Scholar Emperor:a Study On Guangxu’s Reading Life

Guangxu was a vigorous and active emperor with great expectations in the late Qing Dynasty. During his reign, he strove to get rid of the backward status of China through reform. Although the Reform of1898failed due to various factors, his spirit of reform deserves affirmation. Emperor Guangxu’s decision to take reform was not an impulse. It had a great deal to do with the social background and ideological foundamentals, as well as the education and culture he received as a child. In this paper, the author will explore how reading affects his thoughts and behaviors, through analyzing his reading life, together with the trajectory of his life.The paper consists of three parts. The first part introduces the background of the princes’reading life in general in the Qing Dynasty. Then, the paper goes into the training direction of Emperor Guangxu in his childhood and adolescence. In this part, the paper emphasizes on the reading environment in his early age. The reading of Confucianism and historical works boosted his patriotic sentiments, while the access to the latest western books broadened his mind, expanded his horizon. This paper has also mentioned how he boned with his tutor Weng Tonghe, in particular, which enriched his reading life a lot. The second part introduces the study situation after Emperor Guangxu assumed his power. His initiative to learn English, read the diary of the officers sent from the western countries and the translation of western works, and discuss the reform works with Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao and other reformers, shows us a diligent emperor image, who dedicated all his life to save the country. The last part introduces the reading life when he was put under house arrest in Ying Tai by Cixi after the Reform of1898failed. He suffered from extreme depression as frustrated in politics. The books accompanied him in his lonely and helpless last days. Moreover, it can be inferred that Emperor Guangxu did not completely give up but waiting for an opportunity from his perseverance to learn English and his final read list.Chronologically, the paper divides Emperor Guangxu’s reading life into three phases, which are before power, during reform and the period during house arrest in Ying Tai. Logically, the paper explores Emperor Guangxu’s reading life from the traditional feudal theories, the reform thoughts, and English learning, to show the reader Emperor Guangxu’s reading life as thoroughly as possible. The study of Emperor Guangxu’s reading life can help us to learn how books affect his thoughts and character, and to get an overall understanding of his politic moves during his reign. This is helpful on a comprehensive understanding of the historical figure.