The Hundred Days' Reforms, 1898

Chapter 25 The Hundred Days’ Reforms, 1898 On June 11, 1898, the Guangxu Emperor began what became known as the Hundred Days’ Reforms with an edict inviting officials to recommend capable advisors to assist the dynasty with foreign relations. The edict signaled the Emperor’s rejection of “the narrow circle of bigoted conservatism” in favor of a new approach to governance. Over the next 103 days, until the beginning of his “illness” on September 21, the Guangxu Emperor would aggressively pursue an agenda to remake the Qing state. Although scholars have long debated the motive for the Guangxu Emperor’s new-found enthusiasm for reform, there remains much confusion about its precise origins. Without a doubt, the Hundred Days Reforms represent the cul- mination of efforts begun in the aftermath of the Sino-French War (1884–85) when Manchu and Han officials began considering fundamental political reforms to place the dynasty on the path to wealth and power. The traditional interpretation holds that the reforms signified the rising status of low-ranking officials like Kang Youwei, who had peppered the Throne with memorials de- manding reform since his 1895 civil service examination class had petitioned the Emperor in the so-called “Memorial of the Candidates.” Another argument is that widespread alarm about the probable partition of the empire during the scramble for concessions forced the Guangxu Emperor to consider a radi- cal new departure. Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao, Tan Sitong, and other young scholar-officials, in response, brought on the paroxysm of reform. The pages of the Peking Gazette also suggest another interpretation. On May 29, 1898, Yixin, the Prince of Gong, died. Prince Gong, as he was known in the West, long rep- resented the reformist element of the royal family. According to an edict of June 1, the Prince dictated a last memorial from his deathbed containing “valu- able advice as to the reformation of our armies and recommending the high officials upon whom our future implicit trust should be placed.” Less than two weeks later, the Guangxu Emperor began the reforms, cashiered his childhood tutor Weng Tonghe, and held his famous audience with Kang Youwei. Whatever the reasons for launching the reforms, the Guangxu Emperor’s edicts in the summer of 1898 touched on fundamental economic, educational, military, and administrative issues. The haphazard and unsystematic nature of the reforms, however, suggests both the Guangxu Emperor’s lack of a coher- ent vision and his inability to escape from dynastic practice requiring that he only respond to memorials rather than initiate policy. Although some scholars © koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2018 | doi 10.1163/9789004361003_027 the hundred days’ reforms, 1898 281 have concluded that the unsystematic nature of the reforms was the primary reason for their failure, the documents published in the Peking Gazette suggest that the Guangxu Emperor’s entanglement in high-level court politics and his erratic behavior ultimately eroded support among the majority of bureaucrats who saw him break high-ranking ministers and promote low-level officials to positions of great influence. In the following sources, the “Wang Zhao” Incident represents this clash between the emperor and his officials. June 11, 1898 With the opening up of general intercourse with the various nations of the earth, the question of having able men, to represent this Empire in the Courts of the world becomes one of the greatest importance at the present crisis. We therefore hereby command the various Viceroys and Governors of the Empire to select the men they think best qualified for such posts, who, by their general conduct, have shown their education and abilities to be of a practical and high order, and who are not enveloped in the narrow circle of bigoted conservatism, and a clinging to obsolete and unpractical custom. These selected men we command shall be recommended to the Zongli Yamen, irrespective of the rank they may be possessed of, and they shall be examined by the said Yamen which shall then introduce them to us in audience for appointment abroad. June 11, 1898 For the few years past many of our officials in the capital and in the prov- inces have been dabbling with the subject of keeping up with the times, and strengthening the country and reforming the institutions of this empire; con- sequent upon this we issued several edicts granting such measures as special Metropolitan examinations for the purpose of advancing men of ability; the eliminating of the present personnel of the Imperial armies, substituting in- stead modern arms and Western organisation; changing the curriculum of military examinations for the rules governing the selection of military officers according to Western methods of military education; the institution of high and elementary schools and colleges of literary instruction in accordance with those which obtain in foreign countries, and such like modern innovations all for the sake of starting our country on the great road of Progress. We confess to having carefully gone over and considered these matters, once and once over .

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