十九世纪中叶,中国已沦为半封建半殖民地社会。当时统治着中国的清王朝,内外交困,自然灾害频仍,已处于风雨飘摇之中。出于“天人感应”的的封建迷信观念和稳定政局的需要,清廷以新即位的幼童——同治皇帝的名义“下诏求言”。 By the middle of the nineteenth century, China had become a semi-feudal and semi-colonial society. At that time, the Qing Dynasty that ruled China was experiencing frequent internal and external disasters and frequent natural disasters. Out of feudal superstition and the need to stabilize the political situation, the Qing court decreed the edict in the name of Tongzhi Emperor, a newly established young child.