Hello everyone, my name is Raye, and I'm sure everyone knows me. This time, I want to share with you the book "Why Did the Qing Dynasty Collapse?" in Markdown format.
This is my first time trying this grassland sharing format, and the time is relatively short. I don't know if I can express what I want to say clearly, but let's start anyway.
Regarding modern Chinese history, I think many people should have a basic concept. In 1840, the Treaty of Nanjing was signed. Does anyone remember the content of the treaty?
I remember it quite clearly. The main points were indemnities, territorial concessions, the opening of commercial ports (Guangzhou, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Ningbo, Shanghai), and tariff agreements.
From then on, modern Chinese history began, but at this time, the ignorant Qing Dynasty still didn't know that the West had already gone through the Renaissance in the 1500s and entered the era of great navigation, opening a new chapter in modern history. Our ancient Eastern civilization was already more than 200 years behind the world.
So, do you know who was the first person in modern China to "open their eyes to the world"? Yes, it was Lin Zexu, who wrote the famous line "If it is beneficial to the country, I am willing to sacrifice my life. How can I avoid misfortune and seek fortune?" This was written after Lin Zexu's achievements in the Battle of Humen against the British army, but he was falsely accused by the surrender faction in the court and was exiled to Xinjiang's Yili. When Lin Zexu bid farewell to his wife in Xi'an, he wrote this line of poetry.
This also led to the fact that besides knowing that he presided over the Battle of Humen, we know very little about Lin Zexu. Li Shuo, the author of the book "Jian Shang," specifically wrote an article about Lin Zexu, recording the details of his life in Xinjiang and comparing his literary achievements to Su Dongpo's exile and poetry. Lin Zexu was originally from Fujian on the southeast coast, but he was banished to the far northwest. This reminds me of a line written by Su Shi, "My home is in the southwest, but I often travel to the southeast," while Lin Zexu is "My home is in the southeast, but I often travel to the northwest." But he actually lived up to his promise, with his footprints covering the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains, and leaving behind a large number of poems and diaries. In his book "Sizhou Zhi," he even predicted the Russian invasion of northern China.
In addition to Lin Zexu, the Han Chinese ministers of the late Qing Dynasty, Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, Zhang Zhidong, and Li Hongzhang, these four great ministers of the late Qing Dynasty, also had their own achievements. Zeng Guofan turned the tide and defeated the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Zuo Zongtang led the army from north to south, Zhang Zhidong and Li Hongzhang promoted Westernization. These four great ministers were also Han Chinese. Qian Mu once criticized the Qing Dynasty in his book "The Successes and Failures of Chinese Politics Through the Ages," believing that it was a system built on the oppression of the Han people to maintain the interests of the Manchu. Although Mr. Qian's words may not be entirely appropriate, the balance of power between the Manchu and Han forces was always a sword hanging over the heads of the Aisin Gioro clan of the Qing Dynasty. Power, by its nature, is exclusive, especially under the imperial system. Once you open a door, it is difficult to close it again. This is also one of the reasons mentioned in the first chapter of this book for the collapse of the Qing Dynasty, the rise of the Han ministers.
When in a high position, one worries about the people; when in a distant place, one worries about the ruler. After talking about the high position, let's take a look at the distant place, but this so-called distant place is actually not much different from the rebellions of past dynasties. At the end of the Qin Dynasty, there was "The rise of Chu, King Chen Sheng," and "Are there any heroes among the kings and generals?" At the end of the Han Dynasty, there was "The heavens have died, the yellow heavens shall rise," and at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, there was "A stone man with one eye, stirring up the Yellow River and the world in rebellion." Familiar formulas, familiar tastes. If nothing unexpected happens, these rebels will once again tug of war with the power ministers in the court. Of course, we all know that either they will become achievements in the ministers' record books, or they will be picked by the rising stars. Essentially, ancient China did not have a revolution, only rebellions. Because fundamentally, it was "I can take over," "The emperor takes turns sitting, tomorrow it will be my turn."
But let's talk about the three major secret societies, the Hongmen, the Qingbang, and the Gelaohui. You may not know them by name, but if I mention their leaders, you will know them well: Chen Jinnan of the Heaven and Earth Society (Hongmen), Du Yuesheng of the Qingbang, and Zhu De of the Gelaohui. We often see them in movies and TV shows. These secret societies were involved in various criminal activities such as murder and smuggling, but the Gelaohui may be slightly better. But let's not forget that they also played a role in Sun Yat-sen's failed uprisings. You can see them as profit-seeking individuals, the kind of people we despise, who cannot be compared to the power ministers or Sun Yat-sen. But assuming we lived in that chaotic era,
Since we mentioned Sun Yat-sen, let's talk about the last thread, which is the revolutionaries. This time, we are talking about a group of scholars who, with their flesh and blood, broke the cycle of "repeating, repeating, and repeating" and popularized the concept of "revolution" for the first time.
Why is the word "revolution" so difficult to understand? Lu Xun wrote it very well. In his works, Ah Q saw the revolutionaries as "wearing white armor and the filial piety of Emperor Chongzhen." After more than 200 years of the Qing Dynasty, it's surprising that someone still remembers Emperor Chongzhen and thinks that these revolutionaries, the so-called "revolution" you talk about every day, and as Lu Xun wrote in "Medicine," "He said: This Great Qing belongs to all of us," breaking the old shackles of thought is a difficult thing, and Lu Xun probably had a deep understanding of this. There is a sentence in the book that says it well: "Socialism" is for intellectuals to hear, "seizing land from the landlords" is for the Ah Qs in Weizhuang to hear. "Consumption upgrade" is a mystery, "Pinduoduo's billion yuan subsidy" is a good slogan.
In my review of this book, I wrote that when studying modern history, the most heartbreaking thing is not how many humiliating treaties were signed, but the people involved. People like Tan Sitong, who wrote "I laugh with a horizontal sword towards the sky, disregarding life and death," the first person to sacrifice his life for China's reform, Liu Dao Yi, who wrote "The world is in turmoil with three words, but I hope my path will not be lonely in the end," and was beheaded outside Liuyang Gate at the age of 22, and Qiu Jin, who wrote "Autumn wind and autumn rain bring sorrow to people," a woman who was not inferior to men, and bravely sacrificed herself at the Gu Xuan Pavilion. By the way, Tan Sitong is also from my hometown, and there is still a road in Liuyang named Sitong Road.
In "The Orphan of the Zhao Family," Gong Sun Chujiu asked Cheng Ying, "Which is harder, to die or to raise an orphan?" - "To raise an orphan or to die, which is harder?
After the failure of the Wuxu Uprising, Tan Sitong said to Liang Qichao, "Cheng Ying and Gong Sun Chujiu, I will share the responsibilities with you." He then calmly accepted his execution. Revolutionaries have long put life and death aside, but "drawing a knife to make a quick decision" is not easy, and "comrades still need to work hard" is even more difficult.
Which is harder, to raise an orphan or to die? Death is easier. Which is harder, revolution or death? Revolution is harder.
During the darkest period of the revolutionary cause, those who survived were the ones who had the hardest time. Among them was our comrade Sun Yat-sen, whose efforts during the low point of the revolution are detailed in the book. I recommend that you read the original text directly, including the various difficulties he encountered in raising military funds and equipment.
By now, we can roughly understand the roles played by the Han ministers, secret societies, and revolutionaries in the process of the late Qing Dynasty's collapse. If we were to make an analogy with the game "Werewolf," the Han ministers would be the witch or the guardian, who may save the wrong person or guard the wrong person. The secret societies would be the commoners, who, under the influence of the prophecies of the revolutionaries, voted out the werewolf together, ultimately winning the game.
My narration may not be rigorous enough, so feel free to discuss any questions with me. But the main speaker usually automatically receives the "I'm always right" buff, hahaha, welcome~