CHIN 50 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Empress Dowager Cixi, Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao
Document Summary
End of the imperial era and the founding. Ruled the qing as empress dowager from 1861-1908. Mother of tongzhi emperor (1861-1875) who acceded to the throne at age 5. Continued to rule through reign of the next emperor, her new nephew the. Guangxu emperor (r. 1875-1908) then took power openly in a successful coup in. Reformers in the late qing (end of 19th century) During the 1880s advocated institutional reforms with meiji japan as model. Promoted his idea of confucius as a reformer . Envisioned a future one world in which all boundaries have dissolved; Disciple of kang youwei but his ideas were different. Emphasized nationalism and the nation as the way to reform china and to renew its people into citizens. Reforms of the exam system; more political content, no more calligraphy, poetry. Educational reforms: modernization of schools with both chinese and western learning. Military strengthening: plans for a fleet of modern warships.
