A Study Of The Five Executed Ministers In The 1900-Incident

This dissertation examines the execution of the five ministers (Xu Jingcheng, Yuan Chang, Xu Yongyi, Li Shan and Lian Yuan) in the 1900-Incident against the background of modern China's social changes, analyzes the reasons for which the five ministers advocated suppressing the Boxers internally and avoiding wars and suing for peace externally, and attempts to make an impartial evaluation of the five ministers' actions, demonstrating thereby the importance of rational patriotism at a time when nationalistic sentiments are gathering momentum.The dissertation consists of two parts. Part One reviews respectively the five ministers' ideologies and social experiences before their execution and explores the intrinsic relations between their words and deeds around the 1900-Incident. Part Two sums up the background, causes, impact and redress of their execution and, on this basis, makes historical reflections upon the phenomenon. Finally, the dissertation conducts a textual research and analysis of the widespread "Third Memorial."The main ideas of the chapters are as follows:Chapter 1 "Serving as an envoy to eight countries and retaining dignity on diplomatic missions in four directions"—Xu Jingcheng. During his tenure as an envoy, Xu Jingcheng took part in the negotiations concerning the Sino-French War, the Sino- Japanese War and border issues with Russia in Northwest and Northeast China, experiencing in person the villainous conspiracy and insuperable contradictions of the foreign powers in their invasion of China. At the same time, in recognition of the gap between China and the West, he advocated westernization reforms and participated in the construction of a navy. The eleven-year diplomatic experiences provided him with more knowledge than others of the international situation and helped him to cultivate a persistent and rational mode of thinking.Chapter 2 "Yuan is generous and upright by nature, never cheating or concealing"—Yuan Chang. Serving in the Viceroy's Yamen for nearly 10 years and HuiNingChiTaiGuangDao, Anhui, for nearly 6 years, Yuan Chang was more familiar than other people with the current affairs and the people's condition. He dared to remonstrate with his superiors and upheld "wise domestic administration andprudent diplomatic relations." This has close relationship to his bold postulations at the Imperial Council during the 1900-Incident and his stand of "wiping off the Boxers and making peace with the foreigners."Chapter 3 "Always weighing between the certain and the uncertain, and considering between the safe and the dangerous"—Xu Yongyi. Xu Yongyi served in Beijing for nearly 40 years, reputed both as "the prime minister" and "the devil's emissary." As an important member of the Empress's Party after the "1884 Coup D'etat," he was promoted rapidly. His objection to making war in 1900 can be traced back to his advocate of avoiding war and seeking peace in the 1894 Sino-Japanese War.Chapter 4 Two ministers from the Manchu Nationality—Lian Yuan and Li Shan. Lian Yuan and Li Shan sympathized with reforms, insisted upon associations with enlightened bureaucrats from the Han Nationality, and were adept at dealing with the foreigners and accepting new knowledge and thoughts. All these have close connections with their independence at the Imperial Council of Zai Yi and Gang Yi who maintained pacifying the Boxers and opening war with the invaders.Chapter 5 The unprecedented "critical situation." After the 1894 Sino-Japanese War, China plunged into troubles arising from within and without, faced with an unprecedented "critical situation." One the one hand, from 1894 to 1898, personnel changes took place in the Council and Viceroy's Yamen of the Imperial Court. On the other, the foreign powers set off a violent upsurge of dismembering China and rumors about the dismemberment caused a great clamor. Meanwhile, the Boxer Movement, with "supporting the Qing Dynasty and exterminating the foreigners" being its slogan, sprang up and developed and aggravated the turbulent situation. As newcomers to the Viceroy's Yamen, Xu Yongyi, Xu Jingcheng, Yuan Chang and Lian Yuan were weak in strength and unsophisticated in experience;they differed greatly from the Manchurians Bureaucrats in foreign policies, and their negotiations with the foreign powers were hard and precarious.Chapter 6 The Execution of the five ministers. The five ministers made bold remonstrance at the Imperial Council against "using the Boxers in resistance to the foreigners." After the declaration of war, they persisted in "suppressing the Boxers and making peace with the foreigners," which had from the outset incurred hatred on the part of the advocates of war. As Tianjian was lost and the Allied Forces were approaching Beijing, the Imperial Court suddenly issued a decree to execute the fiveministers.Chapter 7 The rehabilitation of the five ministers. After the 1900-Incident, the Imperial Court announced the five ministers' rehabilitation in response to the demands of the foreign powers. After the decree of redress was promulgated, people held solemn memorial ceremonies for them.Further commentary: reflections upon the five ministers' execution. For most of their contemporaries, the five ministers had been loyal and to execute them for advocating peace was unjust. In fact, the five ministers' execution and its redress have far gone beyond the traditional mode of loyalty and traitorousness, calling for our reflections on the relationships between peace, war and patriotism in wars against aggression. They were tragic figures under the feudal despotism, but their rational thinking and courageous spirit to be a "scholar" provided the later intellectuals with a certain awareness of independent political sense.