The View From Bakumatsu Meiji Travels And The Knowledge Of Three Important Cities In The Middle-lower Yangtze Riverin Late Qing Dynasty And Its Analysis

During the forties or fifties of the 19th century to the ten or twenties of the 20th century, the relationship between the Late Qing Dynasty and the Japan in Bakumatsu Meiji era became increasingly close as the Western military force extends to the China gradually. With the signing of Sino-Japanese Provisions of Cordial Relations and the occurrence of the Jiawu Sino-Japanese War, the contact between two countries was increasingly frequent. The Japanese who came to the Late Qing Dynasty left a large number of travels about Shanghai, Nanjing and Wuhan which becomes the important historical materials on the understanding of Japan in Bakumatsu Meiji era towards three important cities located in the Middle-lower Yangtze River in Bakumatsu Meiji era. It also has important value for analyzing the outlook of Japan in Bakumatsu Meiji era towards China.The imagologie belongs to the categoryof comparative literature. Travels of bakumatsu Meiji, as the research materials, relates to many fields, such as historical geography, history of international relations, economic history and cultural history and so on.Shanghai is the epitome of Chinese modernization in late Qing Dynasty. The image of Shanghai is of typical significance no matter from the business, finance, urban construction and urban modernization, or from social structure or cultural collisions between western and eastern. Shanghai Wusong Port and Huangpu Port is very prosperous, while coastal defense is very weak. Shorthouse, narrow road and the every sight of shabby and sordid scene of Shanghai County form the marked contrast to the foreign concession’s high buildings, broad road and clean and sanitary. In Shanghai in Late Qing Dynasty, people living in the bottom of society can be seen everywhere, while foreigners are more defiant, especially in the concession where the foreigners master municipal privileges for most people in Late Qing Dynasty fear the foreigners. Nanjing is a special but important symbol in Late Qing and Early Republic of China in Chinese history. In terms of the urban transportation of Nanjing, it has a path out of the Chaoyangmen to the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, Jiangning road used to drive western wagon and Nanjing railway to run the train. The opening trade of Nanjing promotes the development of Nanjing foreign trade and Sanshanjie and Shuiximen is the most prosperous place in downtown business. People living in Nanjing in Late Qing Dynasty include Liang Jiang Governor Duan Fang who likes to communicate with foreigners and people in the bottom of society, such as Beggar, carter, porter, and servant and Qinghuai hostesses who maintain life by singing. Though, it has recovered with difficulty from the Taiping Movement, the city didn’t decline and fall. Overall, Nanjing still has its former style and its elegance remains. Due to Wuhan’s reputation of "thoroughfare of nine provinces", there are many records of Hankou in Bakumatsu Meiji Travels. Hankou is an important port of central China for transferring and selling of foreign trade. Opening of Beijing-Hankou railway makes Hankou gain the modern trade conditions for its water transportation lead to east and west and land route lead to south and north. In addition, as the establishment of foreign concessions, Hankou gains the reputation as the "Toyo Chicago". Hanyang Iron-making Plant works perfectly well and Wuchang government-operate factories and modern schools are set up more. Generally speaking, the establishment of concession, modern industry and the development of education make Wuhan become the representative image of Chinese central city in Late Qing Dynasty.In Japanese eyes in Bakumatsu Meiji era, the Late Qing Dynasty in China as a whole showed a "decline" image. In Bakumatsu Travels, Chinese are considered ignorance, but there are accounts under the "despicable" perspective that Chinese are generous. In the Meiji period, Chinese completely become opium addiction and exaggeration, injustice, and stubborn, they called such a situation as "patients everywhere in China". Of course, for the understanding of the Late Qing Dynasty in China, the Japanese themselves also have contradictory views, the representative one is Takahashi ken’s "two points of China’s future". The first point is that China is a big country, as long as forge ahead, it can be the overlord of Toyo. Therefore, it cannot be humiliated. The other is that we don’t need to be afraid of China, because the unsolved civilization of it is just stubborn and arrogant. After the Jiawu Sino-Japanese War, only Naito Konan and few scholars claims that China has a profound enough civilization for re-rising and Chinese people are diligent in study. Most travels writers start to generalize China’s national character, in which is full of negative sight, such asnational indifference, selfish, prefer to say empty rhetoric, only value forms, endemic corruption, frail-looking, gambling, superstition, social climbing and weakness. Few non-negative perspectives like diligence, perseverance and emphasis on business credit can’t be regarded as positive evaluation for such standpoints come from Chinese egomaniacal situation and the effect of western commercial civilization.The transformation process of "Huayi Conception" in the view of Japan has a close connection with Japanese outlook on China. Traditional "Huayi Conception" centers on China and establishes relationships with neighboring countries according to the cultural advantages and disadvantages, which conforms to the Chinese concept. After Ming Dynasty was replaced by Qing Dynasty, Japan built the new "Huayi Conception" gradually. Moreover, with the thought development of Japan, the situation that Japan is superior to China reversed the traditional "Huayi conception" centered on China fundamentally. Sato Nobuhiro presents that Qing Dynasty is barbarians and Britain is barbarians as well and advocates striking Britain but keeping Qing Dynasty alive for hoping that China can defeat Britain and become the western barrier permanently. Japanese pragmatism Huayi Conception becomes basic principle for guiding modern Japanese to deal with diplomatic relations with China. It also becomes the basic perspective of some other thoughts afterwards like "race League" and "united Asia to against Europe and America". From the standpoint of Japan "Shina", as the appellation of China, experiences the beautify usage and practical usage, then turns to the contemptuous usage with negative meaning. In terms of Japan, usage from "Han", "Tang", and "China" to "Shina" has two meanings. One is to realize the debonding with China from both language and culture. The other purpose aims to blur the reality that China is the origin of Japanese civilization, which provide Japan with possible contexts to invade China like western countries. The changing process of the word "Shina"is followed by the establishment of Japanese nationalism. The word "Shina" becomes "the other" for the establishment of Japanese nationalism.Through interpreting the travels, the author presents the images of three important cities in the Middle-lower Yangtze River in the Late Qing Dynasty in the eyes of Japanese in Bakumatsu Meiji era by using line drawing, on which basis it analyses its perceptions about China. While the analysis of the establishment process of Japanese pragmatism Huayi conception and the changing process of "Shina" exactly echos the analysis of the formational process of the negative perception of Japan in Bakumatsu Meiji era towards China.