Wei Yuan is considered an extremely influential scholar of the late Qing, and a pioneering thinker of the modern age; he is considered the forerunner of Kang-Liang thought on institutional reform. In terms of history and geography, with numerous citations and using a large amount of reference material from China and overseas, the achievements of the Qing Dynasty in its early period are described, then the reasons for the rise and fall of the dynasty at the time are rationally analyzed. At the same time, Western history and geography are introduced and the learning of advanced Western technology advocated to successfully fight back against foreign invasion. His thoughts on naval defense were not only considered a model by those discussing western affairs in the late Qing, but also had a major influence on the Japanese Bakumatsu Ishin-shishi.