Kang Youwei (1858- 1927) was born in Nanhai, Guangdong. Received strict traditional education such as classics and history from an early age. In the second year of Guangxu (1876), he studied under Zhu Jiujiang, a great scholar in central Guangdong who advocated practical application, and then devoted himself to studying books such as Taoism and Buddhism. Confronted with the social reality that the country is weak and the people's livelihood is difficult, Kang Youwei has long been "seeking clarification" and wants to take the world as his own responsibility. In the fifth year of Guangxu (1879), after taking the imperial examination, Kang Youwei traveled and inspected Hong Kong and Shanghai successively, which made him understand the advanced political and economic systems in the West, began to talk about western learning, and sprouted the idea of learning from the West and innovating China. During the Sino-French War, the decline of the Qing Dynasty further aroused his concern for the country. In the winter of the 14th year of Guangxu (1888), Kang Youwei went to Beijing to study for the exam and wrote a letter to the Qing court (the first book of Emperor Shangqing). In this last book, after stating the grim situation facing the country, Kang Youwei denounced the tendency of the ruling and opposition parties to ignore "buildings will collapse" and only pay attention to "profit", and put forward the idea of "turning it into law, making it clear for feelings, and being cautious for law". These opinions were not reached because of the obstruction of conservative forces. After that, he came back from Beijing and worked as an educator in Guangzhou. Kang Youwei opposed conservative traditional education, aimed at cultivating reformists, and took the advanced western political and economic system as the main content of his lectures, thus cultivating a group of enlightened and enterprising young talents such as Liang Qichao. These talents are outstanding in China and have sharp thinking. Later, most of them became Kang Youwei's right-hand man or the backbone of the Reform Movement.
During his lectures, Kang Youwei, with the help of Liang Qichao and Mai, wrote and published "An Examination of New Classics" and "An Examination of Confucius' Political Reform", which provided a historical basis for political reform activities. However, the publication of these two works has produced many adverse social consequences for the cause of reform and political reform. From the academic level, these works are far-fetched and have low credibility; Judging from the consequences of practice, the opposition reformists found the best excuse to attack Kang Youwei's deviant behavior and demanded that it be banned together with other correct ideas of Kang Youwei. Ordinary conservatives also regard it as hatred of the rich. Most importantly, the backbone of the support for reform is also guilty. Weng Tonghe, as the teacher of Emperor Guangxu and the history of the Ministry of War, is an important hub connecting the reformists and the imperial court. Kang Youwei's textual research on the New Classics left him with the impression that he was "shocked to hear that Classics is a wild fox". The minister of management also typed Emperor Guangxu's "Kao Kong Reform", saying that Kang was talented and asked him to use Jia Sheng as a Chinese until he was old. "Among the local dignitaries, Chen Baozhen, the governor of Hunan Province who spared no effort in political reform, also recommended Kang Youwei to Emperor Guangxu, but criticized Confucius' restructuring examination. Zhang Zhidong, the governor of Huguang, has been in contact with reformists in many ways, and his activities of strengthening the society and the times society have been strongly supported by him. However, Zhang "didn't believe in Confucius' reform, and urged him not to talk about it", and resolutely opposed Kang Youwei's use of Confucius' chronology, but Kang Youwei refused to listen, which eventually made the reformists lose their most powerful supporters. Among the people, Kang Youwei's words and deeds also led to the split of the already weak reform force. Zhang Taiyan disagreed with Kang Youwei's "Confucianism worship" and had a dispute with Kang Youwei's disciples, which led Zhang Taiyan to leave the times in anger.
In the spring of the 21st year of Guangxu (1895), Kang Youwei came to Beijing to take the exam. He was very angry when he learned that treaty of shimonoseki insulted China, so he encouraged 1000 people from various provinces to launch a massive petition campaign together with Liang Qichao, that is, "writing on the bus". Kang Youwei spent 1 day and two nights writing his second book, Shangqing Emperor1.8000 words, also known as Wan Yan Shu. In The Second Book of Emperor Qing, Kang Youwei presented a national salvation map to Emperor Guangxu. Kang Youwei first warned the imperial court: "The matter of cutting land is small, the matter of national subjugation is big, and the country is safe." It not only shows his deep concern for the future of the country, but also warns Emperor Guangxu that it is time to take it seriously! And put forward a set of countermeasures centered on "issuing imperial edicts to drum up the spirit of the world, moving the capital to set the foundation of the world, training the trend of the world, and reforming the law to govern the world". The final "reforming the law to govern the world" is the core of Kang Youwei's letter this time. He believes that it is necessary to reform and comprehensively reform the old system. The fundamental reason for China's defeat and humiliation by the Japanese is its weak national strength. If a country wants to build itself and be strong, it must "enrich the country", "support the people" and "teach the people". "Rich country" is to follow the example of western powers, emulate Japan and other countries that have become strong through reform, and vigorously develop modern industry, commerce, agriculture, mining, railways, transportation, education, finance and postal services. The purpose of "nurturing the people" is to create more and more sophisticated social wealth in order to enhance national strength. We should follow the example of Germany, Britain and other countries to encourage people to develop modern enterprises and protect them. The key to "nurturing the people" lies in "teaching the people". Developing modern education and improving the cultural quality of the people are regarded as important conditions for Qiang Bing to become a rich country. He stressed that only when the country is rich and strong can China stand among the world's powerful countries, overcome national humiliation and rejuvenate the prestige of our country. Kang Youwei also publicly criticized the autocratic system, suggesting that from the bottom up, scholars should publicly recommend those who are "familiar with ancient and modern times, familiar with Chinese and foreign countries, and outspoken about the Ming regime" as "negotiators". As an adviser to the emperor, they should "refute imperial edicts at any time and make folk remarks. All internal and external reforms and fund-raising matters will make the meeting in Taihe Gate. " In fact, this is modeled after the imperial palace model in western countries, which can not only restrict the court's arbitrariness, but also change the isolation between the monarch, the officials and the people and ensure the implementation of the reform. So that we can "take the heart of 40 million people and make Mo Qiang the world!" The Second Book of Qing Emperor is a concentrated expression of Kang Youwei's innovation of China thought, which is systematic and mature, and has made a relatively complete plan from the aspects of innovation principles and economic, political, social, cultural and educational aspects. Although Kang Youwei's letter has not yet reached the Emperor Guangxu, Wan Yan Shu has spread all over the capital, which has had a strong response. At this time, Kang Youwei has become famous all over the world, becoming the spokesman of the emerging bourgeoisie and all those who want the motherland to be rich and strong, and becoming the caller of the new era.
The patriotic action that brought people together was hated by North Korean bureaucrats. Sun Yuwen and others used despicable means such as disintegration to obstruct the people. In addition, the launch date of "Written on the Bus" happened to be the time when Emperor Guangxu was forced to approve treaty of shimonoseki, so the action failed.
After the failure of "writing on the bus", Kang Youwei tried and was awarded the post of director of the Ministry of Industry. But he still cares about state affairs and has no intention of being an official. Especially after the exchange of treaty of shimonoseki came into effect, Kang Youwei saw that the ruling and opposition parties were still insensitive and became more and more worried about the future and destiny of the country. Therefore, in view of the situation after the contract exchange, Kang Youwei made some adjustments to Wan Yan Shu. While keeping the "strategy of building a country and strengthening itself" almost intact, it has been enriched, forming a new book with more than 1.6 thousand words, namely "The Third Book of Qing Emperor".
The Third Book of Emperor Shangqing came into effect at the request of Duchayuan and was handed over to Emperor Guangxu. This greatly inspired Kang Youwei, who soon wrote the fourth part of Qing Emperor, but failed to submit it after many twists and turns. This made Kang Youwei finally realize that if he did not break through the conservative barriers of courtiers, he could not open the road of Emperor Guangxu. The reform "must start from the capital and the princes." So after the fourth letter was frustrated, Kang Youwei began to expand his target to courtiers and literati. From the end of June to the beginning of July (August), he and Liang Qichao founded the World Bulletin of Courtiers and Scholars (later renamed Chinese and Foreign Stories). Then, he contacted some officials and others in Beijing and planned to form a strong association to enhance its influence. During this period, the meeting with Weng Tonghe, the head of the imperial party, minister of military aircraft and minister of household affairs, was a great achievement for Kang Youwei to win over the upper echelons of the imperial court.
Before this, Kang Youwei tried to contact Weng Tonghe several times, but all failed for various reasons. To Kang Youwei's surprise, one day when he was out, Weng Tonghe took the initiative to visit. Kang Youwei was very excited when he learned the news after returning from his trip, and immediately went to Weng Tonghe's home to pay a return visit. The two men talked in Weng Tonghe's study and had a good talk. They talked for nearly six hours from noon to evening. Weng Tonghe first apologized for not helping Kang Youwei to write to Emperor Guangxu before, and took the initiative to ask Kang Youwei for his works. The two men discussed the related issues of political reform many times, and their political views were quite consistent. Kang Youwei publicized his ideas of political reform in detail to Weng Tonghe, who agreed with some of Kang Youwei's ideas of political reform. Kang Youwei asked Weng Tonghe to shoulder the heavy responsibility of reforming the country and recommended talents to Emperor Guangxu. Weng Tonghe expressed helplessness. Weng Tonghe said to Kang Youwei, "Although I have known you for a new time, I have known you for ten years. Really like old friends, secrecy is very appropriate. The world has no right, and the queen mother is extremely suspicious. " Make Kang Youwei know the real situation inside the Qing court.
Weng Tonghe, who had been a censor for 20 years, was an important official trusted and relied on by Emperor Guangxu. After meeting Kang Youwei, he became an enlightened figure who realized that it was difficult to survive without changing the law and strongly supported the reform. Weng Tonghe's political views in South Korea in his early years are no different from those of most conservatives. However, in the late 1980s of 19, he became interested in western affairs and tended to reform. This great change in concept had a decisive influence on the young Emperor Guangxu. 1894 China's defeat strengthened Weng Tonghe's point of view, made him an enthusiastic advocate of reform, and noticed the movement initiated by Kang Youwei. Although Weng is enthusiastic about reform, his views are still more or less the road of self-improvement movement, which is far from the radical reform and political reform advocated by Kang Youwei. This is why he expressed his doubts when he first saw Kang Youwei's unorthodox and challenging views in the new classics exam. Weng's interest in Kang Youwei and his later recommendation to the emperor may not be entirely due to ideological considerations. At that time, he was fighting for power and profit with other famous ministers who were interested in reform (such as Li Hongzhang and Zhang Zhidong). For Weng Tonghe, reform is not only an ideal, but also something worth fighting for with high power value. Kang Youwei, who has profound reform ideas, can be a good partner of Weng's family and try his best to help Weng Tonghe defeat his opponent in the court in the name of reform. Because Weng Tonghe was closely related to Emperor Guangxu and had extensive contacts in the ruling and opposition parties in the Qing court, the harmonious interview between Kang and Weng was another significant progress made by Kang Youwei on the road of imperial power reform after he wrote to the emperor for the third time.
Under the circumstances that the Qing government was defeated and humiliated, foreign powers were pressing hard, the national situation declined, and the trend of political reform intensified, not only Weng Tonghe changed, but also a group of officials and scholar-officials rose up and waited for revenge, which led to an upsurge of "talking about self-improvement". For example, Hu Kun, the magistrate of Shuntian, put forward "Things of Rejuvenation and Self-improvement", which clearly pointed out that China had no choice but to imitate the western methods to take the road of reform, and advocated "persuading the company to be established and letting the people raise their own shares" to enrich Qiang Bing. In the memorial, Bachelor Zhunliang thinks that in the face of the grim situation surrounded by strong neighbors, the construction of railways by western methods is "the hub of the overall security situation". Chu also pointed out that Li Hongzhang and others were still defeated by Japan many years later and spent a lot of money on manufacturing and running schools, which was caused by following the old law. Therefore, he advocated that copying western laws should first break old habits and update ideas. Military planes Zhang Jing and Chen Chi not only actively offered suggestions to the court to deal with the aftermath, but also supported Weng Tonghe's survival proposition, and also vigorously assisted Kang Youwei in preparing for the establishment of a strong society and directly participated in the practical activities of organizing political reform and reform. Although the perspectives and contents of "self-improvement" put forward by these officials and scholars are different, it is their common starting point to learn from western innovation for survival. In response to Kang Youwei's request for reform and reform, it has formed an increasingly powerful country. Some officials and scholars who demanded innovation and strength approached Kang Youwei one after another, and some devoted themselves to the reform movement.
As the popularity of maps continues to heat up, the forces of various political factions within the Qing court are also one after another. Li Hongzhang, the former leader of the Westernization School, has long been notorious, and his power and influence have been greatly weakened. Later, Liu Kunyi and Zhang Zhidong, outstanding figures of the Westernization School, became the leaders of the Westernization School. There are obvious differences among Liu Kunyi, Zhang Zhidong and Li Hongzhang in their foreign attitudes. During the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, they all stood on the side of the Qing court. Liu Kunyi put forward a good strategy to defeat the enemy; Zhang Zhidong also put forward many positive suggestions, all of which made their own efforts for the war of resistance. They all humiliated peace and opposed treaty of shimonoseki. After the war, their prestige was improved and they became outstanding provincial officials in the southeast.
The core members of the post-party bureaucracy have also changed. Sun Yuwen and Xu Yongyi, military ministers, were forced to quit the military department and the Prime Minister's Office successively, while Weng Tonghe and Li Hongzao filled the vacancies of Sun and Xu in the Prime Minister's Office. Prince Gong is bent on returning to the Prime Minister's yamen; Rong Lu, the confidant of Cixi, was promoted to the post of Minister of the Ministry of War and Minister of the Prime Minister's Office, and entered the center of the Qing court; Wang Wenshao replaced Li Hongzhang as governor of Zhili and minister of Beiyang, and mastered the jurisdiction of the capital and the gateway to Beijing. Post-party bureaucrats and Yixin further controlled the center of the Qing court.
In this situation, the strong society was blocked, which made Kang Youwei's efforts to "open up a new style" frustrated again. Since its establishment, this powerful society has had a great influence. Li Hongzhang once asked to donate money to join the club, but he was rejected because of his bad reputation. Liu Kunyi and Zhang Zhidong, the new leaders of the Westernization School, also supported or joined the Strong Society. With the growth of Qiang Hui and the constant attacks of conservative forces, Yang Chongyi impeached Qiang Hui and demanded a strict ban. The Qing court ordered the closure of Qiangshe in Beijing and Shanghai successively, and the Qiangshe in Beijing was changed into a "government-run bookstore", which specialized in translating western books and periodicals.
Objective: To maintain the decadent rule of Qing Dynasty, the main purpose is to safeguard the interests of the emperor, but there are also some new ideas from western countries, which have a certain effect in short.