When the Western powers arrived with ships and cannons to force China to open up, and acquired the concession territories in a series of wars, China's traditional culture suffered an unprecedented challenge. Over the past century and more, intellectuals who have made it their mission to preserve tradition have been continually searching for paths to survival for Chinese culture.
自從西風東漸，並挾著堅船利砲迫使老大的清王朝不得不敞開大門，還在一次又一次的貿易戰爭中割地賠款，中國傳統文化遭到前所未有的挑戰，以捍衛傳統文化為己志的知識分子，在這一個多世紀以來，也不斷地試圖為中國文化找出路。