Few conflicts have been reflected upon as much as the First Sino-Japanese War, but its significance continues to reverberate through Chinese society more than 100 years on.

As the 120th anniversary of the war draws near, a series of articles by senior Chinese officers and military experts has sparked a rethink of why the once-great Middle Kingdom would surrender to the long-time student of Chinese culture.

Between March 3 and the end last week, Reference News, a Xinhua-run newspaper with a circulation of three million in China, carried a special supplement containing 30 articles analyzing what China can learn from its defeat.

They were written by 28 military experts, all of them from the People's Liberation Army (PLA), including 12 generals. They theorized that the roots of China's defeat lay not on military reasons, but the outdated and corrupt state system, as well as the ignorance of maritime strategy.

Defeat not on battlefield, but state system

The First Sino-Japanese War was fought from July 1894 to April 1895 and ended with Japan's overwhelming victory both on the sea and land. The result of the war carried extreme significance for both countries, as it was the first time that China had lost to Japan in a military conflict, and for the first time the regional dominance in East Asia shifted from China to Japan.

Liu Yazhou, political commissar of the PLA's National Defence University (NDU), told Xinhua that neither the Chinese navy nor ground force were to blame for the defeat, but the whole state system of the Qing.

China's defeat was a declaration of the failure of its attempt at westernization in the second half of the 19th century. However in comparison, Japan's victory proved that its westernization drive, the Meiji Restoration, was the right path, despite its militarist tendency.

"One (Japan) made reforms from its mind, while another (China) only made changes on the surface," Liu said. "It was also a defeat of Chinese culture."

Vice Admiral Ding Yiping, deputy commander in the PLA Navy, said in his article that the defeat, especially that of the elite Beiyang Fleet, was rooted deeply in the corrupt, impotent and fogyish imperial Qing court that failed to address domestic and international threats.

"Corruption and fatuity in politics were the ultimate reason for China's defeat," added Ding.

Major-General Jin Yinan, a prominent military strategist with the NDU, noted that defeat should not be ascribed to the Beiyang Fleet, which was quite strong in terms of hardware. But many historical materials have pointed to the general mood of the fleet becoming depraved in the peaceful years before the war.

Maritime strategy, military reform needed

The military experts said the war also exposed China's total ignorance of maritime strategy. This allowed the larger country to be defeated by Japan, which, as an island nation, had always put maritime interests as its supreme strategy.

Ding Yiping said in his article that the ocean concerns the survival, development and honor of the country and its people. State security cannot be ensured if maritime rights cannot be safeguarded.

Paying more attention to the ocean has become one of China's strategies. In July 2013 at a study session with members of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Chinese President Xi Jinping championed efforts to build China into a maritime power.

"Only with a world-class navy can we shoulder the obligations of safeguarding our maritime sovereignty and interests," said Ding, who added that only by embracing the ocean can the Chinese nation have a bright future.

Reflecting on the war, military experts believe that strong armed forces proportionate to a country's size and capable of long-distance projection can not only protect the country, but also turn the territory of an invading country into a battlefield so as to counter its attacks.

Sr. Colonel Guo Fenghai, an NDU professor, wrote that historical lessons showed that military buildup should not be stalled in peacetime. He called for military reforms, especially to the army's computer technology.

China set up a leading group, with Xi Jinping as head, for deepening reform on national defense and the armed forces in March. Xi said "being able to combat and win battles" was the focus of the reform.

The PLA has now launched a great discussion on the standard for combat effectiveness. Earlier this month, 18 top PLA generals voiced support for President Xi's instruction to build a strong military.

Threat from militarism

Ahead of July 25, the 120th anniversary of the start of the Sino-Japanese War, Chinese military analysts see a shadow of militarism lingering in Japan, threatening China's national security in a way that cannot be neglected.

Peng Guangqian, a senior national security policy expert, warned that China must be cautious of and prepared for the rise of militarism in Japan, the society of which bears surprisingly similarities with that of 120 years ago.

The economy was dormant and society was unsteady on July 24, 1894, and before WWII. So it is in today's Japan, Peng said. "Some politicians want to militarize Japan, driving the country's turn to the right."

A country diving into militarism is a trouble-maker in the Asia-Pacific region, a challenger to the status quo and a cradle of war, he said.

According to Peng, China must always guard against the sneak attacks that Japan has a history of making, as it did in launching wars with China, Russia and the United States.

But he believes history will not repeat itself.

Japan sabotaged opportunities for China's development between 1894 and 1937, but China's rejuvenation today can no longer be blocked, the security policy expert wrote.

Peng was echoed by general Liu Yazhou, who regards the 1894 war as a moment to awaken China.

China was defeated, but bearing deep memory of humiliation, the country steadily stepped toward glory. Instead, Japan enjoyed the victory but abused its power in the following decades, which finally led to its failure in WWII, Liu said. "Japan is still an abnormal country."

If Japan does not learn a lesson from history, the country will suffer in the next war, he said. 

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