Morrison And The Political Transformation In The Late Qing & Early Republic Period

The author of this paper, under the guidance of historical and dialectical materialism, the principles of faithfulness to historical facts and reliance on historical records, and dependence on the academic achievements by former scholars, conducts a case study of Dr. J. E. Morrison, the correspondent of the Times in Beijing with an attempt to provide a new survey and interpretation of the political transformation in the special period from the late Qing to the early Republic, and to explore the interactions between China-Western civilizations and the counter-measures taken by the backward side in order to find its foothold in the world of nations, from which proper references for the current socialist construction are suggested.Regarding Morrison himself, the paper holds that Morrison's insights into and feelings about China were not always constant during his 21 years of life in China, which underwent development and changes. Reaching China, Morrison looked in contempt, arrogance and insolence at China, which he thought was purely a paradise of the western powers' plunder and in which he was obliged to protect the British interests. Morrison himself was then nothing but an accomplice of British invasion But as he lived longer in China, Morrison, after witnessing series of political and social changes in China, gradually began to be sympathetic on and passionate for China, and even protected China's interests. Morrison finally became a life-devoting friend of the Chinese people.The author also believes that the changes Morrison's attitudes toward, affectations for, and ideas about China did not merely result from the development of his nature, but closely related to the progress and development of the Chinese society. Generally speaking, the history of the Chinese society from the late Qing to the early Republic after all demonstrated a general tendency of development and the transition from the conflict between the Chinese civilization and the world civilizations, particularly the Western civilization, to a gradual integration. The pioneering and persistent spirit of the whole Chinese nation inspired and affected many Westerners, including Morrison. That's to say, it was China's development that influenced them and changed their misunderstanding of and prejudice against China.Through the case study of Morrison, the author thinks that different civilizations of the world are not isolated in nature but can interact, mutually exchange and integrate. It is particularly the case of the East and the West civilizations.. Any artificial hostilities will certainly hurt mutually. On the other hand, interaction, mutual integration and absorption will benefit both. For relatively backward China's civilization in its contactswith the advanced Western civilization, the following should be fully aware and attended to in order to catch up with and furthermon: to surpass the Western civilization. (1): We should openly and welcomingly take in and absorb the advanced Western civilizations instead of returning to the past praclice in which we self-admired and rejected everything foreign; (2): Only when we constantly attain self-development and progress, can we win world recognition and respect. (3): China can only follow the policy of "peaceful development" and leave the world the message that "China's development benefits the world" and "China is indispensable to the world and vice versa", so as to eliminate the worries of the world and the worries of the Western countries in particular for the creation of a peaceful and stable external surrounding for our modernization drive.