Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
the flag take Davidson's account into primary consideration, particu-
larly his depiction of the tiger's long tail.
Advocates of Taiwan independence occasionally tout this short-
lived regime as the first republic in East Asia and as a historical prec-
edent for the independence of their island, but they sometimes neglect
to mention that the republic recognized the suzerainty of the Qing
dynasty and the Emperor of China over it and that Tang Jingsong des-
ignated himself as “President of the Republic of Formosa and Ex-
Acting Governor of Formosa.” (Indeed, Tang even called his republic
a tributary state to China.) Tang Jingsong and his successors in the
fledgling republic fled to the mainland when the Japanese army was
drawing near, and the entire republic collapsed after only a few
months. Japanese colonial rule over the island lasted until the end of
World War II in 1945, when the United States defeated and occupied
Japan.
THE HUNDRED DAYS REFORM
The most prominent of the radical reformers was Kang Youwei, who
eventually emerged as an enthusiastic advocate of thoroughgoing
reform and a constitutional monarchy for China on the Japanese and
British models. Kang was a highly intelligent and idealistic man who
hadpassedhisJinshi examinations with the distinction as Optimus
(Zhuangyuan), the top-ranked examination graduate in all of China. In
1898 Kang began to barrage the throne with passionatelywrittenmemo-
rials arguing for the necessity of drastic reform if China as a nation and
civilization were to survive in the modern world. The Guangxu
emperor (r. 1875-1908) was impressed with Kang's forthrightness and
summoned him for a personal audience in June 1898. The audience
lasted for an unprecedented five hours, during which Kang Youwei
convinced the emperor of the validity of his reform program.
From June through September 1898, there issued from the throne a
series of imperial edicts for reform. Because the reforms were
announced over a period of approximately 100 days, they sub-
sequently became known to Westerners as the Hundred Days
Reforms. The wide-ranging edicts called for drastic changes in China's
laws and the examination system. They also advocated overhauling
the Qing government into a federalized constitutional monarchy, com-
plete with a parliament, various administrative branches, and the
treatment of the Qing emperor as head of state. This was more than
