HIS102Y1 Study Guide - Revive China Society, Kang Youwei, Yuan Shikai
Document Summary
Sun yatsen (career to 1912: early influences. Taipings: sun was born in 1866 near canton (in the part of china were the west had been present the longest). This was just after the final defeat of the taipings. Hsu suggests that the taiping rebellion was an inspiration to sun. The west and christianity: in 1879 (aged 13) sun went to honolulu to join his brother. He entered a missionary school, and later went on to hong kong. He thus had elements of a western education, and also became a christian. Both honolulu and hong kong brought home to sun the contrast between their prosperity and orderliness and china"s poverty and backwardness. Honolulu also brought the idea of democracy and the need for a strong sense of nationalism. Qing weakness: hsu says it was china"s defeat by france in 1885 which first turned sun towards revolution. Sun graduated as a doctor and began practising in 1892.
