Lagging behind will lead to beatings, which is an experience and lesson drawn by China historians from summing up the history of modern China. Indeed, throughout the history of China, countless examples have warned us that we will be beaten if we lag behind.

In many literary works, the two incidents of burning Yuanmingyuan in the tenth year of Xianfeng in the Qing Dynasty and the twenty-sixth year of Guangxu are attributed to the incompetence of Empress Dowager Cixi. That sounds reasonable, but I don't think it is. A poor and backward country and nation are often in the position of being oppressed, exploited, insulted, invaded and plundered. The history of burning Yuanmingyuan fully proves this point, and backward and weak countries will be beaten.

1840 when the opium war broke out, Britain used opium instead of silver to pay its trade deficit with China. Although China's population and economic aggregate still ranked first in the world at that time, even in the textile industry, Wan Li, a western textile ocean, came to China and lost its cost advantage. But Britain's real advantage lies in its military equipment. Powerful ships and powerful guns made the Qing government tremble with fear. The gap of weapons and equipment between the Qing army and the British army is the key to the failure of the war. Although Humen in Guangdong and Xiamen in Fujian were under the strong coastal defense of Lin Zexu and Deng Tingzhen, the British did not dare to invade. However, due to the lack of military strength in Dinghai, Zhejiang and Dagu defense areas in Tianjin, the British army escaped from reality, took Dinghai and pushed Tianjin, shaking the Qing court and causing chaos, which led to the failure of the Opium War. Therefore, the Opium War made the country passively beaten because of the backwardness of military equipment.