I am aware of the fact Japan essentially modernized because of the Meiji restoration, however I am confused as to why the Japanese people were so accepting of this new way of life. I don't get why there weren't any hiccups so to say.
Also China had the opportunity to undergo the same process because during the late 19th century they had their own strengthening movement. The Qing dynasty elite recognized that they had to adopt western technology to better defend themselves, which they did. They built ships and even sent some Chinese students to study in the US. So why did their modernization efforts end there?
I apologize if this post does not abide by this subreddit's rules, I did my best. Also apologies if any of the above information is incorrect please feel free to correct me, thanks!
I don't know too much about the Japanese side of things, but it is important to remember the differences in scale of both the population and government of both nations. The Qing dynasty was very much in decline even before this time and the central government did not have much control over the whole country, leaving much of the local affairs to the provincial governors and local gentry. Therefore it lacked the scope and administration to instigate such sweeping reforms. Even when the Qing government made some efforts to build modern armories, order modern weapons and ships, they did not have the trained personnel to operate them and often very sub standard foreign officers were brought in to provide training at exorbitant cost. Li Hongzhang was also persuaded to pay over inflated prices for obsolete western weapons.
I also believe, but am not certain that Japan was (and still is) a much more homogenous society than China and with a smaller population, complete reforms are easier in terms of inculcating a certain mentality and just in terms of equipping sheer numbers. Very difficult for example with the abundance of differing local dialects and lack of national identity at the time.