Fukuzawa Yukichi’s Views On China

Fukuzawa Yukichi is called "Father of Contemporary Japan." His views on Sino-Japan relations have been adjusted and developed through the process in contemporary history. Beneath the changing drastic views, there are his constant ideological basis and rules of formation This dissertation mainly discusses Yukichi ’s specific views on China in different periods of time and the interaction between his views on China and the historical events.This dissertation has been constituted into13chapters.The first chapter mainly focuses on the boyhood of Fukuzawa Yukichi. The formation of his views was strongly influenced by the Confucius thoughts, the Western education, and intellectual-provoking characters. The hardship of his boyhood and the influence from his parents, siblings, mentors and friends gradually formed his academic attitude. He emphasized the "practical learning" which was represented by the western natural science rather than the "unpractical learning" which was irrelevant to the daily life. The education of Confucius accepted during his youth not only cultivated him as a learned intellectual, but also provided him a basic framework to understand Japan. Chinese and the world during a long period of time. His smooth writing which had accurate layers and comprehensive Chinese style essays clearly showed that character. Furthermore, thinking patterns of Zhu Xi’s ideology also showed in his works. Hence, he tended to understand the natural law when he accepted the international principles in the International Law.The second chapter focuses on Yukichi’s3overseas experiences during Japan’s Shogun times. The overseas experiences enabled him to witness the development of the world. Thus became the turning point to learn the Western civilization. The dissertation mainly investigates the impact he experienced when he encountered a real China while he stayed in the foreign countries. Compared with other Japanese in his time. Yukichi had different perspectives upon the Second Opium War. the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement and Lin Zexu. Those distinctions became the start of the self-identification of Japan in his mind. In Yakuchi’s mind. although European countries and China were all "the other". they had different effects upon Japan. When China became the eliminated target. Western countries should be the ideal objects followed by Japan. It’s worth to point out that to the certain extent, those two concepts were raised by Yukichi for the sake of independence and development of contemporary Japan.The third chapter is a research on the works written by Yukichi. Yukichi wrote Comings and Goings of Foreigners. The Duties of Citizens of the Nation during the handover between Bakumatsu and Meiji Period. He advocated to repel the foreigners, reform the political policies, combed the relationship between Japan and China. The information about China gained by Yukichi was almost via European countries and the United States thus unavoidably had the European color. They emphasized the legitimacy of each country, denied the unjustness of the Opium War and the deprivation of rights. Influenced by the Euro-centered idea. Fukuchi believed that the throne of China was unstable. Because he backed the idea without any discrimination. he couldn’t understand the justice of Chinese defense movements represented by Lin Zexu. He thought that Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement was merely a foreigner-exile movement.Chapter four analyzes the contents which were relevant to the interior and diplomatic policies in A memorial submitted by Fukuchi. He equaled the foreigner-exile movement to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement in China. thus suggested that the government of Shogun could use the policies adopted by the Qing government-using the troops from France and the Great Britain to suppress the anti-Shogun power in the risk of damaging the state sovereignty. The idea reflects that Fukuchi’s views on the Shogun just as same as his views on the Qing government-a strong sense of crisis.Besides. Fukuchi’s acceptance of The International Law translated by William Alexander Parsons Martin (1827-1916) becomes the highlight of Chapter Four. With William’s religious belief and the help with other Chinese people during the process of translation. The International Law inclined to interpret the spirit of the international laws by using the natural laws. The way of interpretation shared a same frame with Zhu Xi’s ideology:therefore, the book could be accepted by the Eastern Asians who believed in Confucius. At the beginning, The International Law in Japan also encountered the same circumstance when it appeared in China. Fukuchi had the same view on the international law during that time.The fifth chapter mainly discusses the identical frame shared by Fukuchi’s An Encouragement of Learning and Zhu Xi’s ideology. The enlightenment of the work. international justice and international morality showed in Fukuchi’s view on the international issue and China.Fukuchi expressed his enlightening thought in An Encouragement of Learning could be summarized by two key words:"freedom" and "equality"."Freedom" and "equality" were two simple yet romantic words became the ideal among individuals, countries, could represent the enlightening spirit in Menji times. Fukuchi used the thought which embodied strong Zhu Xi’s ideology to actively express his diplomatic views.Chapter six mainly discusses another book An Outline of a Theory of Civilization which was written by Fukuchi. In the book, he expressed his views on the world. Asia and the comparative study in Sino-Japanese relationship. Fukuchi’s thought began to alternate from the enlightening idea which contained the idealism to the thought of nationalism. Therefore the huge conflict between the values such as liberty, equality and science in which he approved and the ultimate objectives of the human civilization used only as the aim of Japan’s independence occurred. The comparative theory between monism of Chinese culture and the dualism of Japanese culture encouraged Japanese to learn western civilization. It also set the profound thinking module of Japanese people toward China. But we have to clearly aware that that idea was the one which was formed to serve his theory, but not the concrete one.Chapter seven analyzes Fukuchi’s view on the first military confrontation between China and Japan in1874. Japan invaded Taiwan on the excuse of the death of a Loochoo fisherman. The invasion started from invading Taiwan and ended by making compensation by the Qing government. For this specific event, on the contrary of the heated nationalism within Japan, Fukuchi indifferently counted the loss in economy during the war and he concluded that sending troops into Taiwan outweighed the gain. He suggested that Japan should solve the domestic development and education by using the bilateral conflict. Japan’s diplomatic strategy should focus on western countries but not Asian countries. Fukuchi showed no interests in China on the surface, but beneath the indifference, he was truly concerned about Japan’s diplomatic crisis of under the weak economy basis. Besides, in that event. Fukuchi gradually confirmed a fixed thinking model, in which he tried to solve the domestic problem by using the invasion strategy. The realistic method of Machiavellism became the major characteristic of his view on China in the future. In chapter eight, it surveys how Fukuchi’s views on China and the world had been changed after the conflict between the officials and common people after the flourishing of the civil rights movements in Japan. During that period. Fukuchi published a series of books which include: Popular Discourse on National Rights. Popular Discourse on People ’s Rights. Transition of People’s Way of Thinking. Commentary on the Current Problems. In those books. he abandoned the thoughts of pursuing freedom and equality and turned to the thought that the right of the state was prior to the right of the civil rights. At the same time, he exaggerated the foreign crisis, advocating that Japan should claim war to encourage national spirit so that the harmony of the officials and common people could be achieved. He denied the international justice in the International Laws, advocated the "Japanese strategy" to violate other countries. finally became a nationalist withAsianism.Coincidentally. some Koran reformers approached Fukuchi at that time. During the guidance, companioned with confidence of the development of Japanese civilization, Fukuchi expressed his Eastern Asia strategy and became a complete Asianist after urging Japan to be the "Leader of East Pacific Allicance." Chapter nine has a survey on Fukuchi ’s view on China during Korean Coup in1882. Before the year of1882, Fukuchi thought that Japan was the representative of Asian countries:therefore it’s undoubtedly the one who send army to the other Asian countries and control them. Behind the confidence lied the despise upon China. So. contrary to the other politicians and thinkers, Fukuchi wrote some tough articles. But the swift reaction of the Qing government during the coup totally overturned Fukuchi’s views on China:he thought that China was a powerful military country. He therefore considered China as a powerful competitor of Japan and fastened the pace to influent KoreaChapter ten has a survey on the periods between the1882Coup to the1884Gapsin Coup in Korea. Fukuchi’s view on China was changed and shaken under the triangle framework of China. Japan and Korea. After the1882Coup. Fukuchi took a series of actions to operate his "Korea Strategy." He influenced and guided the Korean reformers:sent his students to guide Korean officials. united radical activists in Japan to offer weapons for the people in the coup. But the1884Coup of Korea lasted only three days after the interference of the troops sent by the Qing government. It was the mark of the failure of Fukuchi’s "Korea Strategy." Fukuchi published Datsu-A Ron with great disappointment after his failure. He claimed that Japan should be separated from Asia and should suppress China and Korea by using Europeans violent method. If only judged by Fukuchi’s Datsu-A Ron, he became an imperialist from an Asianist.From the1884Gapsin Coup to the Sino-Japanese War of1894-1895. Fukuchi’s view on China shifted from coordination and confrontation constantly. Chapter eleven mainly analyzes the background and characters during that period of time. Fukuchi didn’t give up Asianism completely. In1885. the Great Britain occupied Port Hamilton. facing the conflict between Britain and Russia, the relationship between China and Japan had a temporary peace. Fukuchi therefore emphasized the importance of the harmoruous relationship with China. He also stressed that it was necessary to trade with China to learn Chinese language and so on. In1886. the "Nagasaki Event" happened during the visit of the Beiyang Fleet stimulated the sensitive nerve of Fukuchi. It forced him to pick the Asianism again and urged Japanese government to set a "Defense Line " along the territory of Korea and keep Korea within the sphere of Japanese influence. His idea was adopted and uttered in Premier Yamagata Aritomo’s speech in the Japanese Congress.Chapter twelve analyzes Fukuchi’s view on China before the Sina-Japanese War of 1894-1895and the domestic policies within Japan. Japan issued Meiji Constitution in1889and set the congress the next year. It remarked the establishment of contemporary system of Japanese emperor. At the same time, free civil rights activists also had a lawful space. The conflict between the civil rights activists and the autocratic government became severe. Officials and common people were incompatible. Facing the crisis, Fukuchi stressed the power of his "Korea Strategy ", ignored the "Korean as a Vassal state " raised by the Qing government. He suggested that the Japanese government provoke conflicts in Korea so that they could find an excuse of international conflict to release the crisis within Japan. At that moment, Fukuchi completed eliminated the kind intention to guide Korea to step into the rank of civilized society around1884and fell into the circumstance of" using tricks to run the country". In his mind, China was the barrier to the success of "Japanese Strategy." During the negotiation of the "Grain Embargo Controversy" between Japan and Korea, he continuously urged Japanese government to provoke conflicts in Korea and even having a war with China.Chapter thirteen mainly had survey on the speeches and views on China before the Sino-Japanese War of1894-1895. In the year of1894, Kim Okgyun was assassinated in Shanghai. Fukuchi was outraged of the event treated by China and Korea because Fukuchi and Kim Okgyun had a close relationship. He proposed a battle between Japan and China. After the war, Fukuchi wrote and published editorials everyday. He advocated wars, donations and encouraged Japanese soldiers rushed to Beijing to kill and rob. He indulged himself into the craziness of the war He also tried to cover the massacre in Lushun, beautify the invasion of Taiwan. During the negotiation after the victory, he asked for high compensation and a large piece of land to weaken China’s ability to recover from the loss. His inhumane activities showed that he was almost insane. He defined the Sino-Japanese War as the war between a civilized Japan and a barbaric China. Meanwhile, in order to hide the injustice of Japan, he tried to find a reasonable excuse for the war. The Sino-Japanese War was not only the realization of Fukuchi’s lifelong thoughts about civilization in reality, but also the declaration of the end of Meiji enlightening thoughts. Since then, the system of Japanese emperor became stable and Japan ran on a road to fascism.Conclusion:The views on China of Fukuzawa Yukichi were derived from the Confucius education in his boyhood and strengthened after a further understanding of a real China during his growth. The views were adapted according to the change of Sino-Japanese relationship. Because he knew Chinese classics and culture very well, his views on China were more comprehensive than the views held by other Japanese in his time. The traits which contained the perspectives of history of civilization had a profound influence upon the diplomatic policies executed by Japan government and the overall impression of China for the contemporary Japanese during the Meiji time.