The Study On The Group Of Ministers To Foreign Countries In The Late Qing Dynasty (1875—1911)

This dissertation takes the group of ministers to foreigncountries in the Late Qing Dynasty as the research object, theprevious studies placed great emphasis on minister's biography brief,diplomatic affairs and thoughts, particularly attached importance toinvestigating their accomplishment in the fields of politicaltransformation, economic transition and spread of western learningin isolation, lacking of macroscopic investigation and comparativeanalysis of their group characteristics and individual differences. Thepaper intends to see through minister's global characteristics anddifferences at any of various stages of Late Qing's diplomacythrough searching for and reading up numerous source material suchas diaries, travels, letters, memorials, telegrams etc. that ministersleft over, diplomatic archives of Late Qing which published in recentyears and precedent research achievements and adopting the methodof combination with group study and case study to research theconstitution and evolution of their regional distribution, original rank,age structure, tenure, family background, etc.This dissertation is concerned primarily with the differencesand evolution of knowledge structure, Westernization and diplomatic experience of ministers stem from enlightened gentry, new-styleSchools' and overseas students in order to clarify the level ofcomprehensive diplomatic appreciation and the great effect onforeign affairs. With Late Qing's diplomacy developed in-depth, thegroup of ministers advanced with the times, the outdated ones werewashed out, the ones who had accepted modern education especiallyoverseas education started to become main force of diplomacy, thediplomatic modernization and diplomat professionalism of modernchina will be come true at this time.This dissertation chooses typical cases to analyze the impactand constraint of geography, profession, popularity, reference,learning and experience to different kinds of ministers' diplomaticpractice on the basis of above research so as to re-create theirdiplomatic struggles to safeguard national interests and to save thenation from peril and the pain and helplessness who endured as aresult of these, then reflecting on the real reason for the failure ofLate Qing's diplomacy, unscrambling era fortune of the group ofministers and reappraising the merits and demerits of them, so as todeepen the understanding of modern chinese diplomacy.