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107 The Hundred Days' Reform

Duration: 0:07:10.451519

Welcome to listen to Chinese history. In 1894, the Beiyang Fleet of the Qing Dynasty suffered a major defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War, signaling the complete loss of the Qing government's naval power. This also marked the failure of the Self-Strengthening Movement that had been ongoing for 35 years. After defeating Japan, China rapidly became a military power and started down the path of militarism. The country's semi-colonial status and national crisis deepened, leading to a rise of patriotic intellectuals such as Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao, and Tan Sitong, who advocated for reforms to save the country. Despite facing opposition from conservative factions, they formed societies and started newspapers to spread their ideas. In 1895, news of the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki by Japan reached Beijing, prompting Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao, and others to petition the Emperor Guangxu for reforms. However, their efforts were hindered, and the Emperor was not able to receive their petition. At the time, Yuan Shikai, who worked in military affairs, supported Kang Youwei's ideas and was close to the reformers. The internal conflicts within the Qing court between Emperor Guangxu and Empress Dowager Cixi intensified as the reformist political reforms threatened the interests of the Manchu nobility and traditional forces led by Cixi. On September 18, 1898, Emperor Guangxu secretly sought Kang Youwei's help in response to the impending crisis. A plan was developed to remove the Empress Dowager Cixi from power, with Yuan Shikai playing a crucial role in the unfolding events. Different accounts suggest that Yuan Shikai promised to support the reformists before ultimately siding with the conservative faction, while others argue that his actions were driven by fear of Cixi's power. The coup attempt failed, leading to the downfall of the reformists and the execution of several key figures. This period, known as the Hundred Days' Reform, marked a brief period of political reform in China before ultimately collapsing due to the weakness of the reformist forces. Yuan Shikai, a prominent political and military figure in modern China, played a pivotal role in these events. Born in 1859, Yuan Shikai rose to prominence during the late Qing Dynasty and played a significant role in modernizing the Chinese military. After the downfall of the Qing Dynasty, he helped negotiate the abdication of Emperor Puyi and became the first President of the Republic of China, choosing to establish a constitutional monarchy.

Language: Chinese
Topics: Late Qing DynastyThe Hundred Days' Reform

108 The Boxer Rebellion

Duration: 0:08:01.163900

Welcome to listen to Chinese history, but so, the author and the nodes are wrong, the country changes in the year of 1900. The failure of the reforms did not stop the worsening national crisis in China. In the late 1890s, a large number of foreign missionaries came to China under the guise of preaching, engaging in espionage activities and frequently deceiving the Chinese people. During this period, natural disasters struck the country, causing suffering among the people. American missionaries such as Haines, Fuller, and others established churches in places like Daliuzhuang, leading to the rapid growth of their influence. The behavior of these missionaries and their followers in the local villages became intolerable to the people, who spontaneously organized movements to resist imperialist aggression, giving rise to the Boxer Rebellion and the formation of secret societies in Shandong, Henan, and Zhili provinces. These organizations set up altars, practiced martial arts, and claimed that after drawing symbols and reciting spells, they could call upon spirits to make themselves invulnerable to weapons. In 1898, the members of the 'Righteous and Harmonious Fists' (Boxers) in Guan County, Shandong, under the leadership of Qian Dechang and others, officially initiated the Boxer Rebellion. They established a central altar in the House of Affairs in Hequan, Shandong, with the village as the basic organizational unit. The Boxer members were mainly poor farmers, artisans, urban commoners, small traders, and transport workers. The local population rose up to resist the church's influence in the region, leading to conflicts with the authorities. Eventually, the government sent troops to suppress the uprising, resulting in the Boxers engaging in battles with Qing troops. Following a series of confrontations, the Boxer Rebellion led to the invasion of China by the Eight-Nation Alliance in 1900. The signing of the Boxer Protocol in 1901, also known as the 'Boxer Indemnity,' marked the end of the Boxer Rebellion. This unequal treaty imposed heavy indemnities on China, allowed foreign troops to be stationed in Beijing, and severely restricted Chinese sovereignty, bringing disastrous consequences for the Chinese people and marking the country's transformation into a semi-colonial, semi-feudal society under imperialist rule.

Language: Chinese
Topics: Qing DynastyBoxer Rebellion in Late 19th Century China