As countries of the East, the West often perceives China and Japan as two countries with similar political, economic and social norms. What many Westerners may not realize, however, beginning in the 19th century, Japan ended its traditional isolationist policies while seeking to isolate China, and this distinction strongly influenced Japan and China’s political, economic, and social responses to modernization and the West.
Politically, China and Japan’s reaction to Western ideas differed dramatically. When President Fillmore sent Commodore Matthew C. Perry to Japan, the ho-shogun and his advisers at first resisted the visit, but eventually agreed with the The Rising Sun to convince them politically, but more importantly economically. The political-diplomatic, intellectual-cultural, and socio-economic relationship that followed was christened the Meiji Restoration. In general, Japanese concepts of democracy, liberalism and laissez-faire were gradually accepted, but the Meiji leaders decided to remain free of Western imperialism by negotiating with Western ambassadors. They did not leave the isolationist policies under the Tokugawa Shogunate for more than 200 years only to be absorbed by the European colony; They wanted to learn the military and industrial systems of the West so that they could compete with the West politically and economically in the future.
But China was the opposite. After experiencing the sufferings of the Taiping Rebellion, he often referred to the world’s bloodiest civil war, followed by these horrors. After the Opium Wars with Britain, China needed a political retreat. They had already been tricked by the British before, and they had the unusual feeling that the Qing navy was strong enough to handle the British. They adopted a policy of isolation and in the early 20th century, they took a strong initiative to heal the wounds inflicted by the British; one major barrier encouraged almost the entire nation’s addiction to opium. China feared that it would again involve itself with a Western power.
Economically, Japan flourished in the late 19th century, while China was in decline. Japan flew mainly because of Western intervention. After tearing down the walls and opening up to new industrial methods, Japan is ready to compete within the global economy. They had some of the same interests that China did because Japanese students studied Chinese culture so intensely. This worked to Japan’s advantage. Japan had pearls, which, although of a somewhat inferior quality to those produced in China, were much coveted by the British. Japan could also offer Europeans their own teas and pearls. The trade in Japanese pearls grew significantly during this period, especially since pearls were so fashionable in Victorian-England—even for lower-middle-class women He insisted on having a low-level match. With the help of Western ambassadors, Japan established the most powerful factories among European styles and increased their transportation and communication networks imitating Britain and America. the railroads would laugh.
On the other hand, China invested most of its energy in repressing the Taiping Rebellion, the invasion of the Opium Wars, and exterminated its nation at the expense of opium addiction. Little time has been spent industrializing or competing for power across the rest of the world. China’s early 20th century witnessed a period of self-empowerment. Many historians argue that China was not truly modern until Mao’s intervention in 1947 and the Great Leap Forward.
Socially, Japan became more and more Western, while China remained more or less static. Japanese women often exchanged kimonos for corsets and began experimenting with Western-style makeup; they also began to worship Western ideals of beauty. The art of the geisha gradually declined and Japanese women sought more rights (although the role of servants to men remained largely unchanged.) Japanese schools were as strict and grueling as ever, but they began to introduce some Western practices, such as study. about world series history. China, however, clung more strongly than ever to Chinese traditions. Men and traditional clothing were expected; from the school they listen to the woman; it was a patriarchal society; and families commonly practiced Confucian, Taoist, and/or Buddhist theology and doctrine.
Overall, Japan and China had different reasons for either accepting or rejecting Western influences in the late 19th century. It seems wiser that each country should give its own policy in the present state. Both nations are among the richest and most powerful in the world—perhaps so powerful that they will one day dominate the Western world.
