1. Regional differences
It seems that in people’s stereotype, the Westernization Movement was carried out in coastal and riverine areas. In fact, this was not the case. At the beginning, the Westernization Movement was carried out in inland and even border areas. Such as the Yunnan Arms Bureau, Lanzhou Machine Weaving Bureau, etc. If it develops well and develops both East and West, the Westernization Movement will be effective. However, many of these inland enterprises closed down and failed to accomplish anything.
For example, the Yunnan Arms Bureau has poor production technology and is hindered by local conservative forces’ Feng Shui views. It is unable to use tall chimneys, resulting in low-quality products. British Davis commented:
They make Krupp guns, Rodenfields guns, rifles and bullets. The machine was powered by steam but had no air hammer, so the product could not have been first-rate.
The other is Lanzhou Machinery Weaving Bureau. When planning to set up a factory, it was entirely based on personal ideas, which resulted in many problems. First of all, transportation is not easy.
"There are as many as 4,000 boxes of large and small machines. After the ship landed at Laohekou, it used thousands of manpower, animal power and carts to lift, load and load Loading. Carts could not be accommodated and had to be renovated; villages could not pass through and had to be demolished."
The second is the water source problem. The weaving industry requires a lot of water. However, the local water source is insufficient, making bleaching and dyeing difficult. , and as a result, the color of the cloth was also very dull.”
Because of these various problems, the Westernization enterprises established in the inland areas closed down one after another, and eventually fell into silence. Such a wrong demonstration also made future generations afraid to try easily, and regional differences in the Westernization Movement also expanded.
Lanzhou Machinery Weaving Bureau
2. Governors from various places
During the Westernization Movement, the ideological understanding of the governors from various places also became an important factor affecting the development of the Westernization Movement. factor. Under liberal-minded governors, the Westernization Movement often developed better; under conservative-minded governors, the Westernization Movement often struggled to move forward.
During the Westernization Movement, the establishment of Westernization enterprises in various places mostly relied on local governors to organize, and they all needed to be planned by the governors in terms of funds, talents, materials, etc. In the western provinces where funds are tight, there is very little money for governors to use, and there are only a few Westernization enterprises. Some capable governors such as Zuo Zongtang, Ding Baozhen and others can still manage Westernization by their own abilities, but once they leave, they have Businesses that have been started have fallen into a state of suspension or semi-suspension of production. It can be seen that the status, ability, financial resources, etc. of local officials often played an important role in promoting or restricting the Westernization Movement.
Portrait of Zuo Zongtang
3. Pressure from Public Opinion
The development of the Westernization Movement was often accompanied by slander and attacks in speech. The people who founded the Westernization Movement at that time, "They are all regarded as traitors and dismissed from the Qing Dynasty discussion."
Following this, the Westernizationists put forward the idea of ??"Chinese style and Western use". However, this idea itself was problematic. However, due to the pressure of public opinion, even if some people think it is inappropriate, they dare not speak out directly. For example, Zhang Shusheng, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, once said:
"The Westerners have a fundamental basis for establishing a country. Although the etiquette, music and education are far inferior to those of China, their tameness and prosperity also have practical functions. ... China has left its physical body and sought its use. , often irrelevant."
This memorial was proposed on the eve of Zhang Shusheng's death because he was afraid of the pressure of public opinion.
It can be said that at that time, some people had already realized that modern China would not achieve real prosperity if it developed only from the economic or material level. Only comprehensive reform was the way out. However, due to the pressure of public opinion, this idea is difficult to express.
Portrait of Zhang Shusheng
IV. Summary
It can be said that the development of the Westernization Movement was an all-round coordinated work from top to bottom, and in During the implementation, it is also very important to do a good job in early planning. In addition, the personal ability of officials is also an important criterion for success or failure. To sum up, although the Westernization Movement was not a complete failure, the many problems exposed in it are worth thinking about.