The United States and China in Power Transition - Strategic Studies ...

Unfortunately, the emperor and the radical reformers
went too fast and too far beyond what they were allowed
by the paramount ruler of the Qing, Empress
Dowager Cixi (慈禧太后), who was the young 17-yearold
Emperor’s aunt and the “ruler behind the curtains
(垂帘听政)” for much of the time since 1861, 14 “supervising”
the Emperor since he was put on the throne
at the age of 4. Empress Dowager Cixi confined the
Emperor under house arrest, resumed her rule behind
the curtains, and purged the radical reformers (Kang
Youwei and Liang Qichao learned about the Empress
Dowager’s plot and fled to Japan, but six other key
radical reformers [戊戌六君子] were captured and beheaded
in the streets of Beijing).
The Revolution of 1911 (辛亥革命). Although Empress
Dowager Cixi purged the radical reformers,
she did not kill the reform measures. She simply did
not like the way the young emperor and the radical
reformers handled the reform movement; and she
apparently took the action to preempt the radical reformers’
plot to remove her from power (taking her
life if necessary). Indeed, in the following years, the
Empress Dowager implemented many of the proposed
changes. She also ostensibly followed the radical
reformers’ suggestions to prepare for a change of
the political system in China.
While in exile, Liang Qichao had become a leading
advocate for China to become a constitutional
monarchy; he suggested a 6-step approach toward
this goal. The Qing rulers were to: 1) issue an intent to
establish constitutional monarchy; 2) send senior officials
to visit key Western countries and study their
constitutions and political designs; 3) create an agency
to handle the translation of foreign constitutions
and related studies and propose a draft constitution;
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