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China's modern history is a heavy topic on the mind of every Chinese, and the reasons for this are deeply considered. This article takes the Sino-Japanese War as an example to discuss this issue.
To say that we have lost because of our lack of national and military strength is inconsistent with historical facts. Before the First Sino-Japanese War, the Qing Dynasty carried out nearly 30 years of Westernization, and China's modern mining industry has begun to mechanize mining. By 1889, the Kaiping Mining Bureau had produced 247,000 tons of coal, successfully resisting the import of foreign coal. In 1882, the import of foreign coal into Tianjin was 5,400 tons, which decreased to 301 tons in 1886. In 1890, Jang Zhidong built the Hanyang Iron Works to resist the import of foreign iron, which was the largest steel plant in the East at that time.
According to Jang Zhidong, the Hanyang Iron Works had an annual production capacity of 30,000 tons of stainless steel and wrought iron, which not only met domestic demand but could also be exported to the United States and Japan, and was one of the largest steel mills in the Far East at the time. In 1879, Li Hongzhang established the General Telegraph Bureau in Tianjin, and by 1885, electric wires had been erected along the coasts and rivers in various provinces, and even submarine cables were erected between Xiamen and Taiwan.
In 1880, Zuo Zongtang founded the Lanzhou Weaving Bureau and became the founder of the modern textile industry. In the same year, Li Hongzhang established a machine weaving layout in Shanghai, which made China's modern textile industry spread from Shanghai, Ningbo, Zhenjiang, Wuchang and other places to the whole country. Due to the development of modern industry, China's strength has been greatly enhanced, and the annual income of the Qing Dynasty at that time was 1 of Japan5 times.
In 1872, Li Hongzhang presided over the establishment of the steamship China Merchants Bureau, which cleared more than 13 million taels in only 3 years, and until 1894, the annual income of Japan was only 80 million yen. Militarily, we also have proud capital. After 1884, the Qing Dynasty set up a naval yamen, and in 1888, the army was formally established, forming four naval teams in Beiyang, Nanyang, Fujian and Guangdong, with 78 large and small ships, 24 mineboats, with a total displacement of more than 80,000 tons, more than 600 guns and nearly 70 torpedo tubes. At that time, it ranked fourth in the world and first in the Far East, and had an advantage over the Japanese Navy in terms of total tonnage of ships and large-caliber artillery. At the same time, China also has a complete defense system such as the largest military port, dockyard and artillery battery in the Far East.
At the same time, the Chinese Army also made great progress. In 1862, after Li Hongzhang arrived in Shanghai, he ordered the Huai army to learn from foreign soldiers Xi Western guns and formations, and in just over two years, the Huai army was expanded to 50,000 or 60,000 people, equipped with 30,000 or 40,000 foreign guns, and 6 or 7 artillery battalions. The Huai army began to modify the most advanced Krupp breech steel cannon at that time in 1871, and the Hunan army of Zuo Zongtang began to establish a foreign gun team in 1863.
After the 80s, Zuo Zongtang recovered Xinjiang, and Feng Zicai defeated the French army in Nanguan, all of which were inseparable from the new equipment of the army. From the above, it can be seen that the defeat of the Sino-Japanese First Sino-Japanese War was not due to insufficient economic strength and military equipment, nor was it due to the low quality of personnel and the lack of patriotic enthusiasm.
Beginning in 1871, 78 students were sent to Britain three times to Xi naval technology, and these students returned to China around 1880. Liu Buyun, Lin Taizeng, and Lin Yongsheng, who participated in the First Sino-Japanese Naval Battle, all studied abroad, and in 1876, they also selected officers on active duty to go to Germany to learn Xi military technology and the art of war. In 1880, Li Hongzhang founded the Tianjin Naval Academy to train naval commanders, and then founded the Beiyang Military Academy to train army commanders. At the same time, Japan established a naval school in 1870, which took shape in early 1873, and began to send international students to study in Britain in 1870. Some of the commanders in the First Sino-Japanese Naval Battle, such as the captain of the "Naniwa" Heihachiro Togo and the first guerrilla unit Tsuboi Santo, all went to Britain and the United States to study in 1871, and were classmates of Chinese students such as Liu Buyun. It can be seen that China and Japan are roughly the same in terms of school hours and the dispatch of international students.
The vast number of soldiers of the Qing Dynasty showed great bravery in battle. In the Battle of Toshima, the Japanese fleet ordered the Qing army to take the British merchant ship "Gao Sheng" to aid Korea, but more than 1,000 officers and men of the Qing army refused: "I would rather die than obey the orders of the Japanese." "Although these soldiers did not have cannons, they used small cannons to shoot at the enemy ships for a final resistance. After the ship was sunk, most of them died heroically, except for a few who were rescued. In the Battle of the Yellow Sea, under the leadership of Deng Shichang, the "Zhiyuan" bravely collided with the "Yoshino" when it was completely damaged, but unfortunately it was hit by a torpedo, and all 252 officers and men of the ship died heroically. However, the outcome of the war was still the defeat of China. So, where exactly does China lose?This really requires us to reflect deeply and sum up.
Corruption in the rule of officials is an important aspect. As for the supreme ruler Cixi Lafayette, for his personal desires, he embezzled 10.98 million taels of naval funds to build the Summer Palace for his enjoyment. As a result, the ships of the Beiyang Fleet are aging and they are unable to add new ships. Her daily living expenses are equivalent to half a month's expenditure of the state treasury, and she can buy a Yoshino-class cruiser. Before the war, Japan bought and sold the "Yoshino" ship to raise funds, and the Meiji emperor even donated jewelry. In contrast, before the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, China had already been defeated
The problem of corruption in the administration of officials was not limited to the Empress Dowager Cixi, but also permeated the nobles, the clan, and the entire bureaucracy. Since the end of the Qing Dynasty, the open sale of official titles has become a social phenomenon. Official positions can be bought and sold regardless of size, in this farce of "selling official beards", the Empress Dowager Cixi also participated in it, and it is said that in the early years of Guangxu, she had accumulated 200 million taels of ** private money. This corruption spreads throughout officialdom, leading to flattery, corruption, and ultimately affecting the country's economic and military strength.
The military is also not immune to corruption in the administration of officials. Although the navy is a new branch of the military, it is also quickly affected by the evil Xi of officialdom. The navy's drills were slack, and officers at all levels deducted military salaries one after another, and made a fortune. In the First Sino-Japanese War, although our naval guns were larger, the shells used were inferior, and even had a number of training shells, so they were plagued by the fact that the Japanese ships were shot many times and did not see the **, and even self-destroyed the Great Wall in the battle.
In addition, the rule of Qing ** was also one of the reasons for China's failure. This war was fought between the decaying and dilapidated Manchu feudal dynasty on one side and the nascent capitalist Japan on the other. After the Meiji Restoration, Japan insisted on reform, developed its economy, attached importance to education, and actively learned from the West Xi, which made it develop and grow rapidly. On the contrary, China is still stuck on the basis of an agricultural economy, adopting a policy of closing the country to the rest of the country, and the society has come to a standstill. From this point of view, the victory of capitalist Japan over feudal China seems to be a historical inevitability.
To sum up, the reasons for China's defeat in modern times are manifold, and economic strength and military equipment are not the main problems. Factors such as the corruption of officials, the closed mind, the management of the army, and the rule of the government all affected China's war performance. This historical lesson needs to cause us to reflect deeply, so that China can develop and grow in a more open and clear environment in the future.
This article profoundly analyzes the reasons for the defeat of modern China in the Sino-Japanese War, focuses on political, military, economic and other aspects, and provides readers with a comprehensive historical investigation. On this basis, I think it is necessary to comment further on the article.
First of all, the article is led by a clear theme, and shows China's national strength, military strength, and industrial development at that time through detailed historical facts and data. This statement, based on objective facts, helps readers to have a more comprehensive understanding of China during that period. At the same time, comparing the military and economic disparities between China and Japan, people cannot help but deeply regret and ponder the painful history of modern China.
Second, the article's in-depth excavation of corruption in the administration of officials is worthy of recognition. The selfish desires and corrupt behaviors of rulers such as the Empress Dowager Cixi directly led to the misappropriation of naval funds and the aging of the Beiyang Fleet, which seriously weakened China's military strength. This in-depth analysis helps us to understand the devastating impact of political corruption on the fate of the country, and provokes a deep reflection on the political system at the end of the Qing Dynasty.
At the same time, the article also mentions the problems of officialdom, such as obsolescence, flattery, and corruption, and reveals the corruption of the entire political system from multiple angles. This provides readers with a more comprehensive understanding of the political situation at the time, and also gives us insights into the governance of modern society. For the long-term peace and stability of the country, the reform of the political system and the integrity of the political system are of the utmost importance.
Moreover, the article also has a profound ** on the issue of the army. Problems such as the laxity of naval drills and the salaries of officers were all important reasons for China's defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War. This reminds us that the army, as the cornerstone of the country, must maintain a high degree of discipline and quality, and at the same time, the construction of the army cannot be separated from the optimization of the entire national governance system.
Finally, the article concludes with a reference to the issue of the rule of the Doctrine. Attributing the defeat to the feudal ** way of rule is a profound reflection on Chinese history. This is also a reflection on China's social development, and provides useful enlightenment for the construction of the future political system.
In summary, through historical review and in-depth analysis, this article makes us more clearly understand the predicament and reasons for the failure of modern China. At the same time, it also provides valuable lessons for our nation-building and development today. On the basis of a correct understanding of history, we have the responsibility to carry forward China's traditional virtues in modern society and promote the country's development in a more prosperous, open, and democratic direction.
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