The behavior and way of thinking of the Chinese people also underwent a dramatic change, "says Chang P'eng-yuan, a researcher at the Institute of Modern History at Academia Sinica." That marked the beginning of modern China and its entry into the world system. "
中國人的思想行為，也在一夕間起了劇烈轉變」，中研院近史所研究員張朋園指出：「這是近代中國的起點，也是中國進入『世界體系』的起點。」