China and Japan are two unique civilizations that went through similar, yet vastly different
changes throughout their histories. Their growth and response to other nations differed in
many ways in government, lifestyle, and general well-being. One of the main causes for
such difference between the countries is the way the West influenced each region, and the
way China and Japan responded to this influence. China focused more on the idea of being
a status oriented” society, while Japan was more “goal oriented” based. In China, anyone
had the ability to better themselves and change their status through civil examinations
given by the government. Western impact however slowly changed this old age system.
Japans caste system viewed certain aspects of life differently and structurally differed
themselves from China. In The Autobiography of Yukichi Fukuzawa, Fukuzawa plays a
leading role in the devolvement of Japans education system based on the ideas of Western
civilization. Growing up in China, Chiang Monlin in Tides From the West tells his story of
Western education and the meaning it brought to him. Shown through the books, The
Autobiography of Yukichi Fukuzawa and Tides From the West, differences in the elite life
of China and Japan with their relationship to the government, lower classes in society, and
individual lifestyles grow out of the influence from the West.
With China being a status orientated country, the elite class had a close relationship with
the government. For an individual to join the aristocracy of China, studying of the
Confucian classics and passing the Imperial Civil Examinations was crucial. Chiang
explains how he was taught from a young age to do well on the civil examinations and that
“the path was difficult but it was the only road to success” (Chiang 23). Studying and
school was a very time consuming task that required more than just memorizing Confucian
classics. Dedication was required to get through the demanding education, as this was the
only way for a better life. The examination system was eventually abolished by the
Imperial Court to create a forward step in educational reform. A new system replaced the
old, modeled after the Japanese, which in turn had been brought by the West. As Chiang
explained, “China was now surely on the road to westernization” (Chiang 62). Even with
the new changes to the educational system, being part of the elite class gave close relation
to government and officials.
The elite class of Japan also had a close relationship with government officials and was
