Overview

This book compares the enlightenment thought of China and Japan amid 19th-century Western imperialism, offering a groundbreaking analysis of how two iconic thinkers shaped their nations’ divergent paths to modernity. Through 12 analytical chapters, the book explores how Yan Fu of China and Fukuzawa Yukichi of Japan navigated the paradox of tradition versus progress. Key themes include their contrasting approaches to Western science, political freedom, economic reform, and cultural identity, revealing why Japan embraced rapid modernization while China struggled. The work dissects critical frameworks such as “Chinese essence/Western application” versus “Japanese spirit/Western knowledge” and is enriched by an analysis of archival documents on their views on law, religion, education, and historical evolution. By juxtaposing closed-door policies of Ming/Qing China and Tokugawa Japan with post-collision transformations, it illuminates how enlightenment ideals fueled national survival. This cross-cultural analysis is essential for historians, Asian studies scholars, and policymakers as it bridges philosophy, political science, and intellectual history. Librarians and educators will appreciate its relevance to debates on global modernization and ongoing cultural dialogues in East Asia.

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9781041157069

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Wang Zhongjiang is a “Changjiang Scholar” Distinguished Professor of the Ministry of Education, China. He mainly focuses on studies of pre-Qin philosophy, Confucian and Taoist philosophy, unearthed documents, and modern and contemporary Chinese philosophy. He has attended many important international conferences on Chinese philosophy and delivered keynote speeches, including the 25th World Congress of Philosophy in Rome (2024), where he gave the “Wang Yangming Lecture.” He currently leads the major project “The Establishment of New Philosophical Vocabulary and New Philosophical Knowledge System in Modern China” (a key project for preserving rare and endangered academic disciplines).

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