Many then clamored for abandonment of Confucius and his philosophy, were preoccupied with the promotion of democracy, freedom and science.
他認為阻礙中國現代化的關鍵，不是傳統的封建制度，而是太平天國之亂及其後對外戰爭的巨額賠款，致使中國缺乏開發資金。過去史家大多認為，中國的衰退起於鴉片戰爭及英法聯軍造成的領事裁判權及協定關稅等不平等待遇。