December 3, 1866, Beijing, CHINA -- The imperial government has passed a new policy not too long ago called the "Self-Strengthening Policy." This movement's main goal is, as can be inferred from its title, to strengthen itself. We plan to do this by adopting Western technology while keeping our traditional Confucian values and institutions. In other words, we want to modernize mainly our military and build an industrial base without changing our basic Chinese civilization and culture. There will be a strong stress on Western arms and machinery, scientific knowledge, and technical education (1). The fact is, that the British are slowly taking over our land and crushing our culture. If we don't do something soon, it will result in the same old imperialism once again. But is it possible? We can't let the Barbarians completely conquer us, but we can't admit to their being right by modernizing when we feel that they are so wrong. The main question that this movement is trying to answer is: how do we preserve the ancestral China while modernizing certain parts of it?
Several embarrassing problems of the mid-nineteenth century led to this decision, including: "the defeat by the British, humiliating treaties imposed on by China by Western powers, the Taiping rebellion, the Muslim rebellions, and, most humiliating of all, the foreign occupation of Beijing in 1860" (2). Many feel that our only choice is a movement such as this. Farmer Li Yun Han agrees: "Personally, I am not looking forward to spending the rest of my lifetime as a slave for the British. So, in order to overcome those barbaric devils, we must at least become equal, if not superior, to them in military strength. At the same time, however, China cannot lose its traditional essence, which is why I think this movement is perfect for our nation."
The imperialist government has a negative perspective towards modernizing and being like the brutal Western outsiders. We can't just let them overpower us, though we cannot change our ways, which were good from the start, to their ways, which, we think, are wrong. China is not willing to sacrifice its pride for either choice. Fighting back is not an option, as we have already been embarrassed enough by them, as official and influential adviser Feng Kuei-Fen states here five years ago: "Yet we are shamefully humiliated by the four nations [England, Russia, United States, France], not because our climate, soil, or resources are inferior to theirs, but because our people are inferior. And if we feel ashamed, there is nothing better than self-strengthening" (3). It looks to China as though to repel, we must use their instruments, but not their ways. The conservative scholars and officials, however, have a different outlook. They believe that when properly performed, the imperial government was responsible for many good things, and therefore this particular movement is unnecessary. Contamination of the Chinese civilization is feared by these conservative opponents, while others are supporting this mission (4).
For now, I am in agreement with the conservative
rivals of this movement. The Self-Strengthening Movement, to me,
seems as though it is an
impossible mission. Though it has only been in progress for about
five years, I don't see how a country as large as ours can try
to be two things so
completely different from each other at the same time, and succeed.
To make the process harder, we are inferior to them in four main
ways, as Kuei-Fen observes: "Why are the Western nations
small and yet strong? Why are we large and yet weak?...In not
wasting human talents, in not wasting natural resources, in allowing
no barrier to come between the ruler and the people, and in the
matching of words with deeds, we are inferior to the barbarians"
(5). Though I cannot predict the future, I for my part feel like
the Self-Strengthening Movement will fail. Yet there is a new
contagious high level of optimism running throughout the country.
Also, influenced by nationalism, I will, for now, try to agree
with the motto applied to our imitation of those western barbarians:
"Heaven moves on strongly; the gentlemen therefore incessantly
strengthen themselves" (6).
(1) Chaffee, John. "Self-Strengthening
Movement." In "Modern China." [http://history.binghamton.edu/hist274/Feb22.htm].
02.22.2000
(2) Hooker, Richard. "Self-Strengthening." In "Ch'ing
China." [http://www.wsu.edu.8080/~dee/CHING/SELF.HTM].
7-14-1999
(3) OBrien, Joseph V. [JOBJJ@cunyvm.cuny.edu].
"Feng Kuei-Fen on Self-Strengthening." In "Proposals
for Self-Strengthening." [http://web.jjay.cuny.edu/~jobrien/reference/ob32.html].
(4) Conrad Schirokauer, A Brief History of Chinese and Japanese
Civilizations (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers,
1978), 454.
(5) OBrien, 1.
(6) Ray Huang, China: A Macro History (M.E. Sharpe, Inc.,
1988), 209.
Image Sources:
Boat: "Skipper." In "China." [http://home4.inet.tele.dk/jbach/skipperlaug/china.htm].11-29-1866
Modern Naval Ship: "USS Monacacy." In "Naval Historical Center." [www.history.navy.mil/photos/ images/h45000/h45983t.jpg]. 1866.
