The Reformer as Conspirator: K'ang Yu-wei versus the Empress Dowager, 1904-1906

In his article on Liang Ch'i-ch'ao (1873-1929) and the 1911 Revolution, Ernest Young has shown, among others, the error in generalizing that late Ch'ing reformers were wedded to peaceful change.1 A closer examination of the reformers' activities from 1898 to 1911 reveals that they were ready to take up arms against the Ch'ing government at critical moments, as testified by the aborted coup of 1898, the T'ang Ts'ai-ch'ang uprising of 1900, and Liang's conspiracy of 1911. At different times, K'ang Yu-wei (1858-1927) and Liang Ch'i-ch'ao advocated the use of assassination for the removal of their opponents in the imperial court. While Liang's fascination with nihilism and the terroristic tactics is thoroughly researched, little has been written on K'ang's advocacy of assassination.2 I propose to discuss K'ang's role as conspirator with special reference to his plot against the Empress Dowager Tz'u-hsi (1835-1908) between 1904 and 1906.