From The Perspective Of Tianxia To Nation-state:Study On The Diaries Of Late Qing Envoys To Western Countries

The diaries of Late Qing envoys to western countries are far different from the classical travel notes of China.They were the first large-scale officials sent overseas by the Qing government,crossing the mainland and visiting overseas in person and exploring new knowledge with practical.In the background of deepening national crisis,envoys’ travel writing was different from the aesthetic experience of leisurely travel in classical travelogues.Envoys shouldered the mission of struggling for survival,they hoped to find a way to save the Qing Dynasty by learning from the western countries.Under the influence of the western knowledge and the fact that China was in decline,the Confucianism-centered discourse system that Late Qing envoys believed in began to falter.In contact with the western countries,envoys felt the growth of western countries that were once seen as barbarians,but they can hardly forget the glory day and the culture of a thousand years.During the journey,they were curious,amazed,anxious and felt humiliated.The various emotions eventually merged into a mentality hovering between the Confucianism-centered discourse system and the western discourse system.Based on the above context,this paper takes the diaries of Late Qing envoys to western countries as the research object.By the means of close reading of the text,this paper tries to sort out the mentality hovering between the Confucianism-centered discourse system and the nationalism which is inspired by western countries.First,this paper tries to sort out the background of the Late Qing Dynasty,the era of moving from the tianxia(all under heaven)to a nation-state.Then back to the text,through the writings of the Late Qing envoys and the reproduction of their western imagination to present their wandering between two discourse systems.Finally,this paper attempts to explain the causes and value of this mindset.In the process of going global,Late Qing envoys had a wandering mentality due to the displacement of space.The new knowledge of the western countries brought them a cultural shock,so that they did not know how to explain the new things,but Confucianism has always influenced them and bridged the gaps in their cognitive system.Their travelogue which mixed the traditional and western discourse systems left knowledge and experience for those who followed.Their travel writing contributes to the formation of China as a nation-state and is constantly renewing the tianxia(all under heaven).By analyzing the thoughtful content of the envoys’ writings,we can see how China changed from tianxia(all under heaven)to a nation-state.Today,how to build a new world order with Confucian moralism has become a hot topic,the diaries of Late Qing envoys to western countries may rejuvenate once again,and provides experiences for China’s opening up.