The Rise And Fall Of The Thought Of Westernization In A Full Scale (1979～2007)

The year 2008 marks 30th anniversary of China's reform and opening up. 30 years ago, China's intellectual circle experienced a turning from the belief of Westernization to the Chinese tradition. Looking back into the history, we found that during the 1980s is featured with the so called"Western fever", meaning the thoughts and belief from the western world were highly valued and welcomed; however, in the 1990s, the studies on Chinese tradition became increasingly popular, and the traditional philosophy, literature and views about the world and life seemed to have returned to our life. The reason for that phenomenon is what this article attempts to explore. The thought of Westernization in a full scale, in general term, usually took place in the non-Western countries when they were in the early stage of modernization. The rise of thought of Westernization in China, in the 1980s, took place as the development of the reform and opening up continued, in which China's society shifted from the traditional agricultural pattern to the modern industrialized pattern, with the proceeding of industrialization and urbanization. The discussion over westernization at that time can be seen as the renewal of the topic that have been discussed since the Opium War, the topic of in which direction China should go. Inspired by the attractive Western model, the Chinese intellectuals tried to response to the setbacks in China's reform with the guidance of the western experiences and belief. The official propaganda and the public opinion at the time also help promoted that tendency.The process of the China's reform and opening up is also a process of the reflection of the thought of westernization, and the return and rediscovery of the traditional values. According to the paper, the Chinese intellectuals decided to be back from the western thoughts to the Chinese tradition, and that turning can be explained with those factors followed: their reflection on the reform and opening up, the deepening of their understanding of the West, the learning of experiences in the industrialization of some other countries, and the rising of the ideology of nationalism.Along with the exposition of the flaws and weaknesses of the western culture and the emergence of the economic miracle of Eastern Asian countries, the confidence and self-esteem of the Chinese people got stronger and stronger. In that context, the Chinese intellectuals chose to the return to the tradition of their own history as their homeland of thinking, showing more intimacy and agreement, and seeing the western thoughts and the Chinese tradition in a more realistic, objective way.