Liang Qichao

Liang Qichao

(Still a work in progress)

I was born in 1873 to a farming family in Xinhui of Guangdong Province during the reign of the Qing dynasty and was name Liang Qichao. My father was a rural farmer but was familiar with the Chinese classics and was diligent in introducing me to Chinese literature. By the time I was 9 I would be able to write essays, a thousand words in length. Because of my many accomplishments and thanks to my father’s teaching I was considered a child prodigy. After much diligent study I passed the Xiucai degree provincial examination at age 11. At the age of 16 I passed the Juren degree provincial examination. When 18 I traveled to the capital to take the Jinshi degree national examination and failed.

Despite this small failure I would go on to become an influential scholar, journalist, reformist and philosopher. I studied under Kang Youwei, who was a great teacher and a revolutionary man. In 1890 I became one of his life-long students. Together we wrote many reform memorials in hopes of bringing a positive change to China. I was able to participate in many momentous events. I participated in the first student demonstration in 1895. The demonstration was in protest of the peace treaty we signed with Japan after the close of the Sino-Japanese War.

I was also able to present some memorials to the Emperor himself about abolishing the old examination system as well as encourage him to invest in developing technologies. In 1895 I suggested: bringing the military up-to-date, a state banking system, a network of railways, a fleet specifically for commercial goods, a modern postal system, raised taxes and improved agriculture. The Emperor had a mind open to reform and seemed moved by the arguments I made before him.

Emperor Guangxu was quite interested in reform and moved ahead with many reforms. The Emperor issued a group of edicts in 1898 reforming the examinations, colleges and schools, vocational schools, commerce, agriculture and industry, the armed force, and moved to simplify and clean up the system of government bureaucracy. The Emperor hoped to move the nation forward even further and appointed reformist thinkers as secretaries to help him do so. However, his aunt Empress Cixi did not approve of all these reforms and had heard rumors of a coup against the Emperor. Cixi executed many reformists and many fled to other countries. Finally change was happening, but with the execution of many reformists and the fleeing of many others the momentum for change in China was greatly hindered.

China needed to build strength to be able to withstand Japan. Western technology was also a growing rapidly and China needed to find a way to compete. Kang and I advocated for reform, unlike the past Taiping leaders we wished for china to keep its dignity and culture despite the reforms and worked for reform through the appropriate traditional channels. But after the executions it seemed that the hopes of the Emperor promoting our reforms had ended.

The West powers were becoming stronger and they moved forward with reform, it appeared, without resistance. It was easy to see that the success of the West came from the people and government working together. As a democracy all people were involved in the political process driving the country forward. Their competing ideas helped them to build a strong nation. The idea of the ruler working with the ruled leaves room for a nation that is always ready to be reformed and made stronger.

After Empress Cixi’s executions in 1898 I continued my work in my 14 years of exile still promoting a Constitutional Monarchy for China and spent some time travelling. Most of my exile was spent in Japan where I became China’s first true modern intellectual. My works were smuggled back to China by other reformer like myself. In 1903 I visited the US. I talked to Americans of all persuasions and also Chinese living in the US (Arkush, 81).

I found the founding ideas and spirit of the country to be inspirational and admired the structure of American policy. However, it is not at all without flaw. The country experienced much corruption, extreme economic power of the trusts and a large number of wealthy and impoverished. The US started out as colonies and so it was built from the ground up and possesses a dual system of patriotism. Patriotism to the local and national level (Arkush, 82).

As a republican government the system has a great deal more flaws than would a constitutional monarchy that would allow for more adaptability. After oberserving the Chinese immigrants in Chinatown I concluded that the Chinese were not able to cope with all the freedom that they had been given and needed a centralized government with tighter control. The German statism, I believe would be the most appropriate for China at this time (Arkush, 83).

-Lynching in the US -Libraries in the US -Concern over imperialism -Chinese flaws

In 1911 there was a revolution in China. The Chinese people were angry because of perceived government corruption and their inability to resist the intervention of foreign powers. At this time I published a book, “The Construction of New China,” that promoted Republicanism with a nominal monarch. I returned to China in 1912 were I served in Yuan Shikai’s cabinet. When Yuan began to work toward restoring the monarchy I resigned and began to write against restoring the monarchy. I also organized a military that was disbanded after Yuan’s death. From that time until 1917, when I retired from politics, I served in many government capacities and am considered one of the most influential reformists of the Qing dynasty.

-Add more about literary career

In 1911 there was a revolution in China. The Chinese people were angry because of perceived government corruption and their inability to resist the intervention of foreign powers. At this time I published a book, “The Construction of New China,” that promoted Republicanism with a nominal monarch. I returned to China in 1912 were I served in Yuan Shikai’s cabinet. When Yuan began to work toward restoring the monarchy I resigned and began to write against restoring the monarchy. I also organized a military that was disbanded after Yuan’s death. From that time until 1917, when I retired from politics, I served in many government capacities and am considered one of the most influential reformists of the Qing dynasty.

Works Cited

Arkush, R. David, and Leo Ou-fan. Lee. Land without Ghosts: Chinese Impressions of America from the Mid-nineteenth Century to the Present. Berkeley: University of California, 1989. Print.

Denton, Kirk A. Modern Chinese Literary Thought: Writings on Literature, 1893-1945. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 1996. Print.

"Liang Qichao - A Famous Chinese Scholar, Journalist, Philosopher and Reformist - China Culture." History - China Culture. Shanghai News, 2007. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://history.cultural-china.com/en/50History6660.html>.

"Liang Qichao." Angelfire: Welcome to Angelfire. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. <http://www.angelfire.com/co/leong/history12.html>.

"Liang Qichao: China's First Democrat." Asia for Educators | Columbia University. Web. 29 Sept. 2011. <http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/china_1950_democratic.htm>.

"Liang Qichao." Web. 29 Sept. 2011. <http://www.renditions.org/renditions/authors/liangqc.html>.

Spence, Jonathan D. The Search for Modern China. New York: Norton, 1990. Print.

Tang, Xiaobing. Global Space and the Nationalist Discourse of Modernity: the Historical Thinking of Liang Qichao. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 1996. Print.