The Pursuit Of "Modernity": William Rowe's China Studies

William T.Rowe is one of the most prestigious Sinologists of the time.In the 1980 s,William T.Rowe became famous in the circle of American Chinese studies for his work on Chinese Hankou.Later,he published Saving the world: Chen Hongmou and the Elite Consciousness in Eighteenth Century China(2001),Crimson Rain: seven centuries of Violence in a Chinese County(2007)and China' Last Empire: The Great Qing(2009).As Chinese translations are published in China,Chinese scholars have published reviews and comments on his works.However,in general,this response is fragmented and lacks a comprehensive discussion and analysis of all of his works and his overall research idea.Therefore,taking William T.Rowe's Chinese research works as the center,combing the intrinsic clue of William T.Rowe's Chinese research is of great significance for us to understand the development and trends of American Chinese studies and to expand our international academic vision to enrich our own historical research.Throughout the Chinese research work of William T.Rowe,although it involves all aspects of social history,economic history,intellectual history,political history,etc.,the core proposition that William T.Rowe pays attention to is always to look for “early modernity” that can be compared with the west in the “early modern China”,this can be described as the main line of its research in China.Along this main line,we can clarify the findings of William T.Rowe's seemingly scattered and disorderly research and discover the intrinsic clue of his study of Chinese history.William T.Rowe's Hankou study proved the existence of an autonomous “early modern” city in China in the 19 th century,which was the beginning of his pursuit of “early modernity” in China.In “Salvation”,William T.Rowe explores the ideology of the 18 th century elite represented by Chen Hongmou in the three fields of thought,economy and politics.In William T.Rowe's writing,The 18th-century Chinese bureaucratic elite is no longer a high-ranking ruler who believes in corruption as a traditional view,but a group of modern-minded scholars who have a high sense of responsibility for the people's livelihood.In “Great Qing”,the Qing Empire was positioned as an “early modern empire” full of vitality and change,and found China's “early modernity” from both global and internal perspectives.In short,in the view of William T.Rowe,from the mid-16 th century to the 1890 s was China's “early modern” stage.The Chinese society in this period has many similarities with the European in the same period,and it is full of the vigorous “early modernity” factor.It is the excavation and pursuit of this “modernity” factor that runs through William T.Rowe's Chinese studies and constitutes a keynote of its Chinese studies.William T.Rowe's Chinese studies have a large number of Chinese and Western comparisons and use the concept categories generated from Western historical experience to explain China's historical phenomena.This is the main features of thinking way of pursuing “modernity” in China.William T.Rowe' pursuit of China' modernity has attracted many criticisms and controversies because of its degree of constructivism.For some historical phenomena,William T.Rowe only noticed the similarity of its sur-face but ignored the difference of history and culture between China and west.William T.Rowe use the western theoretical model to coordinate and interpret China' historical phenomena,to a certain extent with the “the theory precedes”,thus guiding its research to the discovery of a modern single trajectory.William T.Rowe' discovery of China' modernity is related to the reality of China' rise and reflect a sentimental tendency to praise China.Although there are some controversies and limitations in William T Rowe's Chinese studies,his contribution to the Chinese history research and the inspiration that give us cannot be ignored.In William T.Rowe's writings,the China of Ming and Qing Dynasties was no longer an ancient empire that was waiting for the Western impact to rejuvenate,but an “early modern” country that evolved along the path of its own social and economic development.This view has effectively cracked down on the argument that China is “stagnant”.In short,with his serious attitude and extraordinary courage,William T.Rowe painted a picture of the Chinese society's transition from tradition to modern twists and turns.Although the “modernity” discovered in China has many conceived elements,it is inevitable that criticism and controversy will arise.However,criticism and controversy itself have greatly promoted our exploration and reflection of modernity issues.And the theme of modernity is undoubtedly an important subject that the academic world cannot avoid and bypass.In the face of the academic wave of overseas scholars looking for “modernity” in traditional Chinese society,Chinese scholars only have to keep a calm and objective mind,so as not to be blinded by the so-called national self-respect and embrace this “modern” without reservation,and losing the consciousness of self-reflection and criticism of their own national culture.