Differing Responses of China and Japan to the Western Penetration

Japan and China both had differing responses to the Western Penetration during the 19th Century. China rejected the idea of westernization, while Japan embraced it, and used it to their advantage. China adopted a policy of isolationism, and that, in the long run, hurt China, while Japan flourished with trading and rose to power due to westernization. Japan embraced the Western Penetration by changing its policy on it by allowing intervention and world trading. The treaty of Kanagawa was signed in 1858 by President Millard Fillmore, which opened trading ports in Japan to U.S. traders. The Meji Restoration also helped with Japan’s reaction to the Western Penetration because it made industrialization faster. It let Japan prosper with trading and advances in technology in the global economy. Japan started to produce porcelain that was previously only made in China. Japan also westernized their clothing styles, where as China stayed with their traditional clothing styles. China opposed the Western Penetration, and while Japan was flourishing and prospering from it China was more focused on recovering from the Taiping Rebellion. Later on they would recover from the Opium Wars rather than westernize and after that they would industrialize. Anti-westernization attitude was displayed in the Boxer rebellion prevented China from being able to westernize. China’s negation to the Western Penetration damaged its economy. The Chinese economy, as a result of the damage, was not sufficient again until the mid 1900s, when China opened trading ports to the west, and finally started accepting the Western Penetration. China and Japan both had very different responses to the Western Penetration, but when China finally adapted to the idea, the both had flourished. They flourished with trading, resources, and new products. They had both chosen different approaches to westernization. Japan fully embraced the idea while China adopted isolationism. Since this policy of isolationism hurt China, they finally adapted to westernization. Even though they were both exposed to the Western Penetration at the same time, they both responded in very different ways.