Zheng Guanying's Contribution to Thought

Zheng Guanying was engaged in industrial and commercial activities throughout his life. He was in favor of recovering the autonomy of tariffs and believed that "if the power to set tariffs is vested in one's own country, even though the largest country cannot control the weight of a small country, and even though the smallest country is not subject to the obstruction of a large country". He denied the agreed tariff provisions in the Treaty of Nanjing and demanded that the sovereignty of the country should be governed by public international law. He pointed out that "the established rules and regulations of tariffs are understood by all, so why do we need people with blue eyes and yellow hair to overstep the bounds of international law and rule on our behalf?" He pointed out the significance of tariff autonomy, "millions of huge sums of money, the right to self-management, not to favor the Westerners to obstruct the tax rules, not only the debatable politics is a great benefit to the gods, but also in the preservation of the state of the Chinese dynasty is also particularly great."

Zheng Guanying advocated the implementation of tariff protection policy, in order to promote the development of China's national industry and foreign trade. He said that "all our owners, light tax to broaden the way to go; our country has no one. Heavy tax to meet the source, collect my rights, rich my businessmen. Discretionary surplus agent deficiency, do not want so". He believes that the Qing dynasty import tariff rate is too low, should "re-establish a new chapter, a levy." Zheng Guanying's mercantile thought is also reflected in his cut cents on the idea. He pointed out that "when the cultivation of industry and commerce to rival the foreign goods and the leakage of doom, do not raid the tax rate to sick people and sick". He listed ten major disadvantages and mast of the centile tax, pointing out that "if the number of draws trickle down to the public, the name of the real, it is detrimental to the people, but also beneficial to the country", that "centile donations are not withdrawn, it is difficult to revitalize the business". He also drew on the Western stamp duty system and put forward the idea of replacing the centile tax with stamp duty. The core of Zheng Guanying's economic thought was his theory of "commercial warfare". Efforts to trace the modern significance of "commercial warfare" and repeatedly explained by Zheng Guanying started, he put the means of aggression of foreign capitalism into "military warfare" (military aggression) and "commercial warfare" (economic aggression). He attributed the means of aggression of foreign capitalism to "war of arms" (military aggression) and "war of commerce" (economic aggression) and believed that the latter was more hidden and threatening than the former, and that China should give more priority to opposing economic aggression than to opposing military aggression in its fight against aggression. Zheng Guanying was the main representative of the theory of "commercial war" that was popular around the time of the Sino-Japanese War (1894).

What Zheng Guanying meant by "commercial war" was the counterpart of "military war". His famous saying is in his other famous book "Dangerous Words of the Shengshi", "It is better to learn military warfare than commercial warfare." Said to learn from the West, only keen to buy iron ships, build batteries, guns, mines, set up a navy, operating land formations, the war spared no effort, far less like the Western countries to revitalize the business of its full strength. In order to carry out the "commercial war" must be broken to the agriculture-based, to the end of the business, the importance of the end of the stereotypes of the end of the suppression. This is all people and can also say. Ancient times, the people of the livelihood, old and dead, so corn, cloth transactions and stop. Today is not the same. Annexation of countries, each trying to benefit themselves, by business to strengthen the country, by soldiers to defend business. Their alliances and treaties, hiring and exchanges, are set up for business. British rulers and ministers and business to open up the frontier, open up the Americas, occupy India, according to Burma, through China, are merchants for the lead, it can be seen that want to control the Westerners to strengthen themselves, such as according to the development of business. And can be said that business for the end of the matter?"

Zheng Guanying emphasized: "the westerners for the war, soldiers, farmers, workers for the commercial help; ministers for the commercial dispatch, consulates for the commercial establishment; warships for the commercial set up. I China should treat both the symptoms and the root cause. If the loss of its own and figure its end, the appearance of its form without attacking its heart, the school is not emerging, talent is not out, will see the commercial defeat, and the Shi, agriculture, industry, who can compete with the balance of the rich and powerful in the world yeah? In the "business" chapter he pointed out: "business to trade with the trade, flat prices, help the urgent need, beneficial to the people, conducive to the country, and the scholar, agriculture, industry and each other table. Scholar without the business is not macro learning, agriculture without the business is not planting a wide range of such things, the work without the business can not be manufactured things to sell. It is a businessman with sitting in the wealth of the Avenue, and hold the program of the four people. The righteousness of business is great!" Business war, must fundamentally change the traditional concept of cheap business and the hierarchical structure of the Shishu, agriculture, industry and commerce, fully affirm the leading role of modern entrepreneurs in the development of society. To this end, Zheng Guanying especially attacked as a social elite "Shi" clinging to traditional concepts, has become a major obstacle to industrial and commercial development that is to carry out the "business war": "China does not lack of smart people, but unfortunately the Shi Dafu habits are too deep, and refused to study skills, and seek deeper understanding of the business. They are not willing to study skills and seek for deeper character, and they always take commerce and industry as a matter of profit, and they do not care to be with them at the beginning. Those who are not greedy for fat, will be curbed when things go wrong; those who are only interested in profit will be cut down by using a pretext and amine. Thus, but the abusive policy of the trapped business, and there is no good law to protect the business. Although I want the business of the rise, and can be obtained?

To carry out the commercial war, especially need to create a large number of modern business talents, that is, modern entrepreneurs and administrators, they are able to in accordance with the rules of the world proven to continue to promote the development of industry and commerce. Shengshi Dangerous Words" five volumes of this "business" chapter pointed out that: "China since the opening of commerce, not by the benefits of commerce, but by the harm of commerce." In order to change this situation and improve the quality of industrialists and businessmen and related administrators, Zheng Guanying asked the central government to set up a Ministry of Commerce in addition to the six ministries, and to set up commercial bureaus in each province, with reputable gentlemen and merchants as the directors, to support and protect industrialists and businessmen to develop their industries. At the same time, in each of the provinces, states and counties set up business offices, by the industrial and commercial enterprises to elect their own director. Here, of course, there is no lack of idealism, not too optimistic, but to develop modern industry and commerce, there must be a large number of entrepreneurs and administrators with modern qualities, must establish a modern enterprise system, in accordance with the rules of the road to determine the conduct of the sober consciousness further illustrates that, in Zheng Guanying here, the "war of commerce" has a This sober realization further shows that in Zheng Guanying's case, "business war" has a very clear modern consciousness. Zheng Guanying pointedly attacked the long term, China's "school system, the people of the extended teacher to class their children. The poor people's incapable people are so desolate and illiterate that they do not even know what heaven and earth, the ancient and modern worlds are, and the things that defy ethics and reasoning are endless. This is all the school does not speak of the reason." For the imperial examination system, he repeatedly criticized, pointed out that: "China's scribes specializing in the system of art, that is, the country's terroir, human conditions, military and criminal justice, money and other things are also non-vegetarian habits. Where the order of merit, the scholar's work of this person to get the first, do not work this person that is not the first. Even though the great and the brilliant also had to be useful to the heart and soul, spent in the useless time text. Even if the words are well crafted, the sentence is purely familiar, I ask can be used and the country? No. Can I use it to soften the distant people? No. Once the industry has been completed and served, and then abandon their studies. Woo-hoo! Learned is not used, used is not learned, the world's pointless, to the extreme!" In order to adapt to the imperial examinations and learning, "so to the flashy and insubstantial eight stocks, and lowercase test posting of the specialization of the work, bubbling out of the spirit, time-consuming, rate of the world and into the useless."

How to change this status quo, Zheng Guanying that, first of all, should be widely built schools, like Germany, "the size of the school, each in turn": first of all, to solve the problem of universal compulsory primary education; and then, through the House of Commerce, the actual College, the Institute of Technology, and then into the College of outstanding learning. Zheng Guanying pointed out: "Schools are where talents come from. Talent, the national strength. Therefore, Thailand and the West of the strong strong in the school, not strong ten people. However, to compete with the strong, not in guns and battleships, strong in the study of China's learning, and learning what it has learned." To this end, he suggested: "China should be considered in China and abroad into the law, education personnel, both military and civilian, Japan set up the Ministry of Culture, and divided into divisions of responsibility. Hire Chinese and foreign specialists, selecting and translating useful books from various countries, compiling a general specialized textbook for monks, issued in various provinces. And through the injured officials to supervise the local gentry with local fund-raising, and donate money, helpers reported to the Ministry of reward. Ensure that all states and counties throughout the establishment of elementary school, secondary schools, provinces set up a higher university, a serious, from shallow to deep, can not step across."

Widely set up schools, Zheng Guanying more comprehensive change in the content of teaching to change people's knowledge structure and people's existing concepts. He denounced in the "Western Learning" an article of this "self-appointed people" move to not talk about foreign affairs as high, see the Western scholars, they are denounced as the sinner of the famous teachings, the scum of the forest, "is really a misguided and misguided people. He introduced the Western learning is divided into three categories: heaven, earth and man. The so-called astronomy, "the sky as the program, and all algorithms, calendars, electricity, optics, and all the arts, are pushed to its extreme by astronomy." The so-called geography, "with the earth as the outline, and all measurement, latitude and longitude, planting, car, boat, military formation and other arts, all by geography to its extreme." The so-called anthropology, "with dialect and writing as its program, and all the arts of government and religion, criminal law, manufacturing, commerce, and industry, were pushed to their limits by anthropology." All of these are beneficial to the people's livelihood. Zheng Guanying also pointed out that: "on the science of Thailand and the West, the faction of the article, commercial politics, military law, shipbuilding, tool making, as well as agriculture, fisheries, animal husbandry, mining and all the business, none of which is not fine, and all lead to its origin from the steam science, optics, chemistry, electrotechnology." All kinds of learning with strong application are rooted in fundamental learning. There is also a fundamental characteristic of Western learning, that is, "all the actual investigation of all things, not a false measurement of its reasoning". All this, Zheng Guanying believes, are worthy of Chinese teachers. "Western law of all kinds, Westerners to wealth and strength, has been effective, all have a program. I tend to follow, it is easier to see the results. Translated from the Western language into Chinese, to Western learning into secondary school, less than ten years, Chinese talent is not difficult to lead with the Thai and Western stubborn." In order to change people's habitual way of thinking and behavior, in addition to the development of school education, but also need to vigorously develop social education. Zheng Guanying pointed out that: "roughly Western countries to educate talents in the way of counting one has three things: said the school, the day the press, said the book museum." The establishment of a variety of newspapers and magazines, publishing a variety of books, the establishment of a large number of newspapers and libraries, will become an important part of social education. Shengshi dangerous words" in the "daily newspaper" article, dedicated to the factory set up a daily newspaper in the "through the people's hidden, up to the people's feelings" in the irreplaceable role, and advocated that the provinces to create a mortar newspaper, in order to make "the people's heart is not cozy, the people's aspirations are not not stretched," at the same time, through the newspaper, so that the people do not go beyond the household court and know the The world; there is a "collection of books" chapter, dedicated to the provinces should be in the halls, states, counties set up libraries that is the library, "the purchase of useful books in China and abroad to store them, and send staff to specialize in the management. Regardless of the cold Confucian doctor, receive a diploma into the hospital, you can read all the books." Because of the frequent internal and external troubles, Zheng Guanying was very concerned about national security. Under the guidance of the idea of "division of its strengths, take away its support", he attached great importance to learning Western long skills, strengthen military drills and improve weaponry. He repeatedly emphasized, "the military system formation should be practiced", "guns and equipment should be refined".

In the civil-military joint defense, the preparation of the navy, sea defense, he also put forward his own insights. In the "on military training" article, he first summarized the ancient Chinese military law, pointing out that "the soldiers in the essence of not more, will be in the strategy not in the courage", "today's war is different from the ancient, the war of the mind is still the same as the ancient", we must draw on the essence of ancient military thought. At the same time for the selection of generals, the election of the martial arts examination, he has put forward his own insights.

In the method of military training, he advocated learning the British training methods, to achieve strict orders, the same pace. For the civil-military joint defense, he "on the civil society" in the article on the ancient military in agriculture and the later generations of the practice of organizing the civil society to be affirmed, but do not think it is enough. For the navy and coastal defense, he was in the "on the sailor" article, he advocated the coast into the ocean, the northern ocean, Minyang, the southern ocean four oceans, respectively, set up towns and towns, the potential to form horns, in order to static braking, in order to wait for labor. Zhili, Fengtian, Shandong three for a town, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, the Yangtze River for a town, Fujian, Taiwan for a town, Guangdong since a town, organized into four towns, each set up a division of the water, collect sound connected to the arm of the arm to help the effect. At the same time in the four seas defense, he also put forward his own insights.

In the foreign affairs movement, for the military reform in the military procurement problems, resulting in the effectiveness of the foreign affairs movement is not notable, at the same time, he believes that in the procurement of weapons, should be refined, at the same time should be imitated, can not always rely on other people, and to follow others behind the same step. Zheng Guanying, through the absorption of modern natural science and social management science in the West, was engaged in the attempt to change the traditional Chinese philosophy by borrowing certain traditional forms from China, thus making his own worldview characterized by a number of modern philosophies and adding new contents to the history of Chinese philosophy.

In terms of ontology, Zheng Guanying firstly put forward the category of "Tao" with the color of Western modern natural science, and reduced "Tao" to a material entity, thus shining with the light of mechanical materialism. At the same time, he made a non-scientific abstraction of the ethical and moral norms of "Zhong" and defined this abstracted "Zhong" as the connotation of "Dao", thus his philosophical change is still y influenced by the deep-rooted traditional thinking. As a result, his philosophical changes were still y bound by the deep-rooted traditional thinking. In terms of epistemology, Zheng Guanying gave Western content to the traditional Chinese theories of the relationship between name and reality, and the relationship between knowledge and action, advocating that learning should be applied, and that knowledge should come after action.

In terms of the concept of development, Zheng Guanying put forward the issues of human subjective initiative and constancy and change with a new academic content. Starting from the reaction of consciousness to matter, he believed that man can transform nature and also imitate the Western method and engage in the transformation of society. On the issue of constancy and change, Zheng Guanying put forward the proposition of "transforming Western learning into secondary school", which has the significance of qualitative change in the concept of development. However, Zheng Guanying ultimately affirmed that "the apparatus is changeable, and the way remains unchanged", thus falling into metaphysics in terms of methodology.

In short, Zheng Guanying's concept of development is a kind of gradualism that recognizes gradual change and even sudden change, but distorts sudden change. It is a special form of bourgeois metaphysics that demands the transformation of feudal relations of production while compromising the feudal hierarchy. It has an important position in modern Chinese philosophy and had a direct influence on the later Yan Fu, Kang Youwei, Tan Sitong and Sun Yat-sen. Zheng Guanying is not a defender but a reformer, Zheng Guanying advocated that the foundation of the country's wealth and strength, in the opening of the House of Representatives, China should be modeled on the British and German system of the House of Representatives, the implementation of the constitutional monarchy, the rest of the various reforms are but the end. Zheng Guanying's philosophical views should not be confused with his political views. Zheng Guanying, in the relationship between poetry and society, advocated "recording current events" and "moralizing and admonishing"; in the relationship between poetry and feelings, he advocated "reciting feelings" and "freely recounting feelings". In terms of the relationship between poetry and feelings, it is advocated to "sing about the nature of feelings" and "talk freely about the period"; in terms of the relationship between poetry and form, it is advocated to "not stick to the style" and "not follow the ancient methods"; in terms of the relationship between poetry and language, it is advocated to "strive to sweep away the vulgar words". In terms of the relationship between poetry and form, he advocated "not sticking to the style" and "not following the ancient methods"; in terms of the relationship between poetry and language, he advocated "sweeping away the extravagant words" and "the words are especially noble and shallow". On the road of modern poetry's colloquialization and vernacularization, Zheng Guanying was indeed a big step forward than Huang Zunxian, who was quite famous for his poetry. The content of Zheng Guanying's poems is most famous for his industrial poems, which reflect the purpose, content, measures and guarantees for the revitalization of industry. The style of Zheng Guanying's poems is both impassioned and heroic, as well as calm and peaceful, mellow and simple. His poems are characterized by "no cliffs and shores, no embellishments, and the words follow the matter, and the feelings are said". Although his poems are mainly straightforward, there is no lack of vivid images and poetic depictions. His poems are at the forefront of his contemporaries in terms of the development of subject matter, sensitivity, and depth of thought.

His book, "Dangerous Words for the Shengshi", which runs through the theme of "wealth, strength and national salvation", puts forward practical proposals for political, economic, military, diplomatic and cultural reforms, and prescribes a post of medicine to save the late Qing Dynasty from danger after its defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War, in which it was frustrated and confused. Strenuously advocate the speedy implementation of constitutional monarchy, against the Qing government's stubborn and tough attitude on this issue, as well as the United Kingdom, Japan's implementation of constitutional monarchy after the effectiveness of Zheng Guanying angrily said, "is it not feasible to say that the House of Representatives? And still say that China is not urgent to do so? Yelp! Inversion Yi!" And advocated that the parliament be given the right to "take over the program of common politics". In order to the constitutional monarchy can be successfully implemented, Zheng Guanying also put forward a series of supporting internal reform, advocating a wide range of newspapers, in order to make the lower hidden can reach the upper, and the size of the officials to play a role in public opinion supervision, in order to persuade the good and punish the bad, and to promote good and eliminate the bad. He also advocated the reform of the official selection system, whereby officials should be elected by the people, eliminating redundancy and giving way to the wise in their old age. "Recruiting famous teachers and opening arts centers". That to be strong must attach importance to Western learning, the development of education, focusing on mastering Western astronomy, geography, anthropology of the training of new talents, he said that according to the ancient and modern countries in China and abroad to set up the rules of upbringing, play the effect of the rich and strong, the thick of the first in the school, "art school day, the day of the book is ready to make the day of a wide range of the country's power day strong. He advocated vigorously translating Western books, reforming the imperial examinations, adding new subjects such as gezhi, electronics, medicine, etc., and employing talents proficient in Western studies. In the economic aspect, Zheng Guanying put forward the famous "commercial war" theory. He believed that the western powers invaded China with the purpose of turning China into their "material and profit-making field", and thus used the means of "military war" and "commercial war" to deal with China, and the commercial war was more important than the military war. Commercial war is more secretive and harmful than military war, the so-called "military annexation is easy to realize, but the business of splitting can be invisible to the country". It is advocated that "Westerners fight with commerce, and if they come with commerce, I should also go with commerce". Since "my business will continue to flourish for a day, their greedy schemes will also continue for a day". The only way to build a nation is to use business to build a nation, to use industry to build a nation, and "to control the Westerners to strengthen themselves, there is no better way to revitalize the business".

In his book, he declared: "Want to foreign countries, urgent self-improvement, want to self-improvement, must first get rich; want to revitalize the business, we must first school, quickly set up a constitution, respect for morality, and improve politics." Therefore, he advocated that "the railroads, boats, mining, planting, manufacturing, one to allow the private sector to open, nothing to prohibit", at the same time, he pointed out that only to learn Western technology without political reform is "left its body and seek its use", will fail, must be in the At the same time, he pointed out that merely learning Western technology without political reform was "to leave its body and seek its use" and would surely fail, and that it was necessary to set up a parliament immediately and implement a constitutional monarchy in China. After the publication of the book, by the intellectual world attention, a powerful impetus to the wide dissemination of the trend of modernization and reform.