A Proclamation against The Bandits of Guangdong and Guanxi, 1854

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Revolution
The article “A Proclamation against The Bandits of Guangdong and Guanxi, 1854” by Zeng Guofan is a powerful evocation of the author’s critical view of the rebels. Guofan was a Chinese official of the Qing government. The article is a rallying call for an army that would finally end the Taiping Rebellion and restore stability to the empire. The authors identify several reasons for a revolutionary change. He begins by citing the sorrow inflicted on millions of people by the marauding rebels: “Wherever they pass, boats of all sizes, and people rich and poor alike, have all been plundered and stripped bare; not once inch of grass has been left standing” (Guofan, 147). He also accuses the rebels of treating the people in the Yangtze provinces worse than animals: the enslaved men forced to fight at the frontline, dredge moats, and build city walls, whereas the women carry rice and coal as serving as night guards. Not only are the enslaved men and women underfed, but those who resist are met with cruel deaths. An even bigger reason for revolutionary change is the threat of the rebels’ Christian religion, which goes against the age-old Confucian teachings regarding proper human relationships or even the ethical principles upheld by social institutions and statutes.
Guofan accuses the rebels of desecrating the relics and statues of the land by burning down temples and shrines of revered deities, something even last rebels did not dare to do. The revolutionary change was expected to address the wrongs inflicted on the people by the rebels. It was supposed to avenge the brazen violation of Confucius’s principles, the killing of millions of people, and insults to the spirits of the dead. The elements of society targeted for revolutionary change include influential personages capable of amassing troops to help in the extermination campaign, adherents of the teachings of Confucius who were offended by the growing influence of Christianity and wanted to preserve his teachings, rich and benevolent people willing to support the campaigns through their generous donations, and dissidents within the rebel camps. The future vision the author entertains should revolution be achieved that of a peaceful and stable empire. Guofan praises the Qing emperor for his sympathetic and fair rule (he does not believe there is any cause for the rebellion). He wishes to stamp out the agitators so that the empire can return to its glory days.
On the other hand, the article “Call to Youth” by Chen Duxiu is a rallying call for youths to abandon the restrictive traditions and beliefs of the past and instead embrace scientific inquiry, individualism, and democracy to push the country forward. Employing social Darwinism principles and Western political philosophies, the author challenges the young generation to take charge of the country’s future by rejecting the constricting Confucian principles and embracing the western characteristics of equality, scientific thinking, democracy, and self-determination. The author identifies rejection of the old and rotten aspects of Chinese tradition in favor of realizing the value and responsibility of one’s young life an...