KANG YU WEI.

Otago Witness, Issue 2654, 25 January 1905, Page 71

KANG YU WEI.

— The C4ieat Chinese* Reformer — His Work and Dreams. —

There is one outstanding feature about his Excellency Kang Yu Wei. He is • vivid. In his person he illustrates a strik- ] ing colour-symphony. This is heightened by the sombre appearance of the members , of his suite, who have cast off the habili- . ments, as they appear to have cast off [ the poetry, of the East. j His Excellency is an ardent reformer, ,' and sigh's for the day when, as adviser to 1 the Emperor of China, he may take his ' share in the Westernising of that land, hoary with civilisation when the West ran about naked in the primeval woods. ! At the same time, while his Excellenc}* I loves the West, he does not love it suffic iently to adopt its ridiculous cut-away coat and billycock hat. | His Excellency has large, dark ] and piercing blacks eyes. Then he has ■■» drooping moustache, which is rare in the Chinaman. On his head, which is nearly bald, is a little silk" cap, in the form of a . turban. This he wears at all times, while ' all others are uncovered in his presence. ! His outer jacket is of black silk, slashed , with gold lace. It has a militaiy look. Un- : derneath this is a long garment of rich ; brown silk, which comes to abo\it the knee. ■ The lower limbs are encased in several swathings of silk, which tie at the ankles with blue ' silk ribbons. The little shoes are white silk. His Excellency exhales, as he walks, a delicate perfume. His hands are beautiful, small and admirably groomed, the nails long, which express power and status in China. Hits Excellency is cordialty itself. He shakes _ hands with warmth, and there is an animation about him which is very unlike the stoicism of the East. Ifc may be remembered tint his Excel- ' lencv many years ago began to read about Western civilisation. The subject won upon j his regard. He asked for and obtained j translations into Chinese of all the great . works which contained a history of European civilisation. The subject' engrossed his mind. He saw clearly that if China was ■ ever to shake off the inertia of centuries ■ she must adopt, in essential regards, the Western civilisation. Being highland noble of bhfch, he was clo^e to the young Emperor, whom he infected with Ms own ltfeas. The Emperor sent out to the mandarins and viceroys infractions in regaid to i reform — reform, as to manufactures. 0 as to education, as to manners, ;*s to government. ■ Indeed, there is a period vi hich is called ,in China tho '" Hundred Days " — as in | France they call the period between NaI jcleon's escape from Elba and the battle i cf Wfitciloo the "Hundred Days" — during I which it looked as though an immense but ! peaceful revolution was to take place in i China, with the result that this ancient 1 nation would be galvanised into life. Only — something happened. The marplot was the Dowager Empress. She had noticed that his Excellency Kung Yu Wei had the ear of the Emperor, who had made

him his Prime Minister : she 1-ad observed that the effect of the intimacy was to detach the young Emperor more and more from her owu. person and authority ; especially had she noted that the effect of the companionship was to unsettle the mind of the people, who began to talk reform and to start rofoTm associations, which began to Nourish all over the Empire. ] The Empress acted silently but swiftly. - | There was only one thing to be done — the head must come off his Excellency. The latter had good friends at Court ; he was advised to fly. He made his escape to Hongkong. There he has lived for years now, encouraging the reform associations which have honeycombed the whole Empire. At present his Excellency is on a tour of the world. He has | been to England and the European Continent. and now he comes to this fresh civilisation in tfie West. "Your Excellency would not perhaps care to go back to China at present?" ''Well, not exactly." "Would you expect any trouble?" "Oh, we'll, the Empress might not like it." "Would she, for instance, be so unladylike as to say, 'Tyke your head off'?" "Well, well, she does not like reformers, and she doss not like me. There v ould be no advantage, in any case, in my going back to China at present. I hope to go back upon the death of the Empress, when it is possible that I may be once more in communication with the Emperor — who shares my views in regard to reform." "In the meantime," said his Excellency, 'I am travelling and gaining experience. I have seen a good bit of the world. I intend to see more." "And now. your Excellency ; what is your idea of reform?" "There are two classes of reformers in China — ihere maj*- be more, indeed, but iwo I know of. There are the reformers who want to act politically and dynastioally, and who would resort to force if necessary. There are thf> reformers to whom I belong, and who desire to bring about a peaceful revolution. We do not want to dethrone the present dynasty. We do not want to shed a» single drop of blood. We want quietly, slowly, if you will, to introduce into China, the essential elements of Western civilisation. I have long been convinced that China will never come to anything except in this way. We want industries, we want education ; we want railways and newspapers ; we want to be modern The most enlightened classes are with us. The Emperor is with us heart and soul, but he cannot at present aid us. We do not want to overturn -anything. We seek to do what Japan has done, and by the same peaceful means." "What do you think of the war between Russia and Japan?" "Well, we think this one thing, at anyrate — that it proves, in the case "of Japan, the value of Western civilisation." "Now, suppose, your Excellency, that Japan should win "out in this struggle, w ould China and Jauan form an alliance,

and would we in the West have to go to bed shivering in mortal terror of the 'Yellow Peril'?"

"Oh," said his Excellency, smiling slowly, "that is perfect nonsense. You must know that China has always been a peaceful nation. Were it otherwise — liad it been otherwise in the past — I don't quite know where you would have been to-day. We a.re not 'warlike, we are not aggressive; we desire to live quietly without interfering with out neighbours, but the best of us now believe in modern civilisation and are trying to bring it about. It does not follow in the least that there will be a military regime. Do not be afraid. We will not hurt you or anybody." Mr Chew Kok Hean makes an excellent interpreter. He was educated in England, and uses idiomatic English like one to the "manner born." — Montreal Witness.