Journal paper

Issue No.	No. 35
Title	Liang Ting-nan’s New Vision of the Western World, 1842-1846
Author	NA
Page	115-139
Abstract	Since 1405, the year when Zheng Ho’s fleet started its first westward navigation, the Chinese enlarged their vision and knowledge of the foreign countries, and thus wrote quite a few books on the products and custom of the West. It’s especially evident in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. 　　Following Spanish and Portuguese expansion of their maritime power, the Europeans had made great impact not only on the New World – America and Australia, but also on the Old World-Asia and Africa. Of the peoples, tribes, and countries of these continents, some were totally annihilated, some reduced to colonies of the Imperialists. Consequently there occurred a total change of global situation. It’s under these circumstances, much different from ever before, that China was forced to face. 　　The Opium War of the mid-nineteenth century, resulting from the European invasion, led to the Treaty of Nanking, through which China ceded some territory, lost a large amount of money and even the integration of sovereignty. This catastrophe, mostly owing to the ignorance of foreign countries, stimulated the awareness of Chinese intellectuals to study the history and culture of Western Powers. Among the most famous scholars probing European countries, Wei Yuan, Xu Ji-Yu, Liang Ting-nan and Yao Ying were the four top ones. The writings of Wei and Xu are much better known by the Chinese than those of Liang and Yao. In fact, Liang’s viewpoints were still penetrating in some aspects, especially on the history and geography of England and USA, though they were less comprehensive than Wei’s and Xu’s. 　　Inspired by the Chinese translation of some western masterpieces, Liang devoted himself to the description of the important events, the appellation of the five continents and the introduction to the famous theories, such as the geoid’s theory, heliocentrism, etc. 　　Among the thirty-eight books written by Liang, the four most influential are “Compilation of Guangdong Coastal Defense(廣東海防彙覽)”, “Archives of Canton Customs(粵海關志)”, “Records of Western Affairs(夷氛聞紀)”, and “Four Descriptions on Foreign Countries(海國四說)”. Focused on the politics, economy, education, law and social welfare of England and USA, Liang’s writings were characteristic of clear description and sharp insight on the cause of the Opium War. 　　In a word, Liang was an intellectual pioneer in the mid-nineteenth century and played an important role in the modern Chinese intellectual history.
Keyword	Liang Ting-nan, United States, England, bank notes, bank, remittance, insurance, patent
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