If you want to choose the most important figures in the late Qing Dynasty, I believe that each person has his own opinion. But by any standard, Rong Hong (1828-1912), the father of modern Chinese students, must have been one of them.
In fact, the history of China's dynasties has followed a cyclical style, even if it is a change of dynasties, it is just a difference between a family and a surname, the essence and route of development are still not easy, and the idea of "the emperor is clean and the emperor is clean, and the emperor is exposed to the rain" is still unbreakable.
However, in the late Qing Dynasty, the situation was very different. It was the era when eastern and western civilizations met and knew each other, that is, Li Hongzhang (1823-1901) called "three thousand years of great changes", Rong Hong was originally a peasant son born in Xiangshan, Guangdong, because of a chance decision of his father, he entered the school run by the Westerners to study; later encounters, rewrote Rong Hong's life. This decision also laid an important opportunity for the cultural exchanges between China and the West in modern times.
Rong Hong's portrait and letter | Graph source network
Rong Hong was the first Chinese to study at Yale University in the United States and the first Chinese to study in the United States in modern Chinese history.
At that time, Rong Hongxuecheng did not stop changing jobs for a year after returning to China, and he was not adaptable: "Since returning to China, it has not been more than a year, and he has moved his career three times. If you see different ideas for a long time, the desired cause, or like a slide, will eventually achieve nothing. It is not unconscious that the hopes given are too luxurious, the ambitions are too high, and it is difficult to see the implementation. In order to achieve a real cause, we must have a certain hope in the world. ”
In 1855, domestic observation strengthened Rong Hong's determination to do something for China. He went to see Hong Renjie, the cadre of the Taiping Army, and put forward seven principles for building modern military, education, and politics. Although Hong Renjie was very optimistic about Rong Hong, because he did not hold great power, these policies could not be realized in the end, and Rong Hong ironically received a knighthood conferred on him by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. At this time, Rong Hong realized that to change China, we must start from children and change people's fundamental consciousness.
He advocated the creation of a plan for young children to stay in the United States, so that the Chinese people could see the way of prosperity and strength in the West. He was born in Guangdong, studied in the United States, and later traveled in all directions for China's reform and efforts to become stronger, and traveled all over South and North America, so it is not an exaggeration to call Rong Hong "east, west, south, and north people".
In the turbulent modern history of China, Rong Hong is indeed not a prominent figure, but he is the only lucky person to participate in modern history "in the whole process", so his life reflects the historical trend of modern China like a mirror.
"Xixue Dongzhi" is Rong Hong's memoirs, originally written in English, Yan Yue My Life in China and America, from his birth to the beginning of the twentieth century, summarizing the big end of his life.
In 2004, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Rong Hong's graduation, the Zhuhai municipal government presented a bronze statue of Rong Hong to Yale University, which was placed in the international reading room of the university's Stirling Memorial Library.
At the time of the writing of this book, although the Qing court was already like a candle in the wind, Yu Wei was still there, so Rong Hong still had some secrets about whether he was a person or not. However, Rong Hong's temperament is deeply influenced by Western culture, so there are few pretentious points, and most of them express their thoughts and ideas with a straightforward pen.
The narrative of "The Gradual Record of Learning from the West and learning from the East" has gratitude, hope, knots, sorrows, miscellaneous tastes, and sincere emotions, which is an extraordinary Chinese in modern times and has left us a cultural gift, which is timeless and new, and is worth revisiting often.
"The Gradual Progression of Learning from the West"
My Life in China and America
Series of Books: English-Chinese Series of Famous Books
ISBN9789620746123
Written by Yung Wing Rong Hong
Translators: Xu Fengshi, Yun Tieqiao
Publisher: The Commercial Press (Hong Kong) Limited
Publication date: December 2020
Synopsis
The Chronicle of Western Learning and Eastern Learning is a review of the life of Rong Hong (1828-1912), the father of modern Chinese study, and was first published in English. Rong Hong's life is legendary, under the fate of fate, he has received Western education since childhood, and later went to the United States to study, becoming the first Chinese graduate of Yale University.
This document describes how he participated in the process of China's modernization, especially the development of the plan to stay in the United States in the late Qing Dynasty, and the evaluation of Zeng Guofan (1811-1872), Li Hongzhang (1823-1901), etc., which are important testimonies of the great era.
Rong Hong was the first pioneer in China to come into contact with Western studies. With a keen eye, he presents readers with the social conditions of the late Qing Dynasty under the influence of the western tide. Because of Rong Hong's unique background, this book is one of the most important works in modern Chinese history.
◆ This book was first published in English, beautifully written, and then translated into Chinese.
About the author
Rong Hong (1828-1912), a native of Nanping Town, Xiangshan, Guangdong. Zi Da Meng, chun fu, studied at the Morrison Academy in Macau at an early age. He went to the United States in 1847 and was admitted to Yale University, graduating in 1854, becoming the first Chinese graduate of Yale University. Later, he worked in Shanghai Customs and other departments, and in 1863, he joined Zeng Guofan to assist in the preparation of the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau and purchase machines in the United States. Later, he presided over the program for young children studying in the United States, served as the supervisor of students studying in the United States, and was appointed as the deputy minister of the Qing Dynasty in the United States. In 1898, he participated in the Penghu Reform Law. He left Beijing after the failed change. He returned to the United States to settle in the early 20th century. He died in the United States in 1912.
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This article was originally published in the public account The Hong Kong Commercial Press