Between the “West” and the “World”: European Travelogue and Liang Qichao’s Localization of Global Modernity

Abstract

This article examines how Liang Qichao, through his European Travelogue responded to the crisis of modernity that the West faced after World War I, within the global context of modernity. This prompted Chinese intellectuals to re-examine the Western model. The article primarily employs close textual analysis and cross-textual comparison, combined with reference to original European thought. The main findings of this paper are twofold: First, Liang no longer regards the "West" as a single template, but rather views countries such as Britain, France, and Germany as diverse scenarios, advocating for a reconciliation between material and spiritual civilization. Second, he distilled Confucianism, Taoism, and other traditions into "local knowledge" that can participate in international dialogue, thus practicing localized globalization. Third, he both accepted and creatively misinterpreted and adapted the ideas of Bergson and other Western thinkers, forming a cross-cultural dialogue paradigm. This study shows that Liang Qichao's later practices were neither blind wholesale Westernization nor conservative restoration, but rather a proactive, localized modernization strategy, this provides a historical reference for understanding the participation of modern Chinese intellectuals in global discourse on modernity and contemporary theories of localized globalization.