Hundred Day Reform Case Study

The failure the Hundred Day Reform Movement

The 1898 reform movement is the first bourgeois-capitalistic reform movement in the Chinese history, which attempted to fundamentally change China’s educational, sociopolitical, cultural and military system. It is also famously known as the Hundred Days Reform as a result of its duration of 103 days, and finally terminated by Empress Dowager Cixi. The leading figures of the reform movement were Kang Youwei and Liangqi Chao. This reform movement has a significant impact in motivating Chinese people’s sense of patriotism and national consciousness. The the failure of the movement is multi-factorial, including both external and internal factors. Some people believe that Kang’s group was weak in political

First of all, by looking at the main leaders of the reform movement, Kang Youwei and Laing Qichao. The reformists has been growing in the environment of private school, all of their knowledge are based on books, which they rarely took part in the social practice. Also, Kang Youwei failed the examination of Jinshi. Hence, the inexperience in court and politics made Kang-Liang’s leadership lack of discretion and strategies.(Hua 125) Unlike Meiji Restoration in Japan, the initiators of the movement are mostly young samurai (warrior) (Encyclopaedia Britannica), who were more experienced in tactics. Hence, such a leader group was more competent in overthrowing and establishing the new government. Secondly, the way of the reform was considered as urgent and radical. The scope of the reform was too board, and the peace of reformers’ action was too fast. Topics dealing with the reform in the imperial edicts include the abolition of the tradition civil examination system and the eight-legged essay; the establishment of the western style school; dismissal of large number of government officials who stand against the reform. (Franke 48). Approximately 103 edicts were issued during the short period of 103 days. In International Relationship of the Chinese Empire, “the reform party’s was to rash and dangerous. The emperor’s direction is right, but his adviser Kang Youwei and other reformers was inexperienced.... It just like they eat all the food which the amount is for nine year, and force the stomach to digest them within three months.” (Morse 2000). This indicates that too many edicts were issued during within a short period and there is not enough time to implement those orders. Someone of the reform measures were not deliberate, without considering the objective environment, hence, were not acceptable. A total exclusion of Dowager Empress Cixi from the government once planned, such