A Probing About Zhang Zhidong's Diplomatic Thoughts

Zhang Zhidong's diplomatic thoughts are very affluent in content. As a self-contained system, it has a close relation with the change of modern era, his experience, and his Confucian background. Zhang Zhidong's diplomatic thoughts can be classified into three stages.The first stage is before the year 1885. His diplomatic thought is directed by Confucian spirit, and he advocates "virtue and morality is fundamentally". In other words, "virtue and morality" can hold back wars . But he is also suspicious of this practical effect, so he protests neoteric measures in diplomatism.The second stage ranges from the year 1885 to the year 1894. Zhang Zhidong casts away past ideas, that is, "virtue and morality is fundamentality", and begins to treat factual issues based on realities. The missionary case and the distribution of the powers between China and foreign countries embody the changing thoughts. But to Zhang Zhidong, this change is unilateral.The third stage is the time starts from the year 1894. Because China faces the critical situation in every aspect, "controlling foreigners by foreigners" is from the strategy to the stratagem. It is tied up with the China-foreign force contrast, and the traditional "rein foreign enemies" thought. This stratagem embodies three ordinal and ever-deepen layers: the idea of associating with strong powers, allied with strong powers, balance of powers.In conclusion, we can be aware of the profound infection which the era's heavy movement and Confucian ideology imposes on Chinese traditional scholar-bureaucrats, from Zhang Zhidong's diplomatic thoughts.