Guo Songtao's Critique: Blindness to Foreign Virtues in Late Qing China

TL;DR;

Guo Songtao, the first Chinese ambassador to the UK during the late Qing Dynasty, was astonished by his experience in England. He admired the British people's civility, high moral standards, and orderly society. However, upon his return, he was heavily criticized by nationalistic youths and even dismissed from his post for praising foreign virtues. Guo Songtao lamented that the Chinese blindly denigrated foreign countries without critical thought, making it impossible for even a sage to change their ignorance.