to learn from the West. (The late Qing period we are talking here starts from 19th century onwards.) Western civilization was originally opposed by Empress Dowager Cixi, the ruler behind Qing Dynasty Emperor Tongzhi from 1861 to 1908. During the 19th century, the West started to trade with, and sent missionaries to, China. These activities promoted Western civilization (Dodgen, 2006). In 1865, the British founded the China Inland Mission, a Christian mission society. In 1887, 100 missionaries were sent (Taylor, 1894) and they brought Western inventions with them. Imported Western inventions such as microscopes, telescopes, and thermometers with high accuracy, high quality and novelty conquered Chinese society: having a Western product became a fashion index (Xing, 2001). However, Cixi regarded these inventions as “diabolical tricks and wicked craft” since they were
The influence of Western science towards China’s way of thinking
When we look at the history of China before the Western invasion, we can see that it was a self-sufficient country. It supplies itself with food and all sorts of necessities. Owing to the geography, China did not have many chances to connect with the West. Therefore, it has developed its own ideology, correlative thinking (Hall & Roger, 1998). But after the invasion starting from 1839 (1st opium war), Western ideology has begun to be instilled with the aid of science, and China started to open its eyes to accept outsiders’ advanced technology and was eager to learn. But some might argue that China actually was reluctant to accept these new things. In this essay, I will take a close look at how and to what extend science has influenced way of thinking in China according to the timeline with three major time periods, namely late Qing, the Self-Strengthening Movement and the New Culture Movement.
To begin with, the late Qing period seems to be the most controversial period regarding China’s eagerness to learn from the West. (The late Qing period we are talking here starts from 19th century onwards.) Western civilization was originally opposed by Empress Dowager Cixi, the ruler behind Qing Dynasty Emperor Tongzhi from 1861 to 1908. During the 19th century, the West started to trade with, and sent missionaries to, China. These activities promoted Western civilization (Dodgen, 2006). In 1865, the British founded the China Inland Mission, a Christian mission society. In 1887, 100 missionaries were sent (Taylor, 1894) and they brought Western inventions with them. Imported Western inventions such as microscopes, telescopes, and thermometers with high accuracy, high quality and novelty conquered Chinese society: having a Western product became a fashion index (Xing, 2001). However, Cixi regarded these inventions as “diabolical tricks and wicked craft” since they were
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