Xie Jiafu:The Forerunner Of Modern Gentry Transformation

Driven by the times,some of the Chinese traditional gentries had been gradually transforming into modern new gentries since the Opium War.Xie Jiafu,who was born in the charity family in Jiangnan,China,had to escape to Shanghai due to the Battle of Geng Shen,during which Suzhou was captured by TaiPingJun.Xie Jiafu studied western culture in ShaiHai Foreign Language legations,which making him one of the earlist gentries to contact Western culture.Therefore,there were not only the elements of traditional gentries,but also a lot of Western modernization knowledge in the knowledge structure and social cognition of Xie JiaFu.He inherited the thought of Lin Zexu and Wei Yuan,and at the same time he had the modernized knowledge system and values,which made him the forerunner of modern gentry transformation.This article mainly explores the modern transformation process of Xie Jiafu from the following aspects: advocate modern famine relief organization,participate in the Enterprises in Westernization Movement and establish modern new-type education.During the Ding-wu disaster,Xie Jiafu broke through the situation that traditional famine relief organization was constrained by official relief,advocating modern famine relief organization which gentries play a dominant role.It is the initial typical of his own thought and behavior transformation.Afterwards,because of the famine relief organization,he went to the westernization,trying to save the dead feudal rule by studying Western advanced technology,and practicing this plan.He supervised the telegraph enterprise,trained telegraphic talents and became one of the pioneers of Chinese telecom industry.He participated in the Steamship Corporation and became one of the pioneers of modern Chinese national industry and commerce.What is commendable is that Xie Jiafu realized the importance of education,produced the thought that saving the country by education and founded the new-type education system with Sheng Xuanhuai to benefit our descendants.As a forerunner of modern gentry transformation,the transformational process of Xie Jiafu reflects the transitional characteristics of the gentry class during the social transformation period,and promotes the modernization of China in the transformation of new and old times.