The defeat of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1894 was a major historical node in my country's modern history. This defeat not only brought the pain of ceding territory and paying compensation, but also caused a huge shock in the depths of the national soul.

This shock is manifested in many aspects. For example, the sense of national humiliation has reached an unprecedented height, and it has also had a great impact on traditional concepts.

This is undoubtedly an unforgettable pain point for the Chinese people.

The Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 broke out from 1894 to 1895. During that time, our country suffered repeated defeats on the battlefield and was retreating steadily.

At that time, most of the weapons used by the Qing army were outdated. Moreover, the soldiers had not received modern military training.

The Beiyang Navy was once considered the leader of Asian navies. However, the equipment updates of its ships were not timely enough.

After the Meiji Restoration, Japan focused on expanding its military strength and was keen to learn from Western military methods.

During the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1894, the Qing army was at a disadvantage in many land and sea battles, which ultimately led to the tragic defeat of the war. This result forced China to sign the Treaty of Shimonoseki, which brought serious disasters to the country.

The defeat of the war was caused by many factors, including hesitation in high-level decision-making and insufficient combat effectiveness of the military.

This tragic failure has plunged the lives of the Chinese people into great hardship.

People in many coastal areas were directly affected by the war and their lives were in dire straits.

And internationally, China's international status has plummeted.

The Qing Dynasty, which originally had an attitude of being a sovereign state, became the target of carving up by the great powers after the war.

The defeat of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1894 made the Chinese people feel an unprecedented sense of national humiliation.

Prior to this, despite the setbacks of foreign wars, the disastrous defeat in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1899 made the Chinese people deeply aware of the huge gap between them and the great powers.

After the war, Western powers stepped up their aggression against China.

From the coast to the interior, our country's land, resources and people have been exploited by foreign powers.

In the economic field, the great powers took control of key economic institutions such as our customs with the help of unequal treaties. They sold goods on a large scale in treaty ports.

Many people began to realize that without reforms, the country faced the threat of extinction.

Insightful people began to launch various kinds of protests. Intellectual youths, as well as ordinary people, all harbored a strong desire to revitalize the nation.

This sense of national humiliation became a powerful driving force behind China's reform.

For a long time, our country has occupied a core position in East Asia. Many surrounding countries were tributaries to the Qing Dynasty. This formed the so-called "Celestial Dream." It is generally believed that our country occupies a central position in the world.

The Sino-Japanese War completely shattered this dream.

Japan was originally a small country in China's eyes, but it actually defeated China in this war.

This has caused China to lose its original prestige in Asia and even the world.

The old tribute system gradually collapsed, and those countries that had regularly contributed tribute to the Qing Dynasty tried to get rid of China's control after witnessing China's defeat.

China has gone from being a respected great power to being bullied by foreign powers.

Some government officials and intellectuals began to reflect on why our country fell from high to low. They realized that old concepts and systems were in urgent need of change.

With the defeat of the Sino-Japanese War, China also lost its last tributary state.

The tribute system has long been an important basis for the existence of Huayi concepts.

In this system, there is a clear hierarchical order between China and neighboring countries, and this relationship model is centered on China.

As the last tributary state severed this connection, the realistic basis of the Huayi concept also disappeared.

Neighboring countries have a new understanding of international relations and no longer follow the previous Sino-Barbarian order.

China itself, whether official or private, has begun to rethink the contradictions and conflicts between this traditional Huayi concept and the new international situation.

After the Sino-Japanese War of 1884-1894, China’s ideological elites began to conduct deep introspection.

Reformers such as Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao realized that the gap between China and Western powers was not only reflected in military and technological aspects, but also in our lagging behind in institutions and ideas.

They advocated reforms and actively studied Western political systems, culture and education.

These elites spread new ideas by writing articles and organizing societies.

Kang Youwei repeatedly submitted memorials to Emperor Guangxu, detailing the difficulties our country encountered and putting forward suggestions for reform.

Many intellectuals established printing companies in the country, and they published a variety of books and newspapers to spread reform ideas.

They thought about the damage caused to the country by my country's closed and self-contained policy under the guidance of the Huayi thought in the old days, and suggested learning from Western experience and moving towards the forefront of world science and technology.

The outcome of the Sino-Japanese War of 1888-1894 brought many chain effects, including the damage to national dignity, the collapse of the tribute system, and profound reflection in the ideological community. These all symbolized the complete collapse of the concept of the Huayi distinction.

People are beginning to realize that in the global environment, the boundaries between countries are no longer just a simple distinction between barbarians and Xia, but have transformed into a situation of equal competition.

Observing the field of commercial trade, our country's traditional attitude towards business has changed. Now it has begun to adopt Western business ideas and promote the development of modern industry and commerce.

my country's education field has begun to draw lessons from Western models, gradually shifting from ancient private school education to modern classroom education.

Our country's social reform has started from the past Huayi concept and gradually shifted to a path consistent with modern international relations.

So, do you feel that the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1894 greatly promoted the transformation of our country's traditional thinking?