Intellectual Group Of Science And Technology In Modern China

Eastward Spread of Western Culture is the general trend of the communication between modern China and western world. After the Opium War, western culture including modern science and technology was spread into China along with the open of Chinese entrance. The traditional intellectuals whose knowledge structure was based on Confucianism became more and more feeble. And the new intellectuals who accepted and held the knowledge of the modern western culture was increasing vigorously. With the development of new intellectuals, the intellectual group of science and technology appeared. In this thesis, the intellectual group of science and technology in modern China was studied. The intellectual group's formation background, process, mark, activities, contributions and ideology were analyzed and discussed in detail. In the times background of the Eastward Spread of Western Culture, modern intellectuals of science and technology began to appear and gradually increased in the Westernization Movement. Between the war of China-Japan in 1894 and the early Republic of China, their quantity and scale enlarged along with the promotion of the education reform, the modern Chinese overseas education and the New Culture Movement. In the early 1930s, modern intellectuals of science and technology became a relatively independent group which is marked by the establishment of science associations and research institutions. Intellectual group of science and technology roots in the returned students and other students of westernization schools, new style schools and modern universities respectively. They engaged different kinds of careers including engineers, professors, researchers, managers, etc. They took an active part in engineering construction, especially in the railway construction, which advanced the process of the Chinese modernization. They founded modern universities and natural science disciplines. In addition, they established science associations and research institutions to carry on science research, which promoted the spreading and development of natural sciences in China. Intellectuals of science and technology have the patriotic thought like traditional intellectuals. Guided from the consciousness of the patriotism, they chose careers and research fields in accordance of the demand of saving and strengthening China and got into the swing of their work to do contribution for the motherland. At the same time, they have the tendency of the pragmatism inveterately.