The Encounter Of China With The West
The Europeans and the Chinese ultimately were cultures that rejected one another, but this came after years of what I call a hesitating regulated acceptance of the west on the part of the Chinese that was ultimately doomed from day one. The Europeans at first revered and were intrigued by the very different Chinese culture but these feelings would not last. Later in the eighteenth century the Europeans in due course rejected the Confucian way of thinking. These feelings seemed to be mutual as the Chinese overall never accepted Christianity and the west’s way of thinking. In this paper, I will give you reasons why I feel that these two cultures never accepted one another’s train of thought.
The first critical factor that I believe was most influential in the Chinese’s rejection to the English way of life was China’s superiority complex. The Chinese were very ethnocentric and truly believed that Chinese culture was superior to all other cultures. With this being said; Why would the Chinese listen and accept another’s culture that wasn’t as good as their own? That’s just it; they wouldn’t accept it at all.
The next major reason why the Chinese rejected Western culture and Christianity was the skepticism and agnosticism of Confucian thinkers. Confucian thought had a lack of religious emphasis, and the Jesuit priests believed that this is where they could inter twine Christianity with Confucianism. There was still a strain of religious skepticism in Confucianism that caused many literati to reject the mystical elements of Christianity like the virgin birth, incarnation, the miraculous healings, the resurrection, and the trinity. This skepticism among literati held back the widespread acceptance of Christianity.
Another source of anti-Christian feeling was based on the Chinese fear of subversion. This issue came to the forefront after the Manchu came into power in 1644. The Manchu were military conquerors who only made...
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