China, Confucius and the US

While a lot of people think Confucius ideology has no influence on the west, research have suggest otherwise and during the 18th century, China and Confucius ideology has major influence on the US. According to a paper published by St John University, during the 18th century, China and Confucius ideology had influence the US on a wide range of topic, including, economic, political, ideology, culture, industrial, legal and national infrastructure. Many of these influences can still be seen today. Most of these influences are firstly, initiate by Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, which adopt aspect of China that can be of benefit to the US and when necessary, use it to replace certain problematic aspect of existing western culture. Then, it was through an increase of trade with 18th century China. The Chinese influence only ended due to the successful of the industrial revolution and sudden collapse of China, in the 19th century.

China's economic influence on 18th century US was due to firstly, the US' need for a new trade partner, due to British economic sanction on the US, after failing to defeat the US forces, in the American independence war. And secondly, because the founding father believe China, which was the most powerful nation of the 18th century, has much for the newly formed US to learn from. Thirdly, demand for Chinese product, in the US, is already high, prior to the American Revolution war.

The British economic sanction on the US and France not willing to loan more money to US, was making US' economy struggle greatly. For example, a bag of tea cost $100, while the monthly salary of an army private is only $4 per month. The worth of the paper money was so little, people were using it as wallpaper. Desperate for trade, China became the US' first choice of a new trade partner. On 22nd February 1784 the ship Empress of China left New York, for China and returned successfully on May 11 1785, the success of the trip saved the US economy and soon inspire further trade with China and by 1795, US become China's second largest trade partner. By early 19th century (China only collapsed by mid-19th century) China's port saw around 40 American ships per year, loading and unloading cargos and the sail of the Empress of China is been consider as the brightest chapter of US maritime history. Successfully establishing trade relationship with 18th century China, also established US' independent status on international commerce. New York became the main trading port with China and as a result, in 1755 Alexander Hamilton placed the national bank, there. Three years after the success of the Empress of China, George Washington, send David Stuart to Potomac River, to find a good location to build a warehouse for US trade with China, so to induce China's trade with the South of the US. Prior to the success of the revolution war, by law, the US is only allowed to trade with Britain. Thus, the Empress of China also carries a significant political meaning, which is, the US is now an independent country, not a British colony.

Philip Freneau, who is an iconic poet and patriot, during the America revolution era, wrote in one of his widely circulated poem

With clearance from BELLONA won/ She spreads her wings to meet the Sun/ Those golden regions to explore/ Where George forbade to sail before....To that old track no more confin'd/ By Britain's ealous court assign'd/ She round the STORMY CAPE shall sail/ And eastward, catch the odorous gale.

From a modern political point of view, by establishing independent trade, with US, regardless of the British rules that only allows the US to trade with Britain, we can argue, China might be one of the first nations, to recognize US as an independent nation, after the US revolution war.

The early founding father of the US consider China as an important place to gain the resource require to promote US' own agricultural and industrial development and also tried to transplant valuable plants from China to North America. Chinese agriculture products such as dry rice and soybeans were been important into the US. During that time, when Asia's is still technologically superior to the West, Franklin also showed interest in China's industrial technology, such as house heating system, shipbuilding, paper making, candle and mill technology. The Chinese canal construction technology had the largest impact on 18th century US, the usage of these Chinese skills, allowed the building of the Erie Canal, which help making New York one of the greatest cities, in the future. Franklin used the house heating technology and practice of colder region of China, to invent a furnace and apply Chinese shipbuilding techniques to a proposal of passenger service between France and US. In Thomas Jefferson's own architectural design, he incorporated Chinese railing into Italian design and this new design by Thomas Jefferson, remain influential, till date.

However, the demand of Chinese product has already been high prior to the American Revolution war. Prior to the revolution war, Chinese tea and porcelain was already very popular in the US, but, the US can only purchase the more expensive ones, that is firstly imported from China to Britain and then from Britain to the US. Tea imported from China, was an extremely important consumption of 18th century Americans, where people consume number of times, per day and many Americans are angry about the fact, the Chinese tea they consume, must be imported from China to England and then from England to the US, rather then been exported directly from China to US. Thus become an important trigger that leads up to the American Independent war.

However, the influence of 18th century China on the US is not only economic, but also in the arena of cultural, political and ideology. The culture influence of China is not forced upon the US against its will. This is unlike the pre modern Catholic Church, which forced their interpretation of Christian values upon others, through Crusades, Inquisition and burning people on the stake or the modern Taliban, which enforce their own version of harsh Sharia law, by massacring girl schools, for violating it. The Chinese never forced their own culture value upon others, against their will. The influence of China, on 18th century US, is a selective and volunteering influence, firstly, with founding fathers of the US as the agent choosing aspect of China that would better suit the US and adopt it and if felt necessary, used it to replace existing western system, which they felt to be problematic and secondly through trade, by exporting books in the arena of agriculture, science, philosophy, art and technology from China to the US, many of those books, was already been sold in Europe.

The two most important agents were Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, who already have much contact with Europeans who studied Chinese culture and thus have much knowledge on the subject.

Through Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson’s' selective and volunteering adoption of the positive aspect of Chinese civilization, Chinese policies are frequently been used as reference to resolve the political, social and economic issue of the 18th century US. This created a new form of western culture, which is one where certain aspect of Chinese culture is incorporated into western culture.

As a result, Confucius ideology also has a lot of influence, on the view of US elites, during the 18th century. Many early elite of colonial US, highly regard Confucius ideology, including Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, John Bartram and Edidiah Morse. In 1737, Benjamin Franklin started promoting Confucius virtue, by publishing a book known as "the moral of Confucius" in his widely circulated Pennsylvania Gazette and made it clear that he consider Confucius as his role model in 1749.

In the book "Age of Reason", written by Thomas Paine, listed Confucius, Jesus and Greek philosophers as the greatest moral teacher of the world.

In Jedidiah Morse's book, "American Universal Geography", he cited two ancient Chinese books "The Great Learning" and "The Doctrine of Mean" two of the four books Confucius spoke very highly of. Morse refers to the two books as "The most excellent precepts of wisdom and virtue, expressed with the greatest eloquence, elegance and precision."

An example of the influence of Chinese political and culture value, was been demonstrated in the early years, of winning the American revolutionary war, some veterans of the war, want to established a aristocracy system, similar to Europe, with themselves as the nobles. This idea was right away, been opposed by Franklin. within his statement Franklin said

Thus among the Chinese, the most ancient, and, from long Experience, the wisest of Nations,Honour does not descend but ascent. If a Man from his Learning, his Wisdom or his Valour, is promoted by the Emperor to the Rank of mandarin, his Parents are immediately entitled to all the same Ceremonies of Respect from the People, that are established as due to the mandarin himself, on this Supposition, that it must have been owing to the Education, Instruction and good Example afforded him by his Parents that he was rendered capable of Serving the Public. This ascending Honour is therefore useful to the State as it encourages Parents to give their Children a good and virtuous Education. But the descending Honour, to Posterity who could have had no Share in obtaining it, is not only groundless and absurd, but often hurtful to that Posterity, since it is apt to make them proud, disdaining to be employed in useful Arts, and thence falling into Poverty and the Meanness’s, Servility and Wretchedness attending it; which is the present case with much of what is called the Noblesse in Europe. Or if, to keep up the Dignity of the Family, Estate are entailed entire on the Eldest Male Heir, another Pest to industry and Improvement of the Country is introduced, which will be followed by all the occasioning continual Extinction of Family by Discouragement of Marriage and improvement of Estates. I wish therefore that the Cincinnati, if they must go on with their Project, would direct the badges of their Order to be worn by their Parents instead of handing them down to their Children. It would be a good precedent, and might have good Effects.

Many of our modern western value, bare great similarity with Eastern traditional value, but are frown upon, within traditional western value. A first example is, traditional western value believe in racial centralism, which itself, can be argue as a form of racism. Modern western value, condemn such traditional view and encourage people not to make such distinguish and unite with the masses and during the 90s, many western nation, join the international community, to conduct economic sanction to the white supremacist of South Africa. Confucius ideology, also frequently speak of not to create a little gang to conspire against the world, but to unit with the masses.

Further example is, in the bible, it wrote

Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.

John 1:9~11

And

And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul, but that whoever would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman.

Chronicles 15:12~13

And

If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable.

They must be put to death, their blood will be on their own head.

Leviticus 20:13

There are many more disturbing passages like these in the bible. But modern western world, not only frown upon teachings like these, but frequently turn a blind eye to it and pretend these passage don't exist or become selective in what Christian value to follow and ignore problematic passages, like these. Most westerners today, believe in showing tolerance and respect to people who are different and adopt a live to let live attitude, towards others, including those who are not moral or sinners. The gays who continue to find themself been discriminated by Christian groups, receive more support, respect for their difference and tolerance than condemnation, from the modern western public, even amount those who don't agree with the gay people's behavior. Institution like the Catholic Church Home for Unwed Mother is been frowned upon, by people of the modern western era, despite the bible said

Let marriage be held in honour among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

Hebrews 13:4

On the internet, there are some YouTube channels, which go as far as saying "god is evil". Even

including YouTube animations, created by white westerners that are dedicated to trash talking

the Christian god.

The changing attitude is even been reflect in our attitude of mythology, in pre 20th century, vampires, are been accepted to be evil undead, simply because they are not of Christ, today's pop culture, need to find various methods to try justified the evil vampire, in some TV series there are even humane vampire, who respect other people's right of not wanting to be turned and not take human blood. In some movie and TV series such as Blade and Angel, the vampires even become the hero. During the eighteenth century, people use to burn people alive accusing them for been witches. In today's pop culture, witches are frequently been celebrated and are frequently been portrayed as kind and beautiful. Witches from shows such as Bewitch and Charmed, become women that all men want to have and all women want to be.

The founding father of the US put a great deal of effort into learning Chinese culture, because as the most powerful nation of the time, China had a lot of things, worthy for the US to learn from, so the US can grow strong. Thomas Paine once said the Chinese are people of good moral and mild manners and after looking at some of the more disturbing passage of our bible, we can argue, this statement made by Paine, is a fair comment, for its time. Benjamin Franklin also said

The Chinese are an enlightened people, the most antiently [anciently] civilized of any existing, and their arts are antient [ancient], a presumption in their favour"

and

Could we be so fortunate as to introduce the industry of the Chinese, their arts of living and improvements in husbandry, as well as their native plants, America might be in time become aspoulousas China, which is allowed to contain more inhabitants than any other country, of the same extend, in the world.

Jefferson once said

A better idea of the state of science in China than the relations of travellers have effected.

Ezar Stile who lives between 1727-1795 and who was then President of Yale University refers to

than China as the greatest, the richest and most populous kingdom now known in the world.

Despite books from China was also been published in Europe, eighteenth century China had a significantly greater influence on the US than Europe. This is because, disregards to its pros and cons, Europe was already an established society. The US on the other hand, is a brand new society, starting from scratch. For example, the three books "A Voyage to China and the East Indies" written by Chaplain Peter Osbeck, "A Voyage to Suratte" by Chaplain Olaf Toreen and "Account of the Chinese Husbandary" written by Charles Gusavus Eckeberg, was published firstly is Swedish, in 1757 and then translated to German in 1765 and translated to English in 1771 was been widely neglected in Europe, but was spoken highly by 18th century US elite. Thomas Paine introduced and recommended the three books to the US in 1775 and presented a quote from "A Voyage to China and the East Indies" saying

Their observation on the heavens and earth and their history are remarkable, on account of their antiquity. (According to their accounts, they go as high as the times of Noah.) Their moral are looked upon as amaster-piece; their laws are considered as excellent maxims of life, their medicine and natural history are both of them founded on long experience; and their husbandry is admired for the perfection it has risen to.

By the 19th century the west has caught up with Asia, through the success of the industrial revolution. The Manchurian Empire, that ruled China, Manchuria, Mongolia, Tibet, Xian Jiang and Taiwan, since the late 17th century, initiated a policy to dramatically increase the power of the executive branch of the federal government, which is administer by the Emperor and decrease, the power of all other branches of the federal and local government, due to fear of revolt. By the 19th century, this was leading to a range of problems including corruption, economic meltdown and civil unrest, and to resolve this problem without contradicting this early Manchurian Empire policy is not possible. (If the executive branch hold all power, then if the Emperor screw up, due to bad policy or negligent or if the executive branch become corrupt, the entire nation would be in big trouble, because, no other branch have the authority to do anything. Plus, issue of the state, are frequently too complex for one man to handle and nobody can be an expert on everything. But, if other branches have more authority, the Emperor only needs to appoint the right person to administer those branches and supervise them.)

By 1840, this leads to British easily defeated China in the opium war. In 1840 the British send a fleet of forty warships and four thousand marines to invade China. However, if it wasn't because of the corruption, China should have been able to defeat the British in the Opium war. The military of the Manchurian Empire include the federal force and regional militia. Taiwan naval fleet was composed mostly of regional militia. So, it is not corrupt, like the federal forces. During the opium war, the Taiwan fleet, defeated the British easily and captured number of British sailors and officers. However, the federal troops that was a part of the Taiwan fleet, was completely useless. Most of the defense force on the mainland is composed of Federal forces, usually even refusing to engage the British, leaving the fighting against British navy and marines, to the local police force and as a result, the British face close to no opposition on the mainland.

The uselessness of the Federal forces of the Manchurian Empire, demonstrated in the war with British, inspire the Chinese, to rebel against the now corrupt Manchurian Empire and push them out. Just as the Chinese expected, the federal force, was just as useless, as when they faced the British. But it turns out, the new government form by the rebel leaders are even worse, thus allowing the Manchurian Empire to finally recruit enough militia to defeat the rebels. But the civil war bankrupts the Manchurian Empire and with the death of the Emperor, it allows Cixi one of his concubines to take power. The four years old prince that was crowned Emperor, was merely a puppet. Since then, Cixi would initiate a series of policies that further crippled the entire Manchurian Empire. For example, despite she knows to dissolve the original useless federal military force and make the militia to be the new federal military force. She initiated a series of policy that would cripple the militia navy. According to naval and historical experts, the militia Chinese navy, of the late 19th century, should be extremely powerful. Their technology isn't inferior, like most Europeans think and they are not ill trained or discipline, like most Chinese think. Its naval fleet was the 8th most powerful in the world, its commanders are some of the best, formal commanders of the British navy and its sailor are better discipline and trained than many modern navy sailors. However, because Cixi decided to spend so much of tax payers' money fixing her private garden, it affected China's defense budget. For three years straight, the navy received o% budget, modern historian claim, the amount of money Cixi spend on fixing her private garden, was enough, for the then Chinese navy, to build a fleet with ten most powerful warships, of the 19th century. Because they received no funds, the battleships received no logistic support, so, the sailors cannot maintain their ships and by the time the Chinese went to war with Japan, their warship, don't even have the ammo required for 19th century warfare and had to use new year celebration's explosive, as substitution, something that is useless in 19th century naval warfare and their cannon, already rusted, because the crew, can't afford to maintain it. Despite winning the initial battle, the fleet cannot receive necessary supply to repair damages to their ships or to get resupply in ammo. So, they can't afford to fight a second battle against Japan, so when the Japanese returned for round two, they easily captured its most powerful battleship and sank the rest of the fleet. Modern historians claim the sailors and officers of the late 19th century Chinese navy perform exception well, in this war, under extremely difficult circumstances. Some commanders of the Chinese navy took their own life, due to losing this war. A 21st century formal naval warship commander, said, the performance, of the sailors of late 19th century China navy, in the war against Japan, is exceptional good, even in comparison to the standard of modern navy sailors. 

If it wasn't because of Cixi, China would have won that war. If the Chinese didn't rebel, the Manchurian Empire could recover from the corruption issue, because after the Opium war, the Emperor had proposed reform, including restoring power to other branches of the federal government and local government. If Cixi didn't take power, China would only be weak, for a short while, during the mid-19th century. 

But, it is easy to imagine, why, after the 18th century, China is no longer the place, for the US to learn from. But, despite today, US has long replaced China as the most powerful nation and China is now under the dictatorship rule of the Communist, the important influence of China to the US during the 18th century, is still been recognized, by modern US politicians. In 2009, President Barack Obama said

Americans know the richness of China's history because it helped to shape the world and it helped to shape America.

Back to Context Page

Sign up for free with our Blog Sponsor for Free GiftCards Now!!! :D

Share

Reference

St John University 2009, How China helped to shape American Cultural: The founding Fathers and Chinese Civilization St John University, viewed 5th December 2015,

http://www.virginiareviewofasianstudies.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/wang-china.doc

中天新聞20142014.07.30 新聞龍捲風part1 甲午戰爭「大翻案！」「黃龍軍旗」大清戰敗真相是？中天新聞viewed 5th December 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3LVVcDUgzQ

Sina 全球新聞17th Feburary 2009 南書房皇權集中地viewed 5th December 2015

http://news.sina.com/oth/chinesedaily/301-000-101-113/2009-02-17/11283644734.html

李其霖2010 鴉片戰爭前後臺灣水師布署之轉變viewed 5th December 2015

http://tkuir.lib.tku.edu.tw/dspace/bitstream/987654321/91878/2/%E9%B4%89%E7%89%87%E6%88%B0%E7%88%AD%E5%89%8D%E5%BE%8C%E8%87%BA%E7%81%A3%E6%B0%B4%E5%B8%AB%E5%B8%83%E6%9A%91%E4%B9%8B%E8%BD%89%E8%AE%8A.pdf

台灣海外網2003 鴉片戰爭中英艦進犯台灣一八四一年viewed 5th December 2015

http://www.taiwanus.net/history/3/71.htm

24 小時文教．通識頻道14th June 2011【Discovery Channel】-海上霸主：鄭和下西洋1/4 viewed 6th December 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGtKHZw2sf4

24 小時文教．通識頻道14th June 2011【Discovery Channel】-海上霸主：鄭和下西洋2/4 viewed 6th December 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfBOTV7Rn1Q

24 小時文教．通識頻道14th June 2011【Discovery Channel】-海上霸主：鄭和下西洋3/4 viewed 6th December 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKEE_RkPxWE

24 小時文教．通識頻道14th June 2011【Discovery Channel】-海上霸主：鄭和下西洋4/4 viewed 6th December 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfmuR_zmaaM

Openbible.info 2015 Openbible.info viewed 1st January 2016 http://www.openbible.info/

StephenG7 2008 Inventions of the Great Ancient Chinese Empire (1 of 5) viewed 24th January 2016 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxceQ9-6uHQ

StephenG7 2008 Inventions of the Great Ancient Chinese Empire (2 of 5) viewed 24th January 2016 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGAZgGAMlMY

StephenG7 2008 Inventions of the Great Ancient Chinese Empire (3 of 5) viewed 24th January 2016 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJFQzGV85x0

StephenG7 2008 Inventions of the Great Ancient Chinese Empire (4 of 5) viewed 24th January 2016 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ec9OD_uCueg

StephenG7 2008 Inventions of the Great Ancient Chinese Empire (5 of 5) viewed 24th January 2016 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToFTgYUNCpc