Liang Qichao: The Modern Times' Press And The Democratic Enlightenment

During the Hundred Days of Reform, as the disciple and right-hand of Kangyouwei, Liangqichao threw himself into the new reform activity. From the beginning, the characteristic of Liangqichao was mainly on conducting propaganda.Before the Hundred Days of Reform, Liangqichao was as a student of Kangyouwei in WangMu College, and roughly formed the thought patterns which were viewpoint of historical and view of evolution in proper sequence, great harmony ideology of the whole world belongs the everyone, and the ultimate aim was inquiring deeply into the root of reforming society. Through the activity of missionary, writings translated by illuminati, and some relative introduction in newspapers and periodicals by countrymen, Liangqichao opened the visual field of West. He founded the "Wanguo Newspaper", which inquired the essence of prosperousness of western countries, and the "documentary of overseas and domestic" which were used to published some useful books from foreign counties. Those were the Liangqichao's earlier practice of running newspaper.From the beginning of "The all-around discussion of political reform" by the "current affairs newspaper" rousing the deaf and awakens the unhearing of patriotic initiation for the first time in the feudatories country, Liangqichao had a deep relationship with newspapers and periodicals, and form the characteristic of "current affairs style" and conducting propaganda. The propagandizer mainly developed on three aspects: the root of poor and weakness of the country was autocratic system; the sticking point of political reform of China was thoroughly reforming the education system; and inevitable tendency of history development was that regality would be instead of democratic rights.From the Hundred Days of Reform to 1903, Liangqichao read a lot of works in Japanese by western illuminative ideologists, come into being more mature thought and recognition. Liangqichao founded "QinYi newspaper" and "New Citizen Newspaper". Especially between 1901 and 1903, he wrote large numbers of articles and made substantive efforts on a series of political, economical, cultural, educational, literary idea and cultivating the brightness of people, sponsoring civil rights, and proposing freedom, such as expatiation social idea, advocation of legal system, civil rights theory, new citizen theory, historical view of evolution, as much as literature revolution. During this period, he was not controlled by Kangyouwei's idea in a certain extent, and comprehensively propagandized some advanced and original bourgeoisie ideology at that time.During the arguments between "New Citizen Newspaper" and "Civil Newspaper", the key point lied on whether to overthrow the Man People's government, and whether to establish a new public state. Their arguments disseminated some new concepts anddeveloped a series new words and expressions in the upper intelligentsia. The viewpoint concentrated on the country's solidarity and unification. The new concepts, such as civil rights, equality, rights, representative system, nationalization, public opinion, enriched the linguistic vocabulary, which were spiritual products created by entire generation, and bring the new generation intelligentsia to public notice.In conclusion, Liangqichao using the dissemination of modern times' newspapers and periodicals, made the initiatory propaganda broke through upper elites circle, and diffused to middle-class people and citizen. The extensive democratic viewpoint accelerated the ideological trend of democracy appeared between the end of Qing dynasty. During the stormy ideological trend of politician, Liangqichao learned broadly from others' advantage, pursuing evolvement, cultivating the brightness of people, reforming imperial examinations, sponsoring civil rights, founding Parliament, and bringing forward some predications that rousing the deaf and awakens the unhearing, such as political revolution theory, enlightened autarchy theory, opposing "social revolution theory" and "new citizen theory". This extensive and effective initiatory propaganda had far-reaching influence on China's clerisy.