Confucius (2010)

In mourning for His Imperial Majesty Emperor Guangxu on the 101th anniversary of his death, I'd like to share a link of the trailer of the coming Chinese epic film 'Confucius'(due to be released in the Spring Festival of 2010), which cast Yun-Fat Chow as the sage Chinese philosopher and educator, who spent his whole lifetime preaching and teaching his thoughts throughout China, which would only become highly esteemed many years after his death but which would change the whole course not only of Chinese but of the whole East Asian history for the next two thousand years to come, just as how Jesus Christ had shaped the Western Civilization.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgiM1ubNCYc

I now begin to call myself a Confucian and I think that the reason why I have discovered the values of Confucianism is none other than my veneration and love towards Emperor Guangxu, for the basis of Confucianism is that a soverain who loves and cares for his people should be loved back and be paid loyalty. I shall always remember that Emperor Guangxu sacrificed his own life for the good of his country and the cause of his people, a courageous and selfless deed that few other soverains would ever match.

Guangxu himself was raised in a Confucian education (thanks to Weng Tonghe), and only recently do I realize that the very power that had pushed such a seemingly weak and frail young man to take the heavy responsibility of reviving China upon his shoulders is his faith in Confucianism, for faith always prevails over natural cowardice; and this is the very reason why Confucius says in the "Analects" : "The courageous are not necessarily humane(ren); while the humane must be courageous". For humanity is so strong and noble an ideal that courage can naturally yield from it.

Guangxu, along with the martyres of the 1898 reform such as Tan Sitong, had "not tried to save their own lives by undermining humanity, but rather sacrificed their lives to make humanity prevail" (also from "The Analects")

Emperor Guangxu had formed such an idea at a very young age, therefore his risking all in 1898 was not out of impulse and infatuation, but rather out of a long-established sense of duty. It is said that in the winter when Guangxu was merely 7 years old, he ran out barefoot into the snow to thank heaven that his prayers finally came true. (For snow is good for crops in spring), and when both his tutor and his servants tried to persuade him back into the room, he yelled to them resentfully, "You fellows don't understand me at all, just as those who didn' t understand Confucius."

Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing the film "Confucius" next year although I will always be in France.For me, the greatness of China is due to Confucianism. If we lose this tradition, we will find not even a foothold in the contemporary world.

Beijing Impressions I: Prince Gong Mansion

Amidst the meandering Hutongs near Shichahai Lake in central Beijing north to the Forbidden City and in the shades of bending scholar trees, hides one of the most beautiful prince mansions in China: Prince Gong Mansion, whose two lords in the old days were amongst the most celebrated figures in Qing Dynasty: one of them is Prince Gong, brother of Emperor Xianfeng as well as a very important figure in the 19th century modernization of China. The other was the notoriously corrupt Manchu minister Heshen, of Niohuru clan, who claimed, in his serving Emperor Qianlong, to have gathered a wealth equivalent to the revenue of Qing government for 15 years.

On entering the back garden of the mansion through the baroque-style marble gate, I was especially impressed by the elegance and tranquility of it (Yes, tranquility, albeit that there was a large flock of tourists). Clear streams of waterfall poured down from the 'Taihu Stone' into the bat-shaped pond (which symbolizes the notion of prosperity) beneath, and it is said that when the gingko leaves turn yellow in autumn, they would drop into the pond and drift gently amidst the ripples; in beams of sunshine, the leaves would look as if they were pieces of gold clustered in a basin. Careful tourists would notice that whereas running water flows through Heshen's garden, there is no single drop of it to be found in the cloistered imperial garden in the Forbidden City, which fact later became one of the accusations against Heshen in bringing him to his downfall. However, history seemed to me too heavy a subject in such a romantic ambiance: I thought I could spend the whole afternoon half-lying on the bench in the water pavilion only to watch the ducks being chased by the geese in the lovely pond, and all the nuisance of life seemed to be blown away by the breeze to melt into the ripples.

Yet, I cannot help but once more think of that legendary figure who ordered this garden to be built, only to realize that I had felt by now more or less identified with Heshen: Although he was accused for being the most corrupt minister in Chinese history, compared to the Emperor, he was the one who really knew how to enjoy life. Despite all those traditional Chinese symbols that indicate wealth and fortune, the garden itself is not at all frivolous, but rather conveys an air of purity and serenity, and such is the magic of the place.

Moreover, Heshen might not have been the antagonist after all. To me, his figure was closer to that of an antihero. I was well conscious that Chinese official records are not always reliable, just as some scholars have pointed out, many of Heshen's treasures were given by Emperor Qianlong as gifts. Whether Heshen enriched himself avariciously or not, I feel almost sure that the main reason why Emperor Jiaqing, son of Qianlong, wanted to get rid of him was the fear for his overwhelming power in court rather than repulsiveness against corruption. It is still so common today that 'corrupt officials' are convicted only when they begin to threaten 'the balance of power' of the centre government.

Reflections on Emperor Guangxu's Residence in the Summer Palace

'Yulan Tang', Guangxu's residence





.....surrounded by walls built by Cixi



'Mother and Son' stones, put in front of the hall by Cixi to warn Guangxu


Viewed at the gate of 'Yulan Tang'


I had the chance to pay a visit to Emperor Guangxu's residence, more precisely his prison in the Summer Palace several days ago. It's a traditional four-section compound with three rooms around one yard, a residence called 'YuLan Tang', namely 'The Hall of the Jade Wave'. It was first used as his residence when he attended the levee of Empress Dowager Cixi, after the coup in 1898, this very place became his prison in summer months.

Yulan Tang is faced to Kunming Lake at the front gate and thus has a panorama of the beautiful imperial garden, that even mountains in the distant Western suburbs can be seen from that very place. Nonetheless, in order to warn Emperor Guangxu that he was no more than a prisoner, Cixi ordered walls to be built around the yard that all view from afar would be blocked.

The yard was so crowded with tourists that we had to stand upon our toes to take a look at the Emperor's bedchamber through the window pane, it is said that all the furniture have been arranged in the way it used to be when Guangxu lived here. I felt a nameless pain in my heart as my eyes wandered from the bed on which he slept to the clock he had once repaired.

What struck me the most were the relics of the thick grey walls. Before that day, I had always been somewhat skeptical towards the mentality of Cixi, that she might not have been that evil and distorted after all. However, ever since that day when I saw all those cold walls myself, I immediately realized that she hated her nephew to death that it was no surprise that she finally poisoned him.

The trees surrounding the house are mostly more than one hundred years old, after one day's exhausting walk in the garden under the blazing summer sun, I stood beneath an old tree and rubbed its wrinkled trunk with my palm, imagining that not much more than one century ago, a handsome yet melancholic young man had stroked on the very same spot of the tree, looking towards the very same pagoda upon the mountain, only to bend down his head again, lamenting his fate...

A Visit to Emperor Guangxu's Mausoleum on His Birthday

The 14th of August was the 138th anniversary of Emperor Guangxu's birth according to solar calendar while tomorrow, the 18th of August, is his birthday according to lunar calendar this year (which should have been the 28th of June).

I paid a visit to His Majesty's mausoleum: the Chong Mausoleum on the 14th of August last Friday. Chong Mausoleum is the smallest among all four 'Western Mausoleums' , the place where four Emperors of Qing Dynasty had been buried: Yongzheng, Jiaqing, Daoguang and Guangxu respectively. Although Emperor Guangxu died in 1908, the construction of his mausoleum was not totally finished until 1915, which was highly unusual in Chinese history: most Emperors built their grand mausoleums while they were alive to prepare for their permanent resting place in foreseeable future. Such was not the case for Guangxu: he believed that he would not die any time soon and therefore never thought of building a mausoleum for himself while he was alive. As a result, when Emperor Guangxu and his aunt Empress Dowager Cixi died one day after another, while the coffin of the latter was immediately transported to the luxurious mausoleum she had prepared for herself, that of the Emperor had to be kept temporarily in the Forbidden City as the construction of his mausoleum had just begun.

After Emperor Guangxu's wife, the then Empress Dowager Longyu signed the declaration of abdication of throne for Emperor Puyi, China declared itself to be a newborn republic. The new government was exceptionally benign to the imperial family: not only were the imperial members allowed to continue to live in the Forbidden City, the government was also willing to take over the construction of Chong Mausoleum. Therefore, only after the underground mausoleum was completed in 1913 had Emperor Guangxu being carried to his final resting place. Empress Dowager Longyu died that year and was buried there alongside her husband.

In 1938, one year after the Japanese invasion, Chong Mausoleum was forced open by an anonymous armed bandit and the treasures in the coffins were plundered. When archeologists discovered the underground mausoleum in 1982, they found that Emperor Guangxu's legs had already being pulled out while the lid upon Longyu's coffin overturned. Guangxu's remains had kept its relatively complete skeleton structure while that of Longyu had turned into mud. The bandit that plundered the tomb were indeed despicable, however, paradoxically, it was thanks to them that Guangxu's mysterious death could finally be resolved as archeologists were able to take his hair and bones for examination.

I stayed for quite a long time in the underground mausoleum, kneeling down in front of the coffin in which lies the man I have been admiring for more than a decade. Before I left, I put down the printed paper presented by several fans of the Emperor(including me, it was June who originally came up with this idea) on a small table in front of his coffin, hoping that it would be a consolation for this tragic son of heaven.

To my great delight, I came across another fan of Emperor Guangxu that day. She is a girl one year older than me and has also been loving the Emperor for one decade. We exchanged our mutual commitment to the Emperor and planned to visit the Summer Palace together the next day for the sake of Guangxu~

Very Modern Elements inside Our Beloved Emperor

One of the main reasons why I admire Guangxu Emperor so much is due to some modern elements embodied by him, elements that have not been accepted by a great many Chinese until this day. Without much exaggeration, we can title Guangxu as a 'democratic Emperor' for even though he was neither democratically elected nor did he succeed in establishing parliaments, he did believe in almost all modern values esteemed in the Western world: on macro level, he identified with an open free economy based on industry and trade (thus breaking the Confucian dogma of despising commerce) as well as constitutional monarchy with Emperor merely as a figurehead (See the quote: 'As long as the people can be saved, what matters even if I lose power?' ) On micro level, he defended unanimously the freedom of religion as well as the freedom of speech. Guangxu was indeed, to some extent, the first to declare openly, on behalf of the ruler of China, that certain basic human rights are divine and inviolable.

During the Hundred Days Reform, according to 'Court Life in China' by Issac Taylor Headland, Guangxu Emperor issued a decree to allow all Chinese people to memorialize the emperor in sealed memorials. Then, Headland recorded in his book the following incident relating to this decree:

There was at this time a third-class secretary of the Board of Rites named Wang Chao who sent in a memorial in which he advocated:

1. The abolition of the queue.

2. The changing of the Chinese style of dress to that of the West.

3. The adoption of Christianity as a state religion.

4. A prospective national parliament.

5. A journey to Japan by the Emperor and Empress Dowager.

The Board of Rites opened and read this memorial, and, astounded at its boldness, they summoned the offender before them, and ordered him to withdraw his paper. This he refused to do and the two presidents and four vice-presidents of the Board accompanied it with a counter memorial denouncing him to the Emperor as a man who was making narrow-minded and wild suggestions to His Majesty.

Partly because they had opened and read the memorial and partly because of their effort to prevent freedom of speech, Kuang Hsu issued another edict explaining why he had invited sealed memorials, and censuring them for explaining to him what was narrow-minded and wild, as if he lacked the intelligence to grasp that feature of the paper. He then turned them all over to the Board of Civil Office ordering that body to decide upon a suitable punishment for their offense, and assuring them that if they made it too mild, his righteous wrath would fall upon them. The latter decided that they be degraded three steps and removed to posts befitting their lowered rank, but the Emperor revised the sentence and dismissed them all from office, and this was the beginning of his downfall.

Guangxu Emperor could never have agreed with all these radical proposals by that bold young man, yet he would still go at any length to defend his right to express his opinions.

I also found in Charles Denby's 'China and Her People' an excerpt on Guangxu's attitudes towards religious matters, which presented him as a pioneer of freedom and tolerance of religion in China:

In 1891 the present Emperor Kuang Hsu issued a very strong edict commanding good treatment of the missionaries. He therein made the following statement: "The religions of the West have for their object the inculcation of virtue, and, though our people become converted, they continue to be Chinese subjects. There is no reason why there should not be harmony between the people and the adherents of foreign religions."

A Really Worthy Chinese Cartoon!

I came across a very interesting Chinese cartoon on the web recently. Its title can be roughly translated into 'Fugui the Magical Chef'. The backdrop of the story was set during the late reign of Empress Dowager Cixi and Guangxu Emperor. The general synopsis goes like this: On her way fleeing to the west from the Eight Allies invasion in Beijing in 1900, Cixi asked for a chef to cook meals for her; meanwhile, Lord K, a mysterious antagonist, sought every means to have Guangxu Emperor abdicated so that he could benefit from recommending a new Emperor. Eunuch Li would carry out his plot: Li first impressed Chef Hong from a small village to cook for Cixi, when the dish was ready, Li poisoned it and accused Chef Hong for seeking to assassinate the Empress Dowager under the secret order of Guangxu Emperor. However, this was not enough to evoke Cixi's determination of getting rid of Guangxu, nevertheless, Chef Hong was imprisoned and charged and would be executed in autumn. Fugui, grandson of Chef Hong, a filial, intelligent and optimistic boy made up his mind to save his grandfather by becoming the Imperial Chef, seeking to win Cixi's favor so that he would obtain a set of golden cookery equivalent to a death-exemption card...

The Cartoon series is not only for Chinese children, but I have found it great for foreign people to learn Chinese. The language is simple, lively and in vogue; the story is told in the most vivid manner and every character has his/her attractive facet of personality. Besides many impressively funny scenes that would make the audience laugh out their tears, the cartoon also presents the essence of the extraordinary Chinese cuisine culture through every trial endured by Fugui. Finally, and best of all, it's not a mediocre cartoon that wins laughter by vulgarity and kitsch, but by quick wit and a warm sense of humor. A main message transmitted by this cartoon is as much as positive as it is Chinese: filial piety to the elders, which was not only shown through Fugui's persistent endeavors to save his grandfather, but also through Guangxu Emperor's unconditional piety towards Cixi however the latter treated him, that he would exchange his own life for hers if necessary, which might not be acceptable by modern values but was nevertheless the true mental status of Guangxu. Therefore it denies the other assumption that Guangxu had ever plotted to murder his stepmother.

I was almost astonished to see how well Guangxu had been presented in this cartoon, so close to the his image in my imagination, so close to facts cleared off prejudices produced by Machiavellians historians who judge characters only through their conquests and 'achievements'. Besides his filial piety towards Cixi, Guangxu was also portrayed as a persevering man at core who never gave up his dream of reforming China. In a word, it seems that more and more Chinese people have begun to know the real Guangxu Emperor now, moreover, young children would get the right impression of the Emperor from the beginning, which is something I really feel happy about.

Sketches and Random Thoughts on Turkey

Turkey is a country I have dreamt of visiting from childhood, in my imagination, the strait of Bosporus always flickered out the colour of azure in the Mediterranean sun. And I was not turned down when I finally got the chance to visit Istanbul this summer, from the backyard pavilion of Topkapi Palace, the bridge that connects Asia and Europe can be seen at distance across the narrow passage while the sea of Marmara extends beyond sight. The mind is set free, immerging in the nostlagia for the past glories of Byzantium and Osman, sometimes wondering at the fact how great many ancient civilizations had ever originated in this magical land of Anatolia and after sometime, those who created the civilizations perished, leaving only deserted ruins and relics behind. Indeed, to some extent, the land which is occupied by the Republic of Turkey today can be regarded as the site where Western civilization originated.

However, the people who occupied this piece of land come and go: first the Greek, then came the Romans; on the Eastern side were the Armenians and the Kurds. Centuries later came the normads: the Mongols swept Asia Minor like a tornado but retreated soon and left no trace; while the Turks settled down to build a new Empire which would last half a millennium and changed the course of European development remarkably. On lands occupied by the Turks, Christian churches were pulled down or transformed into mosques, Christian boys were converted into Muslims and were later impressed into the Empire army as Janissaries, Christian girls enslaved and sold to become concubines in the Harem. Such was the case for the Caucasian and Balkan regions, however, for Western Europeans, the aggressiveness of the Ottoman Empire exerted considerable pressure upon them and this very pressure later became their motivation to lead explorations, refine techniques and reform political systems. The envoy from Holy Roman Empire Ogiers Busbecq explicitly expressed his concerns that Europe would be wholly conquered by the Ottoman Empire someday, however, what happened in the next two centuries displayed an almost opposite scenario.

Turkey was obliged to take reform measures under Mustafa Kemal Ataturk when the Ottoman Empire collapsed and the republic established. In my opinion, what became best of this country is its success of showing the world that it is possible to seperate politics and religion in a predominant Muslim country, thus challenging such urges that Islam being a backward religion incompatible with modern society. However, what remains to be the largest problem of Turkey, is its pretentious ideology of 'pan-Turkism', which not only impedes the Republic from recogizing the Armenian genocide as well as the rights of the Kurdish minority, but also leads this country to go at odds with China on the Muslim Uighur issue in Xinjiang.

A Short Story Written by Myself

First I should apologize for my long absence here and try to explain the reasons: Firstly I have been busy towards the end of last semester, preparing for the final exams and then went to Turkey for a debating tournament. After I came back to China for the summer vacation, I found google blog blocked by the government. Fortunately, I have managed to 'break' the Wall and can access here again to add something more to this deserted place, after all, I don't want to abandon things that I cherish so easily.

Here is a short story I wrote at the end of last semester for English creative writing. It's about the last several days of Guangxu Emperor and Empress Dowager Cixi. Based on basic historical facts, I imagined many details myself. Sometimes it might seem too dramatic, however, I hope it's still an enjoyable reading for I enjoyed reading it myself.

Mother and Son

He stands upon the top platform of the Ocean Terrace, elbows resting on the cold marble railings. It is a beautiful autumn morning, the vermillion walls of the Forbidden City carry on its peculiar purple sheen under the golden beams of the sun. Sparkling wrinkles float upon the lake surface after being blown by a gust of breeze. Autumn is always the best season in Beijing, he murmurs, even a breath of fresh air mitigates his deep sorrows.

He looks across the water to the isle to the north. By this time, SHE must has already woken up but has not yet dressed. Perhaps she is now brushing her teeth in her phoenix-carved mahogany bed with mint paste newly imported from France and is surrounded by a group of maids serving her. That WOMAN who has held him up so high to the dragon throne and then ruthlessly torn him down to the status of prisoner is now in poor health, just like he has always been since his tender childhood. However, he is well aware of the fact that she is 74 years old while he is only 38. I can survive this winter, she cannot, I can definitely survive her, he thinks, and a smile emerges upon his faint lips. Dozens of clocks and watches make the morning alarm in his bedchamber, all at the same time. Seven o’clock. The grandfather clock transmits a ponderous sound in the air while the cuckoo clock sings rapid tunes. Time, what a magical thing it is, and so is the measurement of time---clocks. He still cannot understand why she, his imperial mother, has generously given him all the clocks in the Forbidden City*, from the oldest ones brought by Matteo Ricci to the newest ones sent by President Roosevelt, so that he can study their delicate parts and learn to repair them, as a way of idling away time. It’s time to attend her levee now, he says to himself, tomorrow is her birthday, and the nearer she is to death, the more filial piety I should show towards her, so that she will trust me to rule this Empire after she dies. Do I hate her? He asks himself, no, not really, even though he is looking forward to her death, he doesn’t hate her, he CANNOT hate her; even though she murdered the love of his life, even though she smashed his dreams of reforming China into pieces, even though she has held him like a canary in a golden cage, he cannot hate her, simply because she is his stepmother, and a good son should never hate his mother. I am a devout disciple of Confucius, he says, in whatever circumstances, I cannot disobey its basic principles. He puts down the newly-translated Montesquieu’s ‘The Spirit of Law’, which he has been reading in the mornings for days before the levees, and as usual, calls his servant to accompany him to the palace of the Empress Dowager.

At this time, SHE is actually suffering from toothache and is whining about the pain in bed. She tries several times to support herself up but all fail. In the end, she reluctantly calls her maids and eunuchs to help her up. I am old and I am dying, she confides to her most trusted eunuch as he is massaging her painful muscles. She looks up to him with vacant eyes, she, the most powerful woman in China, the Old Buddha, has never looked so helpless before.

The eunuch immediately kneels down to his knees and wishes the Old Buddha longevity, he exclaims with tears that everyone hopes her to live ten thousand years, all except perhaps one, he adds.

*The Chinese character for ‘clock’ is ‘钟’, with the pronunciation of ‘zhong’ with the first tune, however, another character for ‘zhong’ with the first tune is ‘终’, which can mean the end of one’s life. Here the Old Buddha sends clocks to the emperor indicates that she wishes for his death. That’s why clocks are considered as terrible gifts in China.

Her eyes once again reflect cold shrewdness on hearing his last remark, and she goes on asking the eunuch who is that daring as to wish her to die? The emperor of course, answers the eunuch, the emperor has been quite happy lately all because of her failing health. As if it were not enough to invoke the rage of the Old Buddha, the eunuch goes on with saying that as the Dalai Lama now also resides in Beijing, according to suspicions, not all three can live but that at least one must die.

I CANNOT DIE BEFORE HIM! She articulates each syllable of this sentence with force, as if her suffered no toothache. She orders the eunuch to go and let her alone for a while until she calls him again.

She supports herself on one arm upon the jade pillow, gasping heavily, half from shock and half from rage. Her nephew, the adopted son she raised since he was four, is now looking forward to her death! How I regret not having swiftly killed him 10 years ago, she thinks, I was too soft-hearted then. Such an unfilial son deserves being tortured by the flames from hell. He has always failed her and she has been too generous and indulgent towards such an unworthy child. He almost turned this country upside down one decade ago, if she didn’t interfere in time and extinguish the sparks of unrest. He dared to win favor and sympathy from foreigners and collaborated with them in the plot of condemning her to war criminal. And above all, he failed to produce an heir to the noble lineage of Aisin-Gioro! He has no face to meet our noble ancestors, she murmurs, how can the Mandate of Heaven fall upon such a one like HIM! I must prevent this from happening, and I can prevent it, even it means failing my own sister, for he is the only son of my dear sister, the girl with whom I have grown up, the girl with whom I played and laughed in childhood, the girl to whom I promised to treat her son as if he were mine. But I don’t care about that, I cannot care that much, state importance always prevails over family affection.

The emperor walks through the garden path with maple trees on both sides, it’s mid October, all maple leaves have turned red and many are already darkening and dropping from the branches. Two maple leaves drop upon his sleeve. He holds them in his palms and looks at them closely: one has almost rotten while the other is still bloody red, with drops of dew upon its surface. He throws away the rotten one and gently hides the young one in his sleeve. As he reaches the palace gate of the Old Buddha, a group of imperial guards stop him by promulgating the order that the emperor has been exempted from attending levees due to illness and should return to the Ocean Terrace to rest. He responds to this order with a shiver, apparently shocked and frightened. It’s like 10 years ago, exactly the same scene of 10 years ago, he reflects, 10 years ago, he was forced to ‘repose on the Ocean Terrace’ due to ‘severe illness’, and was more than once offered fur coats in hot months, only that he refused to swallow the golden buckles sewed upon them. He feels his heart sinking, sinking, deeply into an abyss of chill and darkness. Now that he finally knows why his ‘Biological Father’ invited him to watch a ominous Beijing Opera on his 38^th birthday.

He doesn’t sleep that night, neither does she. He weeps amidst the pillow, this time, no one can save him, he can do nothing but go and meet his doom. Now and then, he comforts himself by thinking that it’s a path he has chosen to follow, he says, my own life never matters, yet what about my people? Who will care for them after we both die? China has been left in wretchedness and humiliation, he thinks, and the comfort immediately turns into a new burst of tears of sorrow. During intervals, he grasps the only photo left of his beloved consort, who died 8 years ago, and seeks new comfort from the thought that he will soon meet her in another world. He has been feeling for years that she is always calling him at night, her voice hovers above that tiny well yet only the moonlight instead of her beautiful visage is reflected in that small area of water. But is there another world? If there is not, does it mean that they can never meet again? I shall never seek consolation, he finally concludes, as consolation is only for the undamaged, while my soul has been torn to pieces. He gets up at midnight to play at the pianoforte, he plays the sonata of Tchaikovsky which he learnt from Princess Derling, the young daughter of the Ambassador to France.

The Old Buddha hears the music while she is lying in her bed, sleepless. From the melancholy of the tune, she knows that it is her nephew. Weep, weep, that’s all he knows to do! She curses him with relentless words and calls her servant to bring about a pot of fire as well as the last drawer of the wardrobe. When these things are ready, she grasps a token of photos with yellowish margins from the drawer and tears them to pieces, and then throws them into the crimson charcoals. The servant is startled, she tells him not to panic, for she is only burning the photos she has confiscated from the emperor, all of which are photos of him and that favored concubine of his. I don’t want these photos to exist, she exclaims, only photos of ME, of the Old Buddha, can be seen by posterity. Greedily, the red tongues of flame lick the memory of a fairytale into ashes.

The next evening, the emperor is repairing a music box when the favored eunuch of the Old Buddha steps in, holding a ball of some liquid. The Old Buddha orders the emperor to eat up this yoghurt, says the eunuch, bending down before him. The emperor tells him to leave it on the desk, but the eunuch declines and insists that it is the Old Buddha’s will that the emperor must eat it up before a witness. My time has come, the emperor tells himself, his large mournful eyes filled with tears. He knows that he cannot escape, yet he smashes the porcelain ball on the floor with courage coming from nowhere.

The door bursts open and the Old Buddha staggers in. She is in her most splendid dress and wears on her most severe countenance. What an unfilial son you are, she yells at the emperor, have you forgotten that you once swore that you would die in joy if I order you to do so? I did, the emperor replies while kneeling down on his knees. She orders the eunuch to take out another ball and says to the emperor, now I give you the chance to show your filial piety, for there is arsenic in this yoghurt and I order you to eat it NOW!

But my venerable ‘Biological Father’, I am the SON OF HEAVEN, says the emperor, only the supreme god in heaven can take my life away. That’s nonsense, totally nonsense, yells her, without me, you wouldn’t have become the son of heaven. Now eat the yoghurt!

The emperor kowtows to his dear ‘Biological Father’ and whispers out a word of gratitude for the ‘gift’. Then the eunuch steps in and intends to feed the yoghurt into his mouth with a silver spoon. No need of that, says the emperor, I can help myself.

The Old Buddha watches him silently while he eats. As he finishes, she walks up with a silk towel and wipes away the yoghurt left around his mouth. That’s it, whispers her with a gentle smile, that’s my boy. She presses on his faint cheeks with her long fingernails protected by silk caps, with disgust, he withdraws from her; and in an effort to bring him back, she scratches his beautiful, almost transparent cheeks, and blood immediately leaks out. She approaches him again, this time, he doesn’t turn back and watches in awe what she does. Tenderly, she presses her lips upon the scratch and sucks up the crimson blood. I will come back in a couple of hours, she says, I will see you die with my own eyes. Then she leaves with the eunuch, surprisingly, the emperor clearly sees her eyes moistened as she turns away and shuts the door.

Dark clouds pile up in heaven and birds shriek while flying over the lake. Suddenly there is lightening and thunder among the thick clouds. The Old Buddha supports herself up from the armchair on hearing the blast in the sky. I must go to see him now, she whispers, that boy has always been afraid of thunder. It was always me who held him in my arms whenever there was a thunderstorm when he was a child.

She makes her way to the Ocean Terrace with a bundle of clothes carried by her eunuch. As soon as they push the door open, the Old Buddha rushes to his bed and kneels down before it. Her poor nephew, her poor son is convulsing and groaning painfully under the effect of arsenic. What have I done, What have I done, she exclaims, I have murdered the Emperor of China, I have murdered the son of my dear sister! Don’t be afraid, she whispers to him, don’t be afraid, my child, as she holds his head with her hands and softly slides her fingers through his hair. Your mother is here, she says, you don’t have to be afraid of the thunders.

She stays there with him until he struggles no more. She puts her index under his nostrils and there is no breath. A beam of pink light shines in and lightens up his deceased visage. He dies in agony, yet his countenance is as serene as the lake surface after the storm. His lips bend a little upward and it almost seems as if he is smiling. His oval face, his long eyelashes and his delicate features all resemble that of her beautiful sister.

She holds up her head and sees the reflection of her own face in the mirror beside the bed. There are tears rolling down her wrinkled cheeks. All of a sudden, she grows furious about herself and smashes the mirror on the floor. I am not a coward, she says to herself, I will not regret anything I did. She opens that bundle and takes out a newly embroidered dragon robe she has prepared for him and violently throws it into his face so that she won’t be reminded of her sister. All that I have seen and done is no more than a Beijing Opera, and I am no more than the greatest director, she tells herself, and a sinister smile emerges upon her face. She calmly returns to her own palace, announces the death of the emperor and appoints a new emperor, who is only 2 years old and is the nephew of the former emperor.

Only 20 hours later, the Old Buddha dies.

Story of the Forbidden City--Sino-Japanese miniseries

Reading enterntainment news recently, it seems that a grand TV series will be produced based on the novel I have mentioned before in my blog: The Story of the Forbidden City by Asada Jirô (if you like this translation, for in Chinese it should be 苍穹之昴, the last character of which means the star of destiny. Much to my curiosity, the famous Japanese actress Tanaka Yuko will be playing Empress Dowager Cixi. On the contrary, Guangxu Emperor and Consort Zhen will be played by Chinese actors. The series are currently under production in Japan and is due to come out in 2010.

The House of Wangchuck---Monarchy of Bhutan

First picture: The current King of Bhutan; second picture: the Fifth and Fourth Kings of Bhutan

My Politics and Societies in South Asia course has led me to learn more about South Asian countries, who are neighbours of China but have nevertheless often being ignored by us. For instance, I viewed an interesing video on youtube about the tiny buddhist kingdom of Bhutan, which can be a great introductory document to learn more about 'the last Shangarila'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcoQjoZ6toI&feature=fvst

The ruling monarchy in Bhutan is the House of Wangchuck, the youngest monarchy in the world which declared their rule only in 1907, the time when China would soon abolish her monarchy. The majority of Bhutanese are descendants of Tibetan buddhists and their main language is Dzongkha, a branch of Sino-Tibetan language system.

The current King of Bhutan is Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, the fifth Dragon King (or 'Druk Gyalpo' as they call in Bhutan). He is the eldest son of the much revered Jigme Singye Wangchuck, who modernized Bhutan and coined the term of 'Gross National Happiness' in place of GDP. In 2006, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck abdicated his throne in favor of his son, who was 26 years old then, thus making the latter the youngest head of state worldwide. By that time, the fourth King also declared that Bhutan would begin to hold elections in 2008, which rendered this Himalayan kingdom 'the youngest democracy in the world'.

A King giving up his absolute power for democracy and reform in a world when despots cling to their power all sounds like fairytale, however, Bhutan is not a country without problems. The fear that they might one day be encroached by India and meet the same destiny as Sikkim made the Bhutanese government extremely racist. In the 80s, it is said that thousands of ethnic Napalease who had lived in Bhutan for decades were expelled from this country. They had nowhere to go but to seek refugee in Nepal.

Such xenophobia of Bhutan made me think of the depiction of an imagined Shangarila by the Chinese poet Tao Yuanming （陶渊明）(AD 365~427). In the final part of his story, the fisherman who found the Shangarila by chance brought others to the spot of his discovery, however, they could never find the entrance to that world again. This can be interpreted as that Shangarila never exists, or if it ever exists, is extremely xenophobic.

Reading the story of Bhutan has also led me to think of Tibet and to see the problem of Tibet from a new insight, as the Bhutanese culture is a branch of Tibetan culture and Bhutan itself means 'the end of Tibet'. I cannot stop thinking that if Tibet had not been 'liberated' by the Chinese PLA and Dalai Lama always retained his rule there, Tibet would become very much like Bhutan: a sacred land of Buddhism, which might not be bad. However, once the mistake has been done, there is no going back. Tibet can never become independent for the simple reason that if it claimed independence, the Dalai Lama would impose similar policies as the Fourth King of Bhutan did: to expel all Han ethnics from Tibet, who had already settled there for decades. Such is the anachronism and tragedy of history: to choose the lesser of the two evils once you have wronged. However, there might be a win-win solution in future when the debate on Tibet would be no longer a taboo, that Dalai Lama would come back while Tibet still remain to be part of China with more autonomous power. But as long as the debate on this issue remains to be a taboo, there would never be a solution.

Nanjing! Nanjing! (2008)

I watched the film 'Nanjing!Nanjing!' made by the Chinese director Lu Chuan last weekend after being urged to watch it by my friends.In fact, I felt quite reluctant to watch such a visual adaption of the most brutal massacre in Chinese history happened in my hometown Nanjing (the place where I was born and lived until 18) in 1937 conducted by the military extremist Japanese armies. Nanjing was the capital city of China then, the atrocities within one week following the Japanese invasion on Dec.13th is beyond description. I didn't believe that a film could reflect the painful facts of that disaster. As a child, I used to visit the massacre memorial many times and by seeing those scattered piles of skeletons, I can imagine the mass murder committed by an extremist pretentious nation upon its neighbour. A film is just a way too frivolous for such a heavy event in history.





The result, as I expected, turned out to be disappointing, Lu Chuan indeed made an effort to make this adaptation, trying to show the hope of humanity by the end of the film. He tried to see the Nanjing massacre through the eyes of a Japanese soldier who had conscience, which was a good try but not innovative, for similar perspectives had been used in films such as 'Schindler's list', 'The Pianist', and were used better. Lu Chuan himself said that he wanted to depict Japanese soldiers as human beings rather than devils, for the latter would do no good but exempt them from their guilt. However, while the Germans have totally made the atonement of the Nazi conduct in WWII when their chancellor knelt down before the Jewish tombs,the Japanese PM Koizumi still paid tribute to the Yekusuni shrine where Class A war criminals were still enshrined

The 13th Dalai Lama and Guangxu Emperor

Memorial to Emperor Guangxu by the 13th Dalai Lama

During last week's Europe-Asia Conference, we showed the participants ' Seven Years in Tibet' on the cinema night. As a great many of them were Chinese, some felt very much offended by the tune of the film that the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso was depicted almost as a saint while the Chinese communists were depicted as brutal invaders. The film, though based on facts, has over dramatized the story and sanctified Dalai Lama. A much better alternative is 'Kundun', in which the early life of the 14th Dalai Lama has been illustrated more authentically. (Both films were made in 1997).

Mao Zedong was the last Chinese leader so far to meet the Dalai Lama in Beijing in 1954, after the latter signed the 'Seventeen Points Agreement' under pressure of the PLA. (However, later, as we all know, Dalai Lama was forced into exile in 1959).

Tenzin Gyatso's predecessor, the 13th Dalai Lama Thubten Gyatso in fact led an equally turbulent life of confronting invasions, consolidating with China and being forced into exile sometimes. Towards the end of Qing Dynasty, as China's political grip on Tibet weakened, Britain first sought to invade Tibet by military means in 1904. As a result, the Dalai Lama, then 29 years old, was obliged to flee to outer Mongolia. He returned to Tibet one year later at the urge of Qing government, who threatened to deprive him of his holy title if he stayed in exile. After failing to conquer Tibet by military means, the British began to bribe Dalai Lama and gradually inserted several anglophiles serving by his side.

It was in 1908 when Dalai Lama was called to Beijing to meet Guangxu Emperor and Empress Dowager Cixi. During the meeting, it is said that the Qing court insisted on the Dalai Lama's kneeling down before the Emperor, which in turn irritated him that he finally declined. Guangxu Emperor, on his part, kept on emphasizing on the subservient role played by the Tibetan Lama. He very much worried about the British colonial influence on Tibet, which might finally encourage this region to proclaim independence, just as what outer Mongolia did under the influence of Russia.

Guangxu Emperor and Empress Dowager Cixi both died during Thubten Gyatso's stay. Therefore the Dalai Lama performed budhhist rituals for both of them in their funerals. Afterwards, he soon returned to Tibet, but was forced into exile again in 1910, when the Qing army invaded Tibet in the name of 'eliminating colonial influence'. However, he would return to Tibet again after the downfall of Qing Dynasty. During Republic of China, Tibet gained de facto independence.

Like his contemporary Guangxu Emperor, while resisting colonial influence, the 13th Dalai Lama also sought to reform Tibet by eliminating void posts and implementing modern technologies and institutions. They were both granted great responsibilities as young children and both confronted insidious political rivals (it is said that the regent once sought to curse the Dalai Lama to death in his youth). However, while Guangxu Emperor considered Tibet as an inseparable part of the Chinese realm, the 13th Dalai Lama sought more independence for Tibet.

Random thoughts

My initial intent of creating this blog, besides expressing my love and reverence towards Guangxu Emperor, was to share my knowledge on Chinese history and traditional culture with readers around the world. According to my own experience here in France,a large number of Europeans really know little about Chinese history. However, it seems that Japanese history is more well-known to Westerners. After some reflections, I concluded that it might have been due to the lack of Chinese materials translated into foreign languages. For example, I could find little information on Guangxu Emperor if I use the English search engine.

My history presentation this week was 'Brotherhoods and Secret Societies in Qing China', some people may argue that I always choose topics concerning China, about which they consider is unfair. However, I took this one really out of good intent that it would be extremely hard for Europeans to find enough sources. This topic was also presented by Europeans in the two other groups. I heard that one group presented the photo of Consort Zhen in their ppt, saying that she was Empress Dowager Cixi, and worst of all, our most knowledgable history teacher did not find out this ridiculous mistake.

From all these experiences, I reached the conclusion that Chinese sources have been poorly translated and thus hardly available to those who donot understand the language. Besides, it's extremely hard and takes so many years to learn Chinese, especially for those who start late.

Finally, I want to talk about why I admire Guangxu Emperor. In my childhood, I liked him only because I sympathized with him and was extremely interested in his enigmatic life. Now, the image of the Emperor has become ever nobler in my eyes. He seems to have really been the 'Son of Heave', carrying its mandate to save the Chinese people, however, failed disastrously due to resistance from both inside and outside the court.

But what I like most about the Emperor is that he connected the Chinese tradition with the modern world. On the one hand, he revered the Chinese traditional culture and the Confucian legacy, regarding it as the basis of our country; on the other hand, he embraced western ideologies with an open mind to enrich and modernize China. Unlike him and his supporters, the revolutionists and later the communists sought to save China by the means of cutting her completely from the past, to 'smash the school of Confucianism',etc, and then to transplant something completely foreign on the Chinese soil, which resulted in the consequence that China has learnt little from the essence of Western liberal democratic thinking, while having lost almost everything precious of her own tradition. In recent years, there has been a revival of Confucianism in mainland China, it seems that we have finally turned towards the right path gradually, which has been embodied by Guangxu Emperor and the reformists more than one century ago.

Women in Power---Empress Wu and Cixi

Empress Dowager Cixi accompanied by Princess Der ling on a snowy day

Today, a Malaysian friend Krystle sent me dozens of photos of Cixi, which inspired me to write sth. on women and politics.

The most well-known women who ever held power in Chinese history were Empress Wu Zetian in Tang Dynasty and Empress Dowager Cixi. Both women were professional in political intrigues and grabbing power in their own hands. They were both ruthless in oppressing their political rivals, even when they were their sons.

The difference between these two women, was that firstly, Empress Wu was a real Emperor, which title Cixi never managed to attain for herself. Secondly, Empress Wu's time was one of the most prosperous period in Chinese history while Cixi's time was one of the worst ones. Thirdly, Tang Dynasty is more than 1000 years away from now so that we don't know and can never find out many details concerning court intrigues, however, as Qing's fall is only one century away, we know more or less of many details happened in the court. As a result, Cixi's reputation today is somehow 'notorious' compared to the generally well-recognized 'sage Empress Wu'. However, in my opinion, if these two women shift their eras, Empress Wu might become exactly someone like Cixi, while Empress Dowager Cixi would become someone like Empress Wu. Empress Wu was accused of murdering her own daughter and son because of the desire for power, however, as it was so long ago, no one can testify if they had been actually assasinated or not. In the case of Cixi, as it's been only 100 years, we are still allowed to dig out Guangxu Emperor's bones to examine the percentage of arsenic in his corpse to prove our assumption.

I've seen feminists argue for Empress Dowager Cixi, saying that she wrongly carries all the blames upon her only because she was a woman.The French philosopher Montesquieu, being a very open-minded man of his time, said in his great work 'L'esprit des Lois' that women should be granted equal rights with men in every sphere of life, including the possibility of becoming ruler of a country. Indeed, we see this truth uttered by Montesquieu well-recognized in a great part of the world today, that women are equally qualified to become political leaders as men do. However, I can hardly agree with what he said later on: As women are more tender than men in nature, they are even more qualified than men to become rulers as they suit every political institution i.e, they would remain moderate even in a despot state and not abuse the power. But from the experience in history, women despots who ran a country were more or less the same with their male counterparts, i.e they did abuse their power. Empress Dowager Cixi was a good example. Being a woman ruler should never be an excuse for commiting atrocities when in power. If this positive discrimination is not adjusted, women can never seek to be really equal with men.

I have always being curious to know what Guangxu Emperor would think of Empress Wu Zetian, as in history, opinions upon her were generally negative for not only that she was a woman, but that she usurped power from her sons and the legitimate Li clan. Yesterday, I found something on this which shocked me: On commenting on whether Li Xian, Wu's son should rebel against his 'tyrannic' mother, Guangxu expressed: Wu is the Prince and Li the Vassal, Wu is the Mother and Li the Son. How can a Vassal rebel against his Prince and a Son rebel against his Mother? Guangxu must well know that it was possible that Wu murdered her own son (history books at that time all suggested this), however, even in this case, he said that the son should not rebel. See how he had been brainwashed by Cixi with the Confucian virtue of 'filial piety! I would really like to know what he thought of his 'Imperial Biological Father' when he was struggling on deathbed, knowing that the arsenic had been most likely sent by Cixi.

Le Roman de la Cité Interdite (Tale of the Forbidden City) by Asada Jirô

I went to visit Le Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen today to see the special exhibition for Japanese art. After the visit, I bought a novel written by a Japanese author called Asada Jirô in the gift shop. The novel `Le Roman de la Cité Interdite`(Tale of the Forbidden City) has been translated into French in 2008. It recounts the intrigues in the Qing court during the Guangxu era, roughly from 1886 to 1898, told from the perspective of an intellectual from the low class named Wen-sieou, who aided Guangxu Emperor with his reform in 1898. The novel is divided into two volumes, `Le Mandat du Ciel`(The Mandate of Heaven) and `Le Dragon à Deux Têtes` (The Dragon of two heads).

It cost me 20 Euros, however, after searching on the internet, I found that there is neither Chinese nor English version for this book, thus it`s worth the money. But later, a French friend who is learning Chinese as well as a fan of China told me that he has the book and is currently reading it. Anyway, it`s always nice to have your own, especially for one like me who needs to improve the level in French.

I browsed a few pages of the book and would like to share one exerpt.

A scene in 1889, when Cixi was about to `hand over` power to Guangxu:

(Guangxu)-Mère, j`ai maintenant dix-neuf ans, l`âge qu`avait votre fils quand il a quitté ce monde. Je vous entourerai de piété filiale, puisqu`il n`a pu le faire.

(-Mother, I'm now nineteen years old, the age when your son left the world. I will revere you with filial piety as he could no longer do it)

Quel enfant innocent, songea Cixi. Il portait à merveille son titre de 'Fils du Ciel'.

(What an innocent child, thought Cixi. He wore the title ' Son of Heaven' marvellously.)

-Quand j`étais tout petit, vous m`appeliez Zaichun. Je trouvais cela étrange. Et quand j`en ai compris la raison, j`ai décidé de devenir le sosie de mon cousin.

(-When I was very young, you used to call me Zaichun. I found it strange. However, ever since I understood the reason, I had decided to become the resemblance of your son)

(Cixi) -Pourtant, je te battais. Je t`ai traité brutalement depuis ta tendre enfance, et hier encore, avant-hier même, je t`ai frappé. Pourquoi me dis-tu cela？

(-But still, I used to beat you. I have been treating you brutally since your fagile childhood. Both yesterday and the day before yesterday, I punched you. Why do you still speak to me like this? )

-Vous me frappiez sans doute parce que je ne parvenais pas à ressembler à votre fils. Tout est de ma faute. C`est à cause de mon manque de piété filiale que vous me maltratiez.

(-Undoubtedly, you punched me because I didn't manage to resemble your son. It's all my fault. It's my lack of filial piety that led to your mistreating me. )

-Non, non. J`étais seulement énervée de te voir si bon. Hier encore, quand tu m`as apporté ces magnifiques pivoines, je te les ai arrachées des mains et je t`ai frappé...Jamais mon propre fils n`aurait fait une chose pareille. Il était stupide, grossier, chaque nuit il quittait le palais en cachette pour se rendre chez les grues des bas quartiers de la capitale, tant et si bien qu`il est mort de la vérole.

(-No, no. I was only nervous to see you looking so good. Yesterday, when you brought me those magnificent peonies, I scratched your hands and punched you...My own son would never do such a thing. He was stupid and gross. Every night he left the palace in secret for the prostitutes' in the filthy districts of the capital, that's how he died of syphilis.)

-Mère! fit l`empereur en serrant Cixi contre son coeur. Arrêtez! Je suis un disciple de Confucius, il est normal que je manifeste un dévouement filial envers vous. Si vous m`ordonniez de mourir, je le ferias avec joie. Ne pleurez plus!

(-Mother! Exclaimed the emperor while holding Cixi against his heart. Stop! I'm a disciple of Confucius, thus it's normal that I show filial loyalty towards you. If you order me to die, I would be willing to die with joy. Please do not cry!

Here is the link of the book on amazon.

http://www.amazon.fr/roman-Cit%C3%A9-interdite-Jir%C3%B4-Asada/dp/2877305805

Yixin---A Legendary Prince

As June asked something about Prince Gong, I would like to illustrate a little on him today. Indeed, despite Guangxu Emperor, Prince Gong might well be the most enigmatic figure among all members of the late Qing imperial clan.

Here is an exerpt from Wikipedia:

Prince Gong (1833~1898) was the sixth son of the Daoguang Emperor (1782-1850). His mother was the Imperial Consort Jing (1812-1855), who later became the Imperial Dowager Consort Kang-Ci, and was made posthumously Empress Xiao Jing Cheng. She was the daughter of a Mongol official in the government, from the Borjigid clan (the descendants of Genghis Khan).

In February 1850, Emperor Daoguang was dying, so he ordered to reveal the secret edict of succession:Yixin was made Prince of the First Rank Gong while his older half-brother Yizhu was proclaimed heir to the throne, which he ascended the following month as the Xianfeng Emperor. Prince Gong did not play a major role during the reign of Xianfeng, as his brother was suspicious of him and kept him at bay. His mother, the concubine Jing, the highest ranking surviving concubine of Emperor Daoguang (whose empresses were all dead already), was not made an Empress Dowager, but merely a Dowager Concubine, which Prince Gong bitterly resented.

Prince Gong's disgrace actually became his good fortune when, in 1860, in the middle of the Second Opium War, Emperor Xianfeng left him behind in Beijing to negotiate with the approaching British and French armies who had invaded northern China, while the court was fleeing to the Rehe Traveling Palace, 230 km./140 miles northeast of Beijing. Prince Gong negotiated the Convention of Peking and thus obtained a position of great influence due to his newly acquired credit with the Western Powers and his control of the militia in Beijing. On August 22, 1861, the Xianfeng Emperor died in Rehe. His only heir, a 5-year-old son of the Noble Consort Yi, ascended to the throne as the Tongzhi Emperor. Xianfeng, on his deathbed, had designated a group of eight senior Manchu officials, led by Sushun, to be regents in the new emperor's minority.

However, Noble Consort Yi was deeply suspicious of Sushun and the influence he had over the late emperor and conspired with Prince Gong to launch a coup. Prince Gong played the essential role in the ensuing struggle, as he had the troops capable of tilting the balance in favor of the Noble Consort Yi and her party or in favor of the eight regents. In November 1861, after secretly meeting the Noble Consort Yi and deciding to side with her, he carried out the Xinyou Coup. The regents, who were accompanying the Xianfeng Emperor's body back to the Forbidden city, were intercepted upon arrival. Palace guards arrested the regents. The two opposing princes among the regents were forced to commit suicide, Sushun was beheaded, and the other five regents were stripped of their titles.

The Noble Consort Yi became co-regent under the name Empress Dowager Cixi, along with the less politically involved Empress Dowager Ci'an, ruling behind the curtain (a court official required that the two co-regents, both women, attend imperial audiences behind a curtain). Prince Gong was named prince-regent and appointed to a variety of important posts in the government, including the powerful Grand Council.

In 1861, Prince Gong established the Zongli Yamen, which functioned as the Qing Empire's de facto foreign ministry. As the long-time head of the Zongli Yamen, Prince Gong was responsible for much of the reforms of the early Self-Strengthening Movement. He founded the Tongwen Guan in 1862 for Chinese scholars to learn foreign languages and technology.

Prince Gong, with the support of the two dowagers, remained the central power figure in China until the 1880s, but he was demoted after being accused of being rude in front of the dowagers.Under this was actually a more profound reason: his relations with Cixi deteriorated since 1869, when he caused the execution of a favorite eunuch of Cixi. Besides, Gong had himself aspired to be the sole regent, in the mold of Dorgon, but Empress Dowager Cixi was unwilling to give up power. He lost considerable prestige and his title of prince-regent after the two chastisements by Cixi, before finally being discredited during the Qing defeat in the Sino-French War (1884-85). He was then overshadowed by his younger half-brother the 1st prince Chun, who had closer ties with Empress Dowager Cixi (for being father of Guangxu Emperor).

In 20th century China, Prince Gong was for a long time vilified as the man who sold the country to the Western powers.In recent years, however, he has been rehabilitated and is now recognized as a great statesman, on par with Li Hongzhang, especially when compared to his brother the hapless Xianfeng Emperor. Alive, he was admired by Westerners with whom he had close contacts, and still keep much of this credit in Western historical circles.

Prince Gong was somehow a tragic figure. He was by every means much more competent than his brother Yizhu, yet, Yizhu was made Emperor instead of him and there is a popular story about why this could happen. It is said that their father, the Daoguang Emperor, decided to test these two sons when his health was shattering. Yizhu (the later Xianfeng Emperor)'s tutor taught him that as he was far more inferior than Yixin in competence, it would be better for him to show more 'benevolence and love' (a notion required for rulers by Confucianism). One day, Daoguang Emperor took these two boys for hunting, Yixin managed to kill and capture a lot of preys while Yizhu began to weep. When asked why by his father, Yizhu replied, 'It's the mating season for deers, I feel it such a cruel conduct to kill female deers. ' Daoguang was greatly impressed. On another occasion, Daoguang Emperor first called Yixin and asked him how he would run the country after the passing away of his father, Yixin answered comprehensively and intelligently with great eloquence; when Yizhu was called and being asked the same question, however, he began to weep again. This time he said that he could not bear the thought of his Emperor father dying, that he hoped that his father could live a life of longevity. Daoguang Emperor was genuinely moved. Though that he knew Yixin was more intelligent and capable, he still passed the throne to Yizhu, whom he thought to be affectionate and loving, while in fact Yizhu was to some extent a hypocrite and by no means fit to become Emperor.

Prince Gong devoted the rest of his life modernizing China and negotiating with foreign powers. Yet he was judged unfairly by both comtemporaries and posterity for quite a long time, saying that he had been 'kowtowing' to foreign powers. However, his mild attitudes towards the foreigners are perfectly understandable when taken into consideration that China was in such a backward state and thus was no military rivalry to foreign powders.

Besides implementing industrialization with the support of Cixi, Prince Gong would also establish the Imperial Translator's College, subject to Zong Li Ya Men (equivalent to Foreign Ministry, also established by him) which marked the beginning of formal foreign language teaching in China.

His political influenced shattered during his later life due to suspicion from Cixi. Before his death in May, 1898, it is said that he transmitted these words to Guangxu Emperor, half self life experience and half warning, 'It's not easy to push forward reform in China.' The impulsive and naive Guangxu Emperor, however, didn't seem to care about what his uncle said. Only several days after Yixin's death, the edict for thorough reform was promulgated.

Guangxu Emperor and the founding of University of Beijing

campus of University of Beijing today

Imperial Capital University with its banner

The former name of Beijing University before 1912 was Imperial Capital University (Chinese:京师大学堂). It was founded in 1898 during the Hundred Days' Reform by an imperial edict promulgated by Guangxu Emperor, who accepted the suggestion of opening modern universities by reform leaders Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao.

Guangxu Emperor embraced the idea of establishing a modern university as early as in 1895, right after China's defeat by Japan. However, at that time, this idea was repeatedly frustrated by conservatives led by Prince Gong. It was only when the Reform took place in 1898, did Guangxu Emperor hardened his determination in sponsoring the establishment of the Imperial Capital University. He was aware that in order to push forward the reform as well as to refresh China completely, the most fundamental measure was to establish new schools and the education system on western models, as the youth would be the future of China. Unlike the old schools, besides learning Confucian classics, new schools would also teach science and mathematics , foreign languages and basic knowledge of the western world.

After announcing the establishment of Imperial Capital University, Guangxu Emperor constantly guided the organization of the university during the 103 days, illustrating details in 15 subsequent edicts covering every sphere of the founding of the new school: its principles, its status and scale, its students and faculties, its costs and construction, its textbooks and prospects. Guangxu Emperor also appointed Liang Qichao to initiate the preamble of the university, by referring to the Japanese model; and Sun Jiading, who used to be Guangxu's tutor, was appointed the first president of the university. In order to solve the problem of the lack of textbooks, Guangxu Emperor also accepted the suggestion of opening a 'Translation House' and appointed Liang Qichao to enforce it. Later, Liang Qichao would reaffirm the indispensable role played by Guangxu Emperor in the founding of the University.

After the oppression of the Hundred Days' Reform, all the new policies were crushed. However, the Imperial Capital University was miracly kept, presumably with some efforts done by Sun Jiading. A contemporary Chinese newspaper commented that, 'Amid the total darkness in Beijing, the only beam of light left comes from the University.' Indeed, education of the young generation always represents hope, even in the darkest moments of a country's history.

The Absurdity of 'Qing Dramas' for a Decade--continued

The alternative name for Qing dramas is 'pigtail' dramas. As it is universally known that all men during Qing Dynasty were obliged to shave their front heads and braid the hair at back into a long pigtail like the Manchus. The slogan for changing hairstyle when the Manchus first entered China was 'Keep your hair and lose your head, or keep your head and shave your hair'. The traditional Chinese ideology held that every string of hair was given by parents and should not be hurt. However, the Manchu invaders violently imposed their dressing and hairstyle codes, massacring thousands of Han ethnic Chinese if this rule were not observed.

Such a fact is well-known, yet it was until recently when I get to know the evolution of the pigtail. I was so surprised to find out how ugly the pigtail was during the early stage of Qing Dynasty.(See picture) Moreover, it is said that the style in the first picture was kept until the end of Qianlong era (1796)! After Qianlong, the style evolved into what is shown in the second picture, more hair was allowed to be kept but was still inelegant. Only during the late Qing Dynasty did the most well-known type in the third drawing became popular, which allowed men to keep half of their hair at back.

However, all the Qing dramas featuring on the early and middle eras lied to the audience by letting the actors only wear the pigtails of late Qing Dynasty. Perhaps because if the real fact was shown, the audience would either laugh their tears out or be irritated by such repressive policies imposed by Manchu rulers.

Sadly, I also bumped into a Qing drama made in 2006 which tells the story of an ordinary man living between Ming and Qing Dynasties and was obliged to shave his head when the new rulers arrived. The drama was more than offensive as well as reactionary for Han ethnic Chinese, for it beautified Manchu invaders and distorted the heroic rebellion by Han Chinese against their oppressive rulers. The drama condemned the latter as 'bandits', justifying the massacre done by the Manchu army.

Some say that Han ethnic Chinese have become used to being invaded and tamed by periphery ethnics. I would say that China is a multi-ehnic country and that every ethnic group contributes their culture to the melting port of Chinese culture. That's why we have adopted the Manchu dressing code as the standard Chinese dressing code nowadays. However, concerning pigtails, such a drama is far to much for it really hurts the basic dignity of being a Han ethnic Chinese. We can acquiesce in glorifying Kangxi and Yongzheng Emperors, but we cannot remain silent on such an issue!

Now I consider that if Qing Dynasty could last, it might be possible that they would finally get rid of pigtails according to the evolution depicted in the picture. Guangxu Emperor once might have considered abolishing the pigtail during the Hundred Days' Reform, however, he was obliged to give up this idea due to too much opposition from the conservatives. It was equally sad, however, that the revolutionaries at that time also wrongly condemned Guangxu Emperor as being the enemy of the whole Han ethnic by embodying narrow Han nationalism. The fact was that, though being a Manchu himself, Guangxu Emperor believed in the equality of all ethnics in the Chinese realm. He went as far as to deprive the priviledges enjoyed by Manchu nobles during the reform. Guangxu definitely considered himself as a Chinese first and Manchu second, it is said that he never managed to learn the Manchu language well while being quite accomplished in Chinese literature. But still, Manchus like Guangxu Emperor were rare, and that is why he was sent to his doom mainly by people from his own ethnic---conservative Manchu nobles. But due to his Manchu blood, he was also repelled by a certain number of Han Chinese, poor him!

The Absurdity of 'Qing Dramas' for a Decade

poster for 'The Yongzheng Dynasty (1999) '

I remeber myself growing up watching the so-called 'Qing dramas', which means the TV dramas set in the era of the Qing Dynasty. They were extremely popular after the 90s till the first several years of the new century. I used to watch everything ranging from the most ridiculous 'Princess Huanzhu' (the story of how a slum girl became the adoptive daughter of Qianlong Emperor and was in the end married to his son) to the so-called true historical drama 'Kangxi Dynasty'. However, as my intellectual consciousness grew, I gradually realized how poisonous these dramas can be, for no matter whether they were 'serious historical dramas' or simply vulgar comedies, they all sanctified authoritarianism by blindly worshipping those 'sage' emperors. Here is an excerpt on Qing dramas from an article on New York Times:

The Confucian idea of sage leadership is particularly relevant in this regard, and Chinese television has not missed the point. A wave of dramatic serials featuring the legendary figures of China's bygone dynasty glory began to dominate dramatic programming in Chinese primetime television in the mid-1990s. The trend climaxed in the late 1990s and the early 2000s with saturation programming of palace dramas set in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), what Chinese critics termed "Qing drama." Dramas set in the Qing palace had also appeared in the late 1980s, with shows like The Last Emperor (1988) and Kang-Liang Reformation (1989) earning popular and critical acclaim. Interestingly, though, while the Qing dramas of the 1980s focused on the corruption and cultural decline of the late Qing, the Qing dramas of the 1990s and the early 2000s, what I term the revisionist Qing dramas, shifted gears, paying tribute to the sage leaders of early Qing who oversaw a period of prosperity and national unity.

Revisionist Qing dramas -- Yongzheng Dynasty (1999), Kangxi Dynasty (2001), and Qianlong Dynasty (2003), among others -- feature the emperors and patriots who struggled against internal corruption and social injustice as well as external threats, feeding the public's fantasy for a time of heroic figures and events. Mesmerized by the palace politics and nostalgic for an era of upright rule that never was, the Chinese public genuinely welcomed such dramas, delighting in their contemporary relevance. Subjects and themes that would invite censorship in contemporary settings -- government corruption, political infighting and power struggles, moral cynicism, and public unrest, etc. -- get a primetime airing in revisionist Qing dramas.

Leading the charge of the revisionist Qing drama is the 44 episode primetime blockbuster Yongzheng Dynasty (YD). YD features one of the most controversial Qing Dynasty emperors, Yongzheng. In portraying a moralistic emperor who forcefully fends off his political opponents, attacks corruption, and fights to protect ordinary people, the show covertly insinuates a critical commentary on the state of affairs in contemporary Chinese society and politics. Yongzheng is deftly made to epitomize integrity and inner strength in a leader. In an era of rampant political corruption and moral cynicism, Yongzheng naturally appeals to Chinese audiences. To some, Yongzheng is suggestive of former Chinese Premier, Zhu Rongji, whose efforts to curb government corruption have earned him a reputation as a contemporary graft-buster. Zhu himself was reportedly an ardent follower of the show.

Sarcastically, an anti-authoritarian TV drama 'Towards the Republic' in 2003 was soon banned after its debut on the channel. Even in its only broadcast, its final scene, the speech by China's first republican President Dr. Sun Yat-sen on the ideals of a democratic republic was deleted.

However, I would not oppose but rather support shooting Qing dramas on Guangxu Emperor as well as his era. For his personal story as well as his era tells the horrors of authoritarianism and inspires hope for a more democratic government and liberal society. But interestingly, the Chinese media never featured Guangxu as the protagonist of a drama. Instead, he has often been depicted as a weak and incapable secondary figure. Such a depiction is strongly linked with the Chinese mentality of worshiping power while alienating those who do not have power. Sometimes, I really worry that how a civil society based on rule of law could develop if the young generation continue to enjoy watching those 'emperor worship' dramas.

Indeed, I agree that Kangxi Emperor was a sage ruler, but despite his own wisdom, the system of government was bad, as it had no checks and balances against possible tyranny. Most Chinese people nowadays are still on the thinking level of desiring a 'sage ruler' , which can partly explain why they mock at the 'stupid' French people electing such a 'terrible' president as Nicolas Sarkozy and then regretting the decision by waging nation-wide strikes. Being a Chinese myself, I cannot argue with them but only bury these words in my heart: At least they have the right to elect a president while we do not, at least they can wage strikes while we are never allowed.