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English Pages 376 [374] Year 1984
NINE
The K 'ang Yu-wei Affair
Kuang-hsu had hoped that, by making reform the order of the day, he could lift the dynasty to a new plane of strength. For a while, in the summer of 1898, he seemed close to delivering the promise. But, when his efforts were abruptly terminated three months later, they assumed all the quality of a farce, the unreality of which had all along deluded only a few. The hundred-day period was graced with little except trouble. DIFFICULTIES Low :rn,orale among the court officials posed an immediate prob lem. By early 1898, it had become a frequent practice of the ministers to go on sick leaves of five to ten days, normally renew able. This disguised truancy got to be so rampant that on at least three occasions, in February, in April (in a case in which he picked on the favorite objects of his wrath, the Imperial Household offi cials), and in May, Kuang-hsu had warned against it, but to no avail. 1 Again, on August 27, he exhorted the officials to greater dedication to their duties, especially when unified efforts were re quired to strenthen the dynasty. 2 That the attitude of court ministers toward government administration in general and toward reform in particular had not been satisfactory is certain. Resistance came also from the provinces. Seemingly little