Abstract
Western civilization is used to be proud of its technology and industrial power in the world. Thinking highly of knowledge is also the important cultural aspect of the western civilization. Not only the Macartney embassy in 1793 is a good case for researching this kind of phenomenon, but also an alternative new perspective to reconsider the Chinese modern history. Compared with the western embassy before, the Macartney embassy possessed the character of scientific investigation team and the specific characteristic of intentionally showing the English civilization (technology and industry) in the character of present as well. The embassy purposely brought quite a few advanced instruments and weapons as presents, including the newest industrial manufactures, mechanical models and scientific instruments and so on (the total sum is 29). There are even novel technological devices, such as hot balloon and diving bell, in order to manifest the priority of its material civilization. However, the main purpose of displaying presents is not for transmitting scientific gospel, so blaming the emperor Qiang-long for not grasping the opportunity of modernization, so called “modernization discourse”, is not reasonable. Collecting all kinds of Chinese technical information, such as paktong, nankeen, and tea-producing, by means of scientific investigation, the embassy had certain impacted on the lost of the world market advantage of the Chinese manufactures afterwards. Besides the embassy’s observation on every aspects of the Chinese society is apparently different from the Chinese image provided by the Jesuits, so it recast and rewrote the good impressions and fancies of western society on Chinese and ended the chinoiserie of the west at last. Although the embassy failed to achieve the goal of the diplomatic mission, they brought the new viewpoint of China to the west: from “The Middle Kingdom” to “The Muddle Kingdom”, which its entire civilization lapsed into the state of stagnation and regression. Since the Chinese couldn’t realize the essence of the western civilization, it resulted in frustration over one century when facing the west. From this point, it could be said that scientific mission is the only successful one of the embassy.