Quick Answer: Who Was Kang Youwei?
Kang Youwei (康有为, Kāng Yǒuwéi, 1858–1927) was a scholar and advocate of reform during the late Qing dynasty. He pressed for institutional change under the Guangxu (光绪, Guāngxù) emperor during the Hundred Days’ Reform (戊戌变法, Wùxū Biànfǎ) of 1898.[1][2]
- Reform: His 1898 memorial drew on the examples of Russia and Meiji Japan.[1]
- Exile: He helped establish a reform association among overseas Chinese in 1899.[5]
- Political thought: His Book of Great Harmony (大同书, Dàtóng Shū) describes a future society that would overcome national borders.[6]
His immediate plans for the Qing and his vision for humanity operated on very different timescales.
How could a scholar trained in the classics make a case for adopting institutions from abroad? Kang interpreted the past as a source of permission for reform and compared the Qing with governments that had recently changed.
How Kang Made a Classical Case for Change
Kang came from Nanhai in Guangdong. He studied the classics and read about the world outside China in translation.[4]
In his Examination of Confucius as a Reformer (孔子改制考, Kǒngzǐ Gǎizhì Kǎo), Kang presented Confucius as someone who reshaped institutions. This reading gave Kang a way to use classical authority in support of change.[8]
In a memorial submitted in January 1898, he urged the emperor to learn from Peter the Great and to use Meiji Japan as a model. Kang thought Japan’s reforms were easier to study because they were recent and Japan was nearby. He also pointed to what he saw as similarities in customs.[1]
What Happened During the Hundred Days’ Reform
From June to September 1898, Guangxu issued edicts dealing with education, government, the economy and the military. The program included changing the content of the imperial examinations and founding an imperial university in Beijing.[3]
Kang submitted reform memorials, while the edicts came from the emperor. Historian Young-Tsu Wong compares later accounts of Kang’s influence with surviving court records. Those records help separate the advice that reached the throne from decisions issued in Guangxu’s name.[2]
In September, Empress Dowager Cixi (慈禧太后, Cíxǐ Tàihòu) took back control of government. Kang fled China.[3][4]
How Exile Changed the Reform Campaign
In 1899, Kang worked with local Chinese leaders in Victoria, Canada, to found the Chinese Empire Reform Association (保皇会, Bǎohuáng Huì). The Chinese name refers to protecting the emperor. Kang promoted representative institutions while seeking to return Guangxu to active rule. The association helped him raise support and money abroad, including for a failed effort to restore Guangxu to power in 1900.[5]
What Kang Imagined in the Book of Great Harmony
The Book of Great Harmony imagines overcoming boundaries between countries, and its chapters question social divisions rooted in status and family. It takes the problem of political and social order beyond the Qing government.[6]
Kang imagined communities with shared property and children raised in publicly supported nurseries and schools. These institutions belong to his account of a future world, separate from the immediate measures he urged Guangxu to consider.[9]
FAQs About Kang Youwei
How was Liang Qichao connected to Kang Youwei?
Liang Qichao (梁启超, Liáng Qǐchāo) was Kang’s student and fellow reformer. Both fled China after the 1898 coup.[5]
Did Kang Youwei support restoring the Qing?
Yes. Kang supported the short-lived restoration of Puyi (溥仪, Pǔyí) in 1917 and drafted edicts for it. The restoration leadership set his drafts aside.[9]
When was the Book of Great Harmony published?
The first two sections appeared in a journal in 1913. The complete book appeared in 1935, after Kang died.[7][9]
Sources
[1] Kang Youwei. Comprehensive Consideration of the Whole Situation, excerpts and introduction
[2] Young-Tsu Wong. Revisionism Reconsidered, Kang Youwei and the Reform Movement of 1898
[3] Academy of Chinese Studies. Hundred Days’ Reform
[4] Chinese University of Hong Kong, Renditions. Kang Youwei
[5] University of Victoria Libraries. Kang Youwei, 1858–1927
[6] Kang Youwei. Book of Great Harmony, full text index
[7] National Library of China. Book of Great Harmony, digitized 1935 edition
[8] Kotobank, Japanese encyclopedia entries. Examination of Confucius as a Reformer
[9] Biographical Dictionary of Republican China. Kang Youwei, X-Boorman edition