从中日对西学的选择看洋务运动与明治维新的结局

Review on the Result of the Westernization Movement and Meiji Reform Form the Perspective of China and Japan's Choice in Learning Western Culture

中日两国被西方列强的炮舰打开国门后,都选择了走向西方学习的道路,从而有了中国的洋务运动和日本的明治维新,但这两场运动却有着截然相反的结局。其主要原因在于中日两国在学习西方的态度上有明显不同。中国是被动的、消极的,日本则表现的积极、主动;中国所抱定的是“中体西用”的宗旨,而日本则采取“体用兼顾”的原则。日本迅速迈入强国之列,中国则日益衰败。这两种不同的态度和结局很值得我们深思,如何对待和汲取比自己更先进的异域文化也是一个值得研究的重要课题。

China and Japan, defeated by the Western countries, chose to learn from the Western culture. That is China＇s westernization movement and Japan＇s Meiji Reform. The two country＇s Westernization led to different outcomes, because they had different attitudes. China＇s westernization was passive and negative, while the Japanese one was active and positive. China stood the point of ＂Chinese system with Western method＂, while Japan employed both system and method. In that case, Japan developed rapidly among the powerful countries; in contrast, China went down. Different attitudes and different outcomes are worth considering. How to deal with the advanced foreign culture is also worthy of studing.