Seeking The Social And Cultural Changes In The Late Qing Period From Tian-shi-zhai Pictorial

The social and cultural changes are a long-term but slow-moving process. It's not enough to thoroughly comprehend the social and cultural changing process just from works, thoughts and behaviors of elite thinker, however, we still should pay attention to the positions and functions of the ordinary people in social and cultural changes. In late Qing, people's thoughts and behaviors differed gradually with traditional social culture at business cities, especially the rented cities, because of the invading forces from the outside and the economic development. It's better studying material on people's lives in Tian-shi-zhai Pictorial which had recorded abundant current news, science and technology inventions, social lives, etc, and was popular for more than 15 years in late Qing. This article tries to inquiry into the social and cultural changes in late Qing, which is divided into six parts: The first part elaborates the founding process and special running features about Tian-shi-zhai Pictorial born in the process of the west learning gradually disseminating towards the east. For the sake of amusing, broadening views and advising & punishing, the magazine collected matters of novelty and favorite in the Chinese and foreign news by giving priority to pictures other than characters, following the practical and realistic principle. Because the editor extensively adopted the Chinese and foreign materials, projecting the Chinese features and catering to the needs of those days and tastes of the Chinese, it was welcomed well by the people of that time. The second part explores into the new changes of social lives from the dressing, eating, traveling, utilizing and amusing in Tian-shi-zhai Pictorial in late Qing, for example, people's clothing was increasingly gorgeous, presenting the tendency of westernizing; people's food was increasingly abundant and colorful, not only could they eat menus of the South and North, but also the menus of the abroad; the enhancement and introduction of vehicles made people's travel increasingly convenient and fast; people's amusement also became increasingly abundant and colorful with the introduction of the western entertainment. The third part inquires into the social fashion changes in Tian-shi-zhai Pictorial. Along with the social transition in late Qing, the values of the people had changed, money worship was widely accepted, extravagance was increasingly serious, and stepping into society by women prevailed, which all indicated that people's values gradually deviated from tradition and switched to the liberty and equality. The fourth part elaborates the information of the modern scientific knowledge dissemination and culture evolvement in Tian-shi-zhai Pictorial. The backgrounds of the west learning gradually disseminating towards the east made the magazine have an active and liberal mind, introduce scientific knowledge, push forward the social and cultural changes science-oriented in late Qing; and various education groups also actively participated in the process of the formation of social culture, advancing the progress of educational undertakings toward modernity. The fifth part then inquires into patriotic consciousness in Tian-shi-zhai Pictorial. The patriotic consciousness of people in late Qing accumulated obviously, which not only lied in uniting Chinese people in face of the armed aggressions to safeguard national sovereignty and independence, but also lied in people's actively studying the western science and technology to pursue prosperity and resist the threats of enemies; still lied in the active participation of elites in politics to save the nation from extinction. The sixth part analyzes the causes of embarrassment that the social and cultural changes encountered. Generally speaking, only believing in books and the rules of ancestors suppressed people's thoughts and affected people's learning on the new culture efficiently; the civil service exam system affected the selection and appointment of the new talents the nation needed urgently; the donating & contri...