Liang Qichao
LIANG Qi-chao (梁啟超,1873-1929), with a courtesy name of Zhuoru (卓如) and a pseudonym of Rengong (任公), was a Chinese scholar, journalist, philosopher and reformist. He styled himself as Yinbingshi Zhuren (飲冰室主人), which literally means the Host of Yinbing Room. Liang shaped the ideas of democracy in China, significantly using his writings as a medium to advocate his views.
Biography
Family
Liang had two wives in his life: Ms. Li Huixian(李惠仙) and Ms. Wang Guiquan(王桂荃). They brought nine children to Liang; all of them became successful people through Liang's strict and effective education.
Education
Liang Qi-chao was born in Xinhui(新會), Guangdong Province on February 23, 1873. He lived in a small village as part of a lower class gentry family, who firmly stressed education. Liang's father, Liang Pao-ying, introduced him to various literary works at the young age of six. By the age of nine, Liang was writing thousand-word essays and became a district-school student soon after, in 1884. Liang undertook the arduous task of studying for the traditional governmental exams, and passed his provincial exam(2nd level exams), which was equivalent to a Master’s degree at 16 and was the youngest successful candidate at the time. The examiner, who was impressed with Liang's performance, arranged a marriage between Qi-chao and his younger sister!
In 1890, Liang failed his metropolitan examinations in Peking and never earned a higher degree. However, Liang went on to study with K'ang Yu-wei, who was teaching at Wan-mu-ts'ao t'ang in Canton. K'ang taught Liang about foreign affairs and fueled his interest in reforming China.
Reform Movements
In 1895, he organised reforms with another Chinese scholar, KANG You-wei (康有為, 1858-1927), by writing their ideas on paper and sending to the Emperor Guangxu (光緒帝,1889-1908) of the Qing Dynasty. This significant movement is called the "Wuxu Reform" (戊戌變法). With the agreement of Emperor Guangxu, they carried out a political reform in 1898, which later became known as the "Hundred Days' Reform" (百日維新).
After the failure of the reform, he was one of the criminals wanted by Empress Cixi (慈禧太后,1835-1908), who was the leader of the political conservative party and opposed reforms at that time. Liang Qi-chao therefore escaped to Japan and continued to advocate democratic notions and reforms actively by using his writings to raise support for the reformers’ cause among overseas Chinese and foreign governments.
In 1898, he was exiled to Japan as a result of the Conservative Coup.
Literary Career
As a traditional Confucian scholar and at the same time a reformer, Liang Qi-chao contributed to the reform in late Qing by writing various articles interpreting non-Chinese ideas of history and government, intending to stimulate Chinese citizens' minds to build a new China. In his writings, he argued that China should protect the teaching of Confucianism, and learn from the successes of Western political life rather than just Western technology.
Journalist
Lin Yu Tang once called Liang "the greatest personality in the history of Chinese journalism", while Joseph Levenson, author of Liang Ch'i-ch'ao and the Mind of Modern China, described Liang to be "a brilliant scholar, journalist, and political figure."
Liang's exile to Japan may very well have been a blessing in disguise because it allowed Liang to freely speak his mind and exercise is intellectual talents. He showed scholarly authority editing two premier newspapers, Zhongwai jiwen and Shiwu bao, and published his moral and political ideals in Ch'ing-i pao and Hsin-min ts'ung-pao. In addition, he used his literary prowess to further spread his views on republicanism both in China and across the World. He turned the great tradition of the politically committed literary man into the powerful modern form of political and cultural journalist by writing new forms of periodical journals.
Liang produced a widely read biweekly serial called Xinmin Congbao (新民叢報), (also known as the New Citizen) a biweekly journal, which was first published at Yokohama, Japan on 8th February 1902. The journal enjoyed immense success, and circulation gradually rose to more than 9000, while distribution points grew to nearly 100 in China, Japan, and elsewhere. Liang Qi-chao was the Chief Editor, who spread his notions about democracy. The journal was published without hindrance for five years, but eventually ceased in 1907 after 96 issues.
Poet and Novelist
He advocated the reform in both the fields of poem and novel. "Collected Work of Yinbingshi"（《飲冰室合集》）is his representative work in literature.
Contributions to Journalism
Influential Effects
Publications
The Construction of New China
The Learning of Mohism
The Philosophy of Laozi
The History of Buddhism in China
Chinese Academic History of the Recent 300 Years
History of Chinese Culture
Introduction to the Learning of the Qing Dynasty