On Guo Songtao Westernization Ideology

The developing process of Guo Song-tao's modernization thoughts can be divided int, three stages, that is, the period of the Opium War, the domestic political career ami the experience as the first imperial envoy to Britain and France. Taking Guo Song-tao's diaries written in the West as a thread, this thesis analyzes the influence of his Western experience upon his modernization thoughts in four aspects as well as the important role that it played in the early modernization history of China.Firstly, after his observation and study in the West, Guo Song-tao clarified eloquently the importance and urgency of learning from the West from the viewpoint of the world civilizations. What's more, his nationalism thought, which was related to cosmopolitanism, thus came into being.Secondly, non-monopoly capitalist economic scene of prosperity and its theories spurred him on to put forward reform measures of domestic enterprises and even economic systems. Furthermore, he put forward his suggestion upon values transformation which was exceeding in his time.Thirdly, he pointed out definitely the advantages as well as disadvantages of Western democratic system and advocated that China should advance gradually in political reform instead of abolishing monarchy to set up democracy at once.Fourthly, after his research of the Western prosperity, Guo Song-tao realized that human and social reform was the fundament of modernization and took some practical actions to improve social morality and custom, which we consider as a reflection of his rational spirit instead of his "retrogression" held by some critics.Guo Song-tao didn't forsake his native culture identification and wasn't fettered by parochial tradition, either. He advocated learning from the West as well as keeping fine national tradition, that's to say, tried to blend their respective quintessence. His knowledge of the West exceeded people of the same generation, what's more, he paid special attention to China's actual situation, which composed the rational and practical feature of his thought. AH this resulted from his bi-cuiture experiences, in another word, his comprehension of the native culture and the external catalyst of the exotic culture acted as key factors in the process of his modernization thought development.