35-year and 40-year windows of historical time - the foreign affairs movement in the late Qing Dynasty and the reform and opening up that CCP renewed for itself

Both the Qing Dynasty and CCP faced the fate of aborting in the long history without opening up, what choices did they make in the time window of history?……

Jan 14, 2023

[It is an interesting perspective to compare the 35 years of China learning from the world in the 19th century with the limited 40 years of convergence with the world that began in the 20th century.]

Both the Qing Dynasty and CCP faced the fate of aborting in the long history without opening up, what choices did they make in the time window of history?

Perhaps history sometimes repeats its path like a donkey pulling a mill.

The CCP reform and opening-up period, which has been de facto suspended, I wonder if it is more like a circle spinning in place when viewed from the future， Or is it more like a spiraling circle in the evolution of China's modernization?

Look at the reform and opening up led by Deng Xiaoping and the foreign affairs movement represented by Li Hongzhang perhaps you will have your thoughts and insights.

If you have any thoughts after reading, please feel free to share them in the comments.

1. What did the Qing rulers choose after the Opium Wars with Britain and France?

The Westernization Movement in the late Qing Dynasty from 1861 to 1895 was a period of increased engagement with the outside world, driven by Chinese officials and scholars who believed that China needed to learn from and adapt to the advanced technology and institutions of the West in order to strengthen the country and resist foreign aggression. This movement resulted in the opening of treaty ports, the establishment of diplomatic missions, and the translation and study of Western books and ideas. However, despite some initial successes, the movement ultimately failed to prevent the decline of the Qing dynasty and the subsequent colonization of China.

2. What did the CCP intend to do after the unsustainable Proletarian Cultural Revolution?

In contrast, the reform and opening up of the Communist Party of China (CCP) from 1978 to 1998 was a period of economic liberalization and integration into the global economy, initiated by Deng Xiaoping as a way to modernize and revitalize the Chinese economy. This led to rapid economic growth, urbanization, and increased foreign investment and trade. However, the CCP retained tight control over the political system and did not introduce significant democratic reforms.

3. What were the limits of the two changes?

From the perspective of democratic transformation and comprehensive modernization, both the Westernization Movement and the reform and opening up under the CCP had limited success. The Westernization Movement was constrained by the traditional and conservative nature of the Chinese ruling elite and their reluctance to fundamentally change the existing political and social system. The reform and opening up under the CCP was limited by the one-party rule of the CCP and its reluctance to introduce political and ideological changes that might threaten its grip on power.

4. What are the implications of each?

In terms of their impact on the history of the country and the world, the Westernization Movement failed to prevent the decline of the Qing dynasty and conservatism of China's ruling elite, who were unwilling to fundamentally change the existing political and social system. Reform and opening under the CCP was constrained by the CCP's one-party rule and its reluctance to introduce political and ideological changes that might threaten its grip on power.

Both gave time for the rule to continue, while the Qing rulers' foreign affairs movement represented by Li Hongzhang failed to achieve self-improvement and was far from modernization, and the Chinese Communist Party's reform and opening-up represented by Deng Xiaoping achieved the goal of economic integration into the world economic system, but still rejected universal values in the concept of civilization, leaving much room for effort from a modern civilized country.

5. Window periods correspond to historical turns and war clouds

In terms of the risks and trends of war, the Westernization Movement did not directly lead to war, but the Sino-Japanese confrontation in the Sino-Japanese War showed the changing power contrasts resulting from the choice of different paths, and the subsequent colonization of China and the subsequent Boxer Rebellion were the result of the weakness and internal divisions that the movement failed to address. Reform and opening up under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) led to economic and military empowerment, which threatened to lead to greater competition and tension, with populism and the CCP's blind self-confidence keeping tensions high in the Taiwan Strait and war clouds hanging over the Pacific West Coast.

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