【答案解析】Before 1840, China conceived itself as a dynasty in paradise which was excellently civilized. All the people outside China were believed to be nothing but barbarians who lived in extremely primitive state. This mentality was completely shattered by China's shameful defeat in the Opium War. A group of Chinese started to wake up (disillusion) and draw a lesson from China's defeat. They concluded that China's defeat was due to the fact that its vulnerable battleships and toy-like cannons were no match for foreigners' armored battleship equipped with lethal cannons. So the earliest group of liberal-minded Chinese soberly suggested that China learn from westerners' strengths. A famous slogan best summarized their idea, "To contain foreigners' aggression, learn from them first". They knew clearly that China should no longer close its doors and detach itself from the outside world. China should open itself to the new knowledge from the outside instead of locking itself in the old traditions.