From "Missionary" To Cultural Envoy

After China became the semi-colonial and semi-feudal society, the development of Chinese society has experienced tremendous difficulties. But generally speaking, it overcomes all difficulties and goes towards modern time irresistibly. Over the past 20 years, the spread and the influence of western science and culture in the Late Qing Dynasty has received more and more Chinese and foreign scholars' concern. This thesis selects John Fryer (1839-1928) as the research object on the basis of other scholars' study. Because John Fryer's numerous achievements, especially his attitude and achievements on propagating western science and technology, have unique characteristics. It also has greater influence on modern China's modernization, compared with other western personages that reside in China at that time.Except that introduction and conclusion, the whole frame of this thesis is divided into six chapters.Chapter one is contact, through analyzing and comparing other missionaries and John Fryer's viewpoints on China, this thesis unfold some basic circumstances of China after the Opium War (1840-1842). Then draw the cause why John Fryer changed his mind.Chapter two is conflict, focuses on the transition course and reason of John Fryer from spread Christianity to propagate western science and technology. Finally, this thesis puts forward the author's opinion for whether John Fryer is a missionary or not.Chapter three organized many kinds of primitive documents to evaluate John Fryer's important function in Kiangnan Arsenal. It also appraised the status and role of John Fryer's main translations in modern Chinese science and technology development.Through illustrating the cause, content, characteristic and influence of Ko-chih hui-pien, the first scientific and technological periodical in china, which is set up by John Fryer, Chapter four show especially John Fryer's open and enlighten function in science for modern china.Chapter five pays attention to the teaching content and participant of The Shanghai Polytechnic Institute. From this angle the thesis demonstrates John Fryer's contributions in educational undertaking of China.Owing to some objective causes, combined with own experiences and realizations, John Fryer has his second change: from a person who propagate western science and technology to a cultural envoy. Chapter six mainly demonstrates the works that John Fryer had done to promote the cultural exchange between china and the west.In conclusion, this thesis made new attempts in the following three aspects. Firstly, lay particular emphasis on the analysis of John Fryer's mind transform. Through analyzing the political, economical and cultural circumstances at that time, explore why John Fryer changed his mind. Secondly, use the two change course in the life of John Fryer as the plots to understand this great man. Thirdly, through the research on John Fryer, inquire thoroughly why western science and technology can not make china a strong country, then probe into the reason why Modern china is so weak and so poor in modern times.