"The Other" identity in the crisis of the late Qing Dynasty: the reason why W. A. P. Martin praised the imperial examination

• In Event: International Students and Experiences

Abstract

The society collapsed in the late Qing Dynasty, and the mourning of Chinese people for the imperial examination and the decadent voice of Western missionaries criticizing the imperial examination continued. On the contrary, W. A. P. Martin issued a great cry of praising the imperial examination. W. A. P. Martin believed that the imperial examination was beneficial to the people, the imperial examination itself, the Qing court and the West, that is, fairness first and measure ability, stimulate competition and evaluate intelligence, stabilize scholars and check and balance power, promote examinations and enhance national strength. This study believes that W. A. P. Martin's praise of the imperial examination is based on his interest in Sinology, the influence of the image of scholars around him, his implicit intention to spread religion, and his deliberate stance of elevating China.

Author

• JinShan YUAN, Zhejiang University