Among them, the so-called "Zhong" is the traditional Confucian thought with the three cardinal guides and the five permanent members as the core, which pays attention to self-cultivation, keeping the family in order, governing the country and leveling the world. Western learning means introducing western technology, business model, education and law. The fundamental purpose of using western learning is to maintain the feudal monarchy of the Qing Dynasty, and "Chinese style" is the foundation. The purpose of introducing advanced western science, technology and cultural education is to save the ruling crisis of the Qing Dynasty.

Zhang Zhidong was born in Nanpi, Zhili (now Nanpi, Hebei) in his later years. Daoguang was born in Xingyi, Guizhou on August 3rd (1September 2nd, 837). Great-grandfather Zhang served as the magistrate of Shanyin County, Zhejiang Province. Grandfather Zhang is the magistrate of Gutian County, Fujian Province. His father, Zhang E, is the magistrate of Xingyi, Guizhou.

Historical significance:

The early thought of "learning from China and using the West" played a positive role in breaking through the obstruction of feudal die-hards, introducing western natural science, and promoting the modernization of China's industry and military and the emergence of new education. Later, it became the ideological weapon of the Qing rulers against bourgeois reform and bourgeois revolution.

As the initial combination of Chinese and western cultures, it has its historical rationality. However, as a cultural integration scheme and educational purpose, the application of China culture and western culture is crude, and it is a direct grafting without overcoming the inherent contradictions between China and the West, which will inevitably be replaced by the new situation.