Ryan Templet
Chi 331
Change
What
does it take to be a strong, successful nation? Why are some of the world's
most powerful nations no longer existent? "All countries have the same sun and
moon, all have mountains and rivers, and all consist of people with feet and
skulls; but some countries rise while others fall, and some become strong while
others are weak... A state is formed by the assembling of people." (Liang Qichao,
page 289) A great quote from a powerful man during the turn of the twentieth
century, but what does Qichao actually mean? At a microscopic look of every
nation, present and past, they all have the same basics. Every new nation
starts out at the same level, and the nation's progress is entirely dependent
on its people. To become a successful, powerful, and organized nation, it takes
a number of things: leaders, thinkers, workers; to be a nation, it requires
people of every kind.
In my
time as a student studying history and many different cultures during different
eras, I have learned that there is one thing that is absolutely essential for a
nation, a state, or a people, to survive and to thrive: change. Without change,
no nation could ever advance itself. It takes thinkers and leaders to develop
new ideas to better themselves. Without change, we would all still be stuck in
the Age of Neanderthals, making no advancements since the beginning of our
existence. Adaptation is just as essential for nations to improve as it is for evolution.
As the
nineteenth century ended, China went through a period of great change. China
saw the rise of the Western powers, and how quickly they became super powers in
the world. China was stuck in its traditional cultural values, while the West
began new, never before seen things. While some Chinese people were fond of the
idea of change, or Westernization, many opposed it. There were several key
figures during this period of change that really stood out and helped the
advancement of the country, though it was not an easy, quick task.
Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao were very
prominent figures in urging for reforms in the country. "Liang became
fully convinced that popular education and the instilment of nationalism were
China's greatest needs." (Liang Qichao, age 288) Qichao observed the
education practices of the West and he knew this was an area that needed much
improvement in order to get the reformation started. China was far behind in
technology compared to the Western powers, and with better education for its
citizens, that gapped could be closed. As for nationalism, Qichao saw how proud
citizens of Western countries were to be men of their country. Nationalism can
be described as, "the desire for national advancement or political
independence." (Dictionary.com) It seemed as if the Chinese people didn't
have this sense of nationalism. The citizens seemed to just accept their fate
and do as they were told. The story Sea of Regret, by Wu Jianren, told
the fictional tale of a couple that is separated during the Boxer Rebellion. Citizens
were forced to flee their hometowns due to the fighting that was happening
around them. But, the most surprising thing about these citizens was how apathetic
they were towards the fighting. While they feared for their lives, the seemed
to accept the fact that there was nothing they could do better their, or their
country's, situation. Each and every citizen appeared to have a civil a duty,
and they kept with this duty at all times no matter what. This is a great
example of resistance to change and keeping their traditional values. In a
Western society, if something like this were to happen, citizens would stand up
with pride for what they thought was right for their country, and that is what
nationalism is.
In
today's society, the media is very influential towards the opinions and values
of people. This was also very true during this era in China, although media
came in a different form. As opposed to motion pictures and news channels, the
Chinese learned from reading literature. It only makes sense that as China
itself began to adapt to the new age, that Chinese literature adapted as well.
Many writers began writing about other nations and using strong, in depth
metaphors to describe China's reluctancy towards change. A prime example of
these writings is Lu Xun's Diary of a Madman. The story describes a man
who lives in a village full of cannibals while he is the only one who is not.
In this village there appears to be three types of people: those who are
cannibals who feel it's right because it has always been that way, those who
are cannibals because they're afraid of the others, and those who are not
cannibals because they feel it is wrong. Lu Xun is alluding to China's current
situation of Westernization. The cannibals who felt it was right were the
people who felt it was to uphold their traditional values and resist change
because it had always been that way. The cannibals who were just afraid of the
others were the people who knew change was for the best, but they were afraid
what would happen to them if they told their opinion. The ones who felt that
cannibalism was wrong and the village needed to change were the leaders of
reformation and supported Westernization. "They'd rather die than take one
little step." (Diary of a Madman, page 37)
Based
off of the literature that we have read thus far in class, it's very easy to
see how hard it was for the whole country of China to conform to this new style
of living, and still not every Chinese person has given up their traditional
Chinese values. Change is not an effortless task for an entire nation and it
takes time. There will always be values that are forever important to a
society, that will never be given up. During this era, the main areas most
affected by change were education, military, nationalism, equality and the
treatment of women. Changing these aspects from traditional values allowed the
country to catch up with the Western powers, which eventually led China to
become one of the world's super powers. Without change, or leaders who pursued
reformation, that would not have been possible.
