[Keywords:] legal self-improvement; Building a country through industry and commerce; The west uses the body of China people; Thought of saving the nation
The Westernization School and thinkers who suffered from the two Opium Wars and had a deeper understanding of the national crisis clearly saw that China was facing a crisis and would not be humiliated. However, they also saw that China was weak and unable to compete with its strong enemies, so they had to put up with humiliation, deliberately build internally, and began to think about how to save the country? The doer Yi Xin and Li Hongzhang put forward the policy of "constantly striving for self-improvement" to eliminate foreign invasion. The Westernization Movement was originally launched under the slogan of self-improvement.
First, we should borrow western methods to strengthen ourselves.
Wei Yuan: "Those who are good teachers and four foreigners can control four foreigners; The suggestion of [1](P2) provided the forerunner for the Westernization School. The practice of the two Opium Wars and the suppression of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom movement made them deeply realize that the western methods of making utensils were far superior to China, and they embarked on the road of self-improvement by borrowing western methods.
1860, Zeng Guofan founded Anqing Inner Ordnance Institute. Because foreigners were not invited as technicians, the ship was built very slowly. The Westernization School summed up the lessons and began to compare western France with China and France. 1863, suggestion Chen Tingjing said: "I only think about foreigners' feelings, but I am always arrogant. I use sharp weapons and fight a hundred times more than China, so I show my greed, but I rely on my skills. "What's the skill? One is the essence of warships, and the other is the benefit of machines. However, he has his own combat equipment, and I have to buy it; He has his cleverness, and I want to learn. " [4](P 13) He suggested the establishment of a shipyard and a firearms bureau.
1865, Jiangnan manufacturing general bureau was established, and Westernization School had practical experience in learning western laws. British Hurd presented a book "On the sidelines" to the Qing court, suggesting that China "learn from the law and strive for self-improvement". The Qing court regarded Watching as a book of "forcing China", but accepted the slogan of "strengthening ourselves by law", and the minister of military affairs secretly sent Zeng, Zuo and Li local governors to discuss. Special emphasis: "The occurrence of diplomacy always depends on whether China can become strong." [4](P 15)
1872, Fujian, Nanjing and Tianjin bureaus were established for the second time, and the policy of "relying on the law to strengthen oneself" was accepted by more people. Zhou invited the premier's yamen to borrow western methods in training, manufacturing equipment, building factories and raising wages, and then asked the local governor to discuss. Li Hongzhang's Debate on Coastal Defence represented the general view at that time.
Regarding training, Li Hongzhang suggested changing the army into a foreign gun team and building sand castles in Haikou in imitation of foreign style.
Regarding weapons, Li Hongzhang made a detailed comparison between guns, cannons, bullets and mines in Britain, Russia, Germany, France and the United States, and suggested copying their most advanced weapons. Because of the huge cost of reproduction, he especially suggested that "China and Turkey use foreign methods to open their own coal, iron and other mines." [4] (page 45)
Li Hongzhang attaches great importance to shipbuilding. He thinks that the ships built by Fujian Bureau are small, fragile and expensive. He suggested buying foreign armored ships and sending China craftsmen and soldiers abroad to learn shipbuilding methods and driving training.
Regarding raising wages, Li Hongzhang emphasized the exploitation of iron ore and other mines to make profits. On the method of establishing mining industry, "everything is imitating the western method;" [4](P50) In terms of fund-raising, "either the government borrows capital or persuades wealthy businessmen from far and near to raise funds to form a company." [4](P50)
Regarding the employment of people, Li Hongzhang saw that all the old officials were born in the imperial examination, so "those who are both civil and military and used to sailing and practicing the law are not easy to get ears." [4](P52) Therefore, it is suggested that "a new style of westernization should be established to make progress" [4](P53), and it is required that "where there is a coastal defense province, it is appropriate to set up a Westernization Bureau, which can be divided into geography, calculation, map, steam engine, machine, art of war, artillery, chemistry and electricity." [4](P53)
In the later period of Westernization Movement, the content of legal self-improvement was more extensive. Shipbuilding, gun making, training, coal mining, money casting, weaving, salary increase, pumping water, training talents, etc. They are all imitating western methods.
Second, China must establish itself through industry and commerce as soon as possible.
Thousands of years of farming society have made China people deeply rooted in the concept of building a country through agriculture. However, the failure of the two Opium Wars forced the Qing government to pay huge reparations, which made the already stretched finances even more difficult. The Westernization Movement was struggling due to lack of funds, and Li Hongzhang and other Westernization factions had to find another way out in addition to traditional taxation items such as land tax, population, lijin and customs duties. The Westernization School gradually formed the concept of building a country through industry and commerce in the search for new ways of taxation.
1875, Li Hongzhang proposed to mine metals, kerosene, etc. In the book "A Brief Account of Coastal Defence", the idea of setting up industry and commerce to increase tax sources was generated by imitating the western method of "persuading wealthy businessmen from far and near to form a company, and opening several companies and returning one or two points to the government as appropriate" [4](P50). Then, Guo Songtao pointed out in "Coastal Defence" that "the West established a country, and at Guangkai Port, it was transshipped by foreign businessmen and collected taxes to help it use." [4](P 133) Soon, Xue Fucheng wrote a letter to Chen Yan, pointing out that seeking wealth is the foundation of self-improvement. "If a husband wants to raise foreign rules, he must first practice the foundation of wealth", and wealth must be "compassionate and considerate". [4](P 158) These understandings have already had the embryonic form of the concept of building a country through industry and commerce.
1878, producer Jeff Lee plays the first part, talking about the relationship between industry and commerce and national strength. "In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, Portuguese commerce was the most prosperous and the country was the most powerful. Britain took it from abroad for 200 to 300 years, and Portugal declined. " "The rise and fall of commerce is related to the luck of a country." [4](P 167) pointedly pointed out that the invasion of China by foreign powers was a "commercial war" for the sake of trade and economic interests. The "commercial war" did great harm to China. "Starting from the seaside and going to the hinterland not only erodes people's wealth, but also has been entrenched for a long time according to human nature, so they just do whatever they want." [4](P 165) It was the "commercial war" that made the people of China poor. In dealing with commercial wars, political and military means are very weak. Only by economic means can we "encourage the coastal righteous to follow the example of foreign joint ventures and do trade" [4](P 166), "Those foreign countries that need China will sell it themselves; What China needs foreigners is made by itself "[4](P 167) and will be" taken back ".