(Note:click on Question to enlarge)
Modern history of China has revolved around the question of how to regain sovereignty. Chinese
debate were marked the views of the following groups. Which of the following is not true?
a) The beginning of modern China can be traced to its first encounter with America in the 16th and
17-centuries when the missionaries introduced science such as astronomy and mathematics.
b) The early reformers such as Kang Youwie or Liang Qichao tried to use traditionalideas in new
and different ways to meet the challenge posed by the west.
c) Revolutionaries such as Sun Yat-Sen, first president of the republic, where inspired by ideas
from Japan and the west.
d) The communist Party of China (CCP) wanted to end age-old inequalities and drive out the foreigners.
Answers
Answer:
Paths to Modernization
CHINA
Chinese debates on development were marked by the views of three groups. These are as follows:
Reformers such as Kang Youwei (1858-1927) or Liang Quichao (1873-1929) tried to use traditional ideas in new ways to meet the challenges posed by the West.
Republican revolutionaries such as Sun Yat Sen were inspired by ideas from Japan and the West.
The Communist Party of China (CCP) wanted to end age-old inequalities and drive out the foreigners.
Modernization in China can be traced back to its first encounter with the West in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries when Jesuit missionaries introduced Western sciences such as astronomy and mathematics. The impact of the West gathered momentum in the nineteenth century when Britain used force to expand opium trade leading to the first Opium War (1839-42). This war undermined the ruling Qing dynasty and strengthened demands for reforms and change.
Qing reformers such as Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao realized the need to strengthen the system. They initiated policies to build a modern administrative system, a new army and an educational system. They also set up local assemblies to establish constitutional government. They could see the need to protect China from colonization.
Chinese way of life was deeply influenced by Confucianism. But it was now seen as a major barrier to new ideas and institutions. Students were sent to study in Japan, Britain and France so that they could bring new ideas. In 1905, just after the Russo-Japanese war, the centuries old Chinese examination system (similar to civil services examination) was abolished.