Liang Qichao Essay ⋆ Political Science Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

Liang Qichao (1873–1929) was a scholar, journalist, translator, reformer, and historian in China during the Qing Dynasty. His works are a commentary on one of the most eventful eras marking the transition of China from monarchy to republic.

After obtaining his juren degree in 1889, Liang became a student of scholar and intellectual Kang Youwei. He worked closely with Kang throughout the Reform Movement of 1895 to 1898, editing important journals related to the movement and serving as academic director of its flagship Shiwu Xuetang (Academy of Current Events). After the conservative coup of 1898 that ended the movement, he was exiled to Japan where he remained for fourteen years while continuing to promote a constitutional monarchy in China. He edited the journals of the Society to Protect the Emperor, Qingyi Bao (Topics of the Day) and Xinmin Congbao (New People). Liang’s lucid style of writing made him extremely popular, and more than fourteen thousand copies of Xinmin Congbao were smuggled into China every week from Japan. However, Liang’s influence declined after 1905 and his commitment to gradual evolutionary change lost its appeal to Chinese youth. By 1911 he was calling for the overthrow of the Manchu rulers, whom he had supported until then. He returned to China in 1912 after the collapse of the Qing Dynasty and served in the cabinet of Yuan Shikai, the first president of the Republic of China. In 1913 Liang led the formation of the Progressive Party (Chinpu-Tang). However, when Yuan attempted to declare himself an emperor in 1916, Liang helped to force him to relinquish his throne and restore the republic.

Liang retired from politics in 1917 to pursue his academic interests. In 1920 he became a professor of history at Nankai University in Tientsin. He was one of the most prolific men of letters in the late Qing and early Republican era, writing on everything from Buddhism to modern fiction. His complete works were published as The Collected Works of Yinbingshi (1936).

The early twentieth century was one of the most tumultuous periods in Chinese history. The Chinese empire was in its death throes and China itself faced dissolution at the hands of Western powers. At this time, Darwinian ideas were beginning to permeate Chinese intelligentsia and Liang became a powerful voice for Darwinism, calling on the Chinese nation to adapt itself to adverse environments. One of his favorite words was new and he tried to portray the necessity of making everything new. He also promoted the theory of survival of the fittest during his tenure as editor of the newspaper Shiwubao. He defended the Manchus, who were thoroughly detested by the Chinese, and spoke for the monarchy against those who advocated its overthrow. Later in life he split with Kang, who considered Confucianism essential to maintain China’s cultural integrity. Liang, on the other hand, saw Confucianism as the obstacle to modernization.

Bibliography:

Chen, L.T. History of Chinese Political Thought during the Early Tsin Period. New York: AMS, 1930.
Ebrey, Patricica Buckley. Chinese Civilization: A Sourcebook. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1993.
Hsu, Immanuel C.Y. Intellectual Trends in the Ching Period. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1959.
Yuning, Li, and William A.Wycoff. Two Self Portraits: Liang Ch’i-Ch’ao and Hu Shih. Bronxville, N.Y.: Outer Sky, 1992.

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