"Oriental Magazine" And Industrial Thought In The Late Qing Dynasty (1904-1911)

Oriental Magazine in the late Qing dynasty paid great attention to the problem ofindustry. The reason mainly has four aspects: First, from the social background, it isthe response for the prosperity of western and the decline of the reality in China,especially after the change of the Jia Wu defeat and Geng Zi crisis. Secondly, fromthe magazine itself, lots of the founders of the Commercial Printing and the editors ofthe Oriental Magazine, which are gentries and capitalists, are members of theShanghai Preliminary Constitutional Council. They think that the reality ofconstitutional problems and industry are closely linked. Thirdly, Shanghai provideeconomic and cultural atmosphere. As one of the earliest trading port, the process ofShanghai’s economy and modernization is very remarkable in the late Qing dynasty,which will in turn stimulate the further pursuit of economic development. Finally,promoting economic development have great significances, such as improving livingstandards, maintaining social stability, protecting national industry and commerce,fighting for economic rights with foreigners, achieving social transformation.This article mainly analyzes the discussing of the reasons and measuresconcerning industry at the time in Oriental Magazine. The reason involve thegovernment, industry itself and organizations and agencies. The government pay greatattention to agriculture and restrain business, lack bonus and protection policy, showdifferent attitudes toward inside and outside, forbidden to circulate the inconvenienceof transportation problem. Industrial development have to cling to the traditionalmethod not the improved skills, weak production mechanization degree, and nationalcharacter disadvantageous to industrial development. From the organization aspect,reforming the technology privately is prohibited by league, and the influence ofchamber of commerce is limited, even the purpose of establishment is not pure. Themethods of improvement refer to the government, education and relevant aid agencies. The government should play a public function, such as establishing of theadministrative business management institutions and formulating reward andprotection law. The measures of industrial education contain to make the measures ofstudy aboard better, to consummate the basic education schools, to cultivate enterprisespirit. At the same time, enrich the construction of various industrial and commercialassociations.The industrious thoughts in the Oriental Magazine of the late Qing dynasty showopenness, progressiveness, advance, limitation. Openness means to have broadervision to treat foreign things, even to expand.In particular, they advocate introductionof foreign capital share-holding system and promoting overseas goods. It not onlyembodies the desire of safeguarding sovereignty, the most important thing is therational spirit. Progressiveness means introduction of western economics. Theychoose priority to the development of industry department, response to the economiccrisis, absorb domestic capital and draw lessons from statistical principle. Advanced,means the overestimation of the reality of China. They blindly highly praisecircumstance of big capital organization and blindly pursuit the free trade with foreign,which were not applicable to the circumstance. Limitation refer to forcedly linkliberalism theory of Smith with Chuan Shan Wang, and logically confuse thedominant position of industry and politics.