Reasons of Zhang Zhidong's Westernization Thought Forming

As an important officier in the later Qing Dynasty, Zhang Zhidong accepted the original Confucianism education from his childhood.He devoted himself to protecting the feudal morality and the rule of Qing Dynasty. But later his thought changed a lot and his Westernization thought came into being.It seemed a little ununderstanderable but it is not difficult to find three reasons for the reasons.The first is the thought tradition of the Confucian experience and usefulness.The second is his official experiences.The third is the special historical times.