From 1880 to 1882, Ding Weiliang, the head teacher of the Tongwen Museum and an American, took the opportunity of returning to the United States to visit relatives to make a trip around the world. This is an unprecedented global academic expedition in the late Qing Dynasty. Prior to this, only Wang Tao had visited Britain and France as a scholar to conduct academic expeditions. He came to Europe in 1867 and was the first Chinese to speak at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. He has also spread classical poems and promoted Chinese culture by singing many times. It is not an exaggeration to say that he is a pioneer in promoting Chinese culture to the world. These experiences have been recorded in "Roaming Suilu". However, Wang Tao does not understand English, so he cannot talk about in-depth exchanges with the British and French academic circles, and he has not gone to other European countries and the United States for academic investigations. Therefore, Ding Weiliang is undoubtedly the first person to talk about the official global academic investigation in the late Qing Dynasty. However, such an important academic research activity has been ignored in various history of cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries, and it has also been mentioned in works about Ding Weiliang, such as "Changing China" written by Jonathan Spencer, an American expert on China issues, Although there is a special chapter on Ding Weiliang, he only wrote in general: "In early 1880, the Chinese government sent him (referring to Ding Weiliang) to visit the United States, Europe and Japan to investigate the different educational systems in these countries and regions." (Page 139 of the book, Sanlian Bookstore, 1990 edition), did not mention the details and significance of the investigation. Therefore, the author starts with Ding Weiliang's "Study on Western Studies" and tries his best to restore the process of this global academic investigation.
Itinerary of Ding Weiliang's global inspection
Ding Weiliang (1827-1916), courtesy name Desan, and nickname Guanxi. The English name is William Alexander Parsons Martin, literally translated as William Alexander Parsons Martin. Obviously, the Chinese name Wei Liang is a transliteration of William, and Ding is a transliteration of the second half of Martin. He was an American missionary. He was appointed by the American Presbyterian Church as a missionary in China at the end of 1849. He died in Beijing in 1916. He lived in China for 62 years (there were four years outside China). From November 26, 1869, he was appointed as the chief instructor of Tongwen Museum in Beijing, and he resigned from this position for health reasons for 25 years in 1894. After serving as the head teacher of the Tongwen Museum, he carried out a "gradual but thorough transformation" of the Tongwen Museum in accordance with the Western model. He changed the previous mode that the courses were mainly Chinese and foreign languages, and added many natural science courses. The characteristics of new education have begun to take shape, and it has become the beginning of educational reform in modern China. Later, he served as the chief instructor of the Beijing Normal University.
In the sixth year of Guangxu (1880), Ding Weiliang asked the prime minister's yamen for leave to return to China to visit relatives, and he was allowed to visit the country. So he took leave to return to China on March 23, 6th year of Guangxu, and returned to Beijing on March 18, 8th year of Guangxu. It took him nearly two years to travel to Japan, the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Italy, etc. After returning home, he wrote a book "Study on Western Studies" in Chinese and reported to the Prime Minister's Yamen.
"Western Studies" is divided into two volumes, the first and the second. The first volume records the visits to various countries, and the second volume gives a general introduction to the development of world education.
The author's first stop is Japan. Japan after the Meiji Restoration was a thriving scene. The most prominent impression is the emphasis on education, and there are many schools, whether in urban or rural areas, new-style schools abound. At the same time, he founded a university, hired Westerners to teach, and developed higher education in his country: "Japan has repeatedly sent people to study in the West, but now it has changed its course and revitalized the country's academics. The new Taixue hired Westerners to teach them. There are more than 500 apprentices, all of whom have been diligently selected to enter the Taixue, and their courses are similar to those of Tongwenkan." "New Taixue" refers to the University of Tokyo, founded in 1877, which is the first in Japan. National University.
As for the development of transportation, post and telecommunications, it is even more impressive: "If we look at the general situation, the archipelago is all connected to electric wires, and its ships, post offices, etc. are also called prosperous, and schools are set up in cities and suburbs to revitalize style (that is, science, The same below), measurement and other arts, in terms of strength and weakness, are almost incomparable compared to the time when Xianfeng arrived at the beginning of the nine-year period.”
Ding Weiliang
The ninth year of Xianfeng is 1859. It is 21 years since the author came to Japan this time. The changes are not big! Why is Japan determined to innovate? The author believes that Japan "reforms the old and renews, and it is inevitable to have a hidden fear. He knows that China develops ship administration and builds military equipment. The one who fears is not only in Russia." This is actually a reminder and warning to China to be alert and guard against Japan's aggressive expansion ambitions!
In the United States, he reminisced about the old times with his friends and friends and enjoyed family happiness. He inspected famous universities such as West Point Military Academy. These famous schools have their own characteristics. First, in the study of the law, Columbia College (i.e. Columbia University) is the most beautiful, and all the studies in literature and art are perfect, such as Yale (i.e. Yale University) and Hafa (i.e. Harvard University) two colleges.” Looking at the characteristics of these universities more than 100 years later, I still cannot but agree with Ding Weiliang's generalization.
He visited elementary schools in New York and pointed out that elementary school students must learn writing and arithmetic. He pointed out that the purpose of their studies is to "be important, not to serve officials, but to be able to manage workers and earn a living, and to be able to live up to a lesson", This is completely different from the traditional Chinese scholars who mainly study Confucian classics and study for the purpose of becoming an official.
He visited two juvenile correctional facilities in New York, holding men and women. Since the universalization of primary education in New York, the juvenile delinquency rate has dropped significantly, which shows the positive relationship between education and crime rate.
In Germany, the author visited many places of interest and historical sites, visited Heidelberg University and Berlin University, and specially introduced that Berlin University was "the old palace of the monarch, created by the new palace, and rewarded as the imperial school, which shows the meaning of advocating culture and education". According to the University of Berlin, it was founded in 1809 after Prussia was defeated by Napoleon, when Prussia was still paying huge war reparations to France. The King of Prussia took out the last of his family and donated the luxurious royal palace as a university building. Next, the author wrote: "The country of Chabu (Prussia) was a vassal state two hundred years ago. Because of the Lutheran Protestantism and emphasis on new people, the first priority was to build schools, and then it became king. The country gradually became stronger and stronger. The emperor's business." It is worth pondering to provide the poor and weak Qing Dynasty with the historical experience of Prussia's great education and prosperity. Only when the Qing Dynasty really began to pay attention to education, it was the New Deal period after the fiasco of Gengzi!
In the UK, the author visited Westminster Abbey (Abei), Oxford University (Espo) and Cambridge University (Qianbizhi), briefly introducing the long history and school-running characteristics of these two universities.
In Switzerland, the scenery of Lake Geneva, Jungfrau (Virgin Mountain) and Taibai Mountain made him linger, enjoying the lake and mountains. He introduced the Swiss manufacturing industry to "clocks and musical instruments as the bulk." Switzerland is a neutral country, and the capital Geneva (Ran City) is "surrounded by foreign powers and neighbors on three sides, the land is free of danger, the people are fresh in war, and those who can stand without being invaded by foreigners, do not rely on martial arts, which really depends on Wende." "The government officials enforce the public law and negotiate with reason" and "rely on the public law to stand on their own feet". The reason why Switzerland is not bullied and invaded by foreign powers is attributed to the emphasis on international public law.
In Italy, he visited many historical sites, introduced the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the ancient city of Pompeii, the ancient theater of Rome, Mount Vesuvius, Galileo, the Pope, and also made a comparison between London, Rome and Paris. Afterwards, he took a French steamer from Naples (Naples), Italy, and returned to China via Singapore.
The author's Chinese skills are profound and his writing is excellent. Let's take a look at his description of Niagara Falls:
the water suddenly bets from Chongyan, with a height of fifteen feet, spraying beads and splashing jade, the waterfall is soaring, and the sound of surging can be heard from afar. Inside, the fog is cloudy and the road is difficult to identify. When the sky is clear, the rainbow bridge is hanging down, and the colors are blurred. Leaning on the stone wall and entering the water curtain, the viewer is shocked by the water on the stone surface, but the ground is shaken, but there is no danger. Yu also.
Similar descriptions of scenes abound, even when compared with the most prestigious late Ming essays.
Visit Edison, the inventor
In the United States, Ding Weiliang visited Edison, the inventor of the invention: In
the future, Baig went to Monroe Garden to pay tribute to his grandson. According to Yunxin’s creation of this lamp, the experience is very good, and the method is also very good, but its price is relatively expensive, and it is necessary to use charcoal strips to replace the lamp grass. It can emit light without being burned when it is electrified, and the charcoal gradually wears away. , If you use bamboo to burn, it must be durable, but it is difficult to produce good yields, so it must be purchased from Japan. When I asked about the species and price of Chinese bamboo, I replied that all kinds are available and the price is relatively cheap. Yiyun plans to send people to buy the cloud this year.
This is probably the earliest and most comprehensive introduction to Edison's invention of the electric light bulb in Chinese literature. Monroe Garden is in New Jersey. From this text, we can see Edison's working environment and the twists and turns of inventing the electric light bulb: the electric filament originally used lamp grass, but it was easily burned; Bamboo sticks are used instead of charcoal sticks, but the U.S. "has no good yields" and has to buy them from Japan and China.
The book also records Edison's invention of the sound transmission machine, the micro-sound machine, the micro-heating machine, and the tape recorder, and records its shape, working principle and practical value. When introducing the tape recorder, he wrote as follows: There
are more tape recorders that do not use electricity, which is really strange, and even more strange ones are shaped like horns, with an opening, a short barrel with an axle, wrapped with tin foil, and people laugh and sing. Then you can secretly receive the sound. If you turn the wheel, the sound will follow the turn and come out. Although it has been a long time, it will return to the received sound, just like meeting the right. I immediately recite the "Taoyao" one, The Russian runners responded word by word. The echo of the sound in the valley will only take a moment, and if it is a minute and a second late, it will inevitably be scattered. If this machine sends the sound that enters into the tin foil, even if it accumulates for a few years, it will still be able to spread the word as if it was the first time. When the family sets this opportunity, when there is a family instruction, that is, the ancestors have been abandoned for a long time, and once the situation turns, it is no different from the face.
A Chinese material is also cited as a reference:
Check the book "Zibuyu" that Jiang Xiucai set up a bamboo tube with a glass cover, which is opened with a key. When you open it, you will speak thousands of words into the tube, and it will be closed when you finish speaking. Within a thousand miles, people open their ears and open their ears, and their face is like a face-to-face interview. Its meaning is the same as that created by Duke Ai, but his method has not been passed on to the world, which is a pity!
Inventor Edison
"Zibuyu" is a sketch of notes written by Yuan Mei, a famous writer in the middle of the Qing Dynasty. Quoting the material from "Zibuyu", on the one hand, shows that the author is worthy of being a "China Hand" and is very familiar with Chinese classics. And it also shows people how to look at the ancient writings that record strange things, and discover valuable information from them.
Ding Weiliang believed that the tape recorder could preserve the legacy of the ancestors. A few years later, Zhang Yinhuan, the Minister to the United States, believed that the tape recorder could be used to resolve the case. "Sanzhou Diary" on May 22, the 12th year of Guangxu's reign (1886):
Niao Yue (that is, New York) rich man Abian likes to travel, and his son likes to travel. To win the game against Arlo, he has to collect 200,000 yuan. Arlo has no cash, and the book coupon is limited to three days of payment. The next day, Ah Bian looked for his son's new home, and Ah Luo ended up with him. Ah Bian's father and son criticized him very much, and his son Mao Mao took the train to Philadelphia. A Luo broke in, and Soa paid his bond. A Bian was very angry and slandered, and A Luo followed suit. Abian was stabbed, and A Luo broke the bond from Abian's jacket and closed the door. The hostess of the house heard the accusations and knew that the father and son were incompatible, and there was no movement in the afternoon, so she pushed the door and entered, seeing that Abian was stabbed on the couch, and hurriedly reported to the official. He was sent to detain his son, and the evidence was chiseled, and his son was punished.
Seeing that the unjust case has been settled, the tape recorder provides new evidence at the critical moment. Zhang Yinhuan went on to write:
Suddenly a man named Toast came to the court with a machine in his hand, and when he touched it, it moved. On that day, the sound of Ah Bian’s father and son arguing with each other, the sound of his son walking out of the door, the sound of Ah Luo opening the door and the sound of slandering Ah Bian, The sound of Abian being stabbed and screaming, Aluo pulled out the knife and spat out the paper, the sound came out one by one, so the inquirer knew that the murderer Aluo was also your son, don't hold Aluo. This kind of wrongful prison, relying on this machine to rehabilitate, is different. Gato Shiben lives next door to the son of Abian, and is trying out the telephony machine today. When Shia came to look for his son, there was so much noise that Toshi locked the door of the room and walked to him, wanting to be quiet for a while, but then he forgot to stop the engine wheel. He went back to his room and acted as before, and it was reported that Ah Bian and his son were fighting each other, and Ah Luo had committed murder. And when I heard that Abian's son was set in prison, he brought this machine to the court to make it clear. ("Sanzhou Diary", p. 48, Yuelu Publishing House, 2016 edition)
The twists and turns of this case are really surprising!
Introducing the French Academician System
In France, Ding Weiliang visited the Louvre Museum (Rofeel Palace), the Paris Observatory, and the Ajadi Secret Academy. What is "Ajadimi"? The author was puzzled for a long time when he was studying "The Examination of Western Learning" (included in "Towards the World Series", published in 2016). One day, I thought of the mention of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in the article, so I suddenly realized, is it the French Academy of Sciences? Check the French Academy of Sciences information again, it was founded by French Prime Minister Richelieu. Isn't the transliteration of the first letter of Richelieu (Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu) "Ajadimi"? Ding Weiliang referred to the academicians of the French Academy of Sciences as bachelors and sometimes Hanlin. He compared the differences between China and France in the selection of "Hanlin": "China is determined by the imperial examinations of the Gongshi Dynasty, while in France, the scholars of the Academy will review the writings of scholars and judge them. The French Hanlin got the old and famous Confucianism." How did the French academicians get selected? "At the time of selection, there are those who have entered the pot and put the white pills in the scorpion, otherwise they will put the black pills. After the trial, they will be seen in the hall, and the number of black and white will be judged. It is said that the person who obtains the white pill is like a golden pill, and his name is immortal. , if the meaning of China's cloud to ascend to Yingzhou is also." He also said that "Germany, Britain, and Russia all have literary and art institutes (original note: Ajadimi), all of which are built to imitate the legal system." This is probably the earliest introduction to the Western academician system.
The book also vividly records the grand occasion of the 80th birthday of the French academician and poet Hugo (the author is called "The Poet Tiger Brother"):
French Academy of Sciences
When I was in the French capital, on the occasion of the 80th birthday of the poet, many scholars from far and near sent people to congratulate, with flower hoop paintings and various compliments, and a few or hundreds of people sent from each city, lined up to hold flags, and went up. The surname and place of origin of the Shiga people, all the teams go together, and there are generals to guide them, just like marching, when they arrive at the door, they will drum and music to advance, and they will not choose to recite praises, and present their blessings. Weng sits on a high platform to reward them. In the evening, there was an endless stream of people, counting more than 200,000 people... Although France is still a scholar of style, it is not considered a gentleman.
The academician and academician system originated in France. France first established the academician system in the mid-17th century, which was later imitated by other countries. In the 300-year history of the French Academy of Sciences, a total of 709 academicians have been produced, in other words, an average of two academicians are produced every year. The French Academy of Sciences has maintained a scale of 40 academicians for many years. It is no wonder that the famous writer Hugo was selected after 4 consecutive applications, while Zola was rejected by the French Academy of Sciences 24 times in a row. Academicians enjoy the privilege of being members of the royal family and have the same right to wear swords as nobles. In addition, there are no other special benefits (such as enjoying provincial and ministerial-level treatment). The selection of academicians is strict and not linked to direct material interests, which seems to be particularly worthy of reference and study by our country.
Exchange with academia from various countries
In the opening chapter of "Study on Western Learning", Ding Weiliang admitted that he "takes the responsibility of interviewing academics", so the content that has little to do with academics is basically omitted. The book records a large number of exchanges with the academic circles of various countries, especially the many times he attended various activities of various societies.
On September 25, the sixth year of Guangxu's reign, the author attended the "Dongtu Culture Association" at Columbia University in New York. This society is held alternately in New York, New Haven (New Haven), and Houston in the spring and autumn. It is a grand event devoted to the study of Asian history and culture. Only William Williams and Ding Weiliang submitted papers on Chinese history and culture in this conference. According to the records of "Xiu Tong Kao", William Williams differentiated and analyzed that "Fusang" did not refer to America, but to Japan. For hundreds of years, whether "fusang" refers to the Americas or Japan, and whether the Chinese discovered America before Columbus, has been a hot topic in the international academic community. , Buddhism and even ocean currents, etc., completely refuted the theory of Fusang as America, and the argument is impeccable. And Williams' research is the forerunner of Fusang's non-American theory.
The diary on October 2 of the same year introduced the situation of French Orientalism. At that time, all European universities had chair professors to study ancient oriental scripts, but only France specialized in studying oriental modern languages. Since its establishment during the reign of Napoleon I during the Jiaqing period, Indian, Arabic, Turkish, Japanese, Chinese and other languages are taught. Although there are not many students, they are selected every time they are elected to send people to the East, and the French embassy in China will also appoint translators from them. This coincides with Tongwenguan.
Hugo
The diary on July 15 of the following year recorded the grand occasion of the European "Eastern Language Conference" held in Berlin, the capital of Germany. The European "Eastern Language Conference" is held every three years, with the participation of scholars specializing in the study of Oriental languages. It was first held in London, and then held in France, Russia, Italy and Germany in turn. When they were held in Italy and Russia, the monarchs attached great importance to them, either attending in person or inviting attendees to visit the palace. This time, due to the fact that Dejun did not return from the summer vacation, the Minister of Education was asked to perform the friendship of the landlord on his behalf. More than 200 participants were divided into three groups: East Asia, mainly Chinese and Japanese; West Asia, mainly Jewish, Arabic, and Turkish; and South Asia, mainly India. The main theme of Ding Weiliang's thesis is that China already had public international law during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.
In addition, Ding Weiliang attended the lecture of the famous international law scholar and author of "Public Law Huitong" by Bruns at Heidelberg University in Germany. Meeting with sinologist James Legge at Oxford University, UK. He communicated with international law scholar Hornon in Geneva, Switzerland, and Hornon revised Ding Weiliang's "A Brief Introduction to Chinese Ancient Public Law" and published it.
The 19th section "Literary and Art Association" in the second volume of "Study on Western Learning" introduces various Western societies, and points out that their functions and meanings are: It is
intended to emphasize knowledge and spread among the people; The soldiers came out of it and prepared their weapons. When the fortress of Zhuanmeng was opened, the soldiers who filled them became more powerful, the workers became more ingenious, the agriculture and commerce became more diligent, and the country became stronger because of this.
Ding Weiliang attended many Sinology conferences, exchanged ideas with academic circles from various countries, and highly praised the role and significance of the Society.
Defend China
The author believes that civilization and enlightenment come sooner or later, and that civilization is generally created by prophets and sages, and later generations follow suit and spread widely. The five continents Asia was the first to be enlightened, but it was pioneered by China and spread to the West, including: alchemy, compass (compass), gunpowder, sericulture, porcelain making, tea cultivation, and imperial examinations. contribution to civilization. He even said that Western learning "originates in the East, and Westerners are good at spreading it for promotion."
As early as October 1868, Ding Weiliang gave a speech at the American Far Eastern Society, titled "Renaissance in China". In this speech, he refuted the many "arrogance and prejudice" that the Western world has formed against China for a long time, and bravely stood up to defend the Chinese nation:
never a great nation has been more misunderstood. The Chinese are accused of lacking enthusiasm because we don't have a transparent enough medium to pass our ideas to them, or theirs to us. The Chinese are also accused of being utterly barbaric because we lack the broad-mindedness to understand a civilization so different from ours. The Chinese are described as imitators without originality, although they borrow less from others than any other nation. The Chinese are also said to be uncreative, even though they have benefited from a host of the world's most useful inventions. The Chinese are also known to cling to traditional ideas despite many profound changes in their history. (Page 3 of Ding Weiliang's "Memories of the Sixties", Xuelin Publishing House, 2019 edition, translated by Shen Hong et al.)
In "Essence of Sinology: Chinese Spiritual World and Its Influence", Ding Weiliang refuted China's thousands of years of history It is the fallacy of stagnation:
the Chinese are not as stagnant as is generally believed to be in their long national life. The national mentality of the Chinese is constantly advancing with the changing times; though not always in a straight line, we believe that each dynasty recorded unmistakable progress; like the dawn of the North Pole, the first in the eastern horizon The wispy dawn would disappear for hours, but a brighter dawn would follow. And so on and on, and after a few dark cycles, the sunrise finally came. (Page 4 of the book, World Book Publishing Company Beijing Company, 2010 edition)
Especially in the book "China Awakening: National Geographic, History and Change in the Smoke of Fire", he predicted:
China is the stage for the greatest movement taking place in the world today... What it promises to do is to make The oldest, most populous and most conservative empire has been thoroughly reinvigorated...
China is home to a people of boundless energy, admirable for its grandeur today and future prosperity...
just a few generations' effort , the Chinese people will occupy a major position in the forest of nations in the world... (Translated by Shen Hong, World Book Publishing Company Beijing Company, 2010 edition)
People know that Sun Yat-sen was the first to shout the slogan of revitalizing China, and as a pioneer of the Chinese revolution, hope for the nation It is not surprising to revive and shout the strongest voice of the era. Surprisingly, more than a hundred years ago, when China was still suffering from internal and external troubles, poverty and weakness, an American predicted that the Chinese nation would achieve great rejuvenation. Today, more than 100 years later, when we read this passage, our hearts are still full of excitement and imagination, and we have to admire his genius foresight!
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