Voices of Reform
Honoring the Martyrs of China’s First Modern Struggle
Image by: Unknown author
By Hanyu Tales (7th May 2025)
During the late Qing Dynasty, when China was suffering from internal corruption and social unrest, a group of reformers attempted to use radical modernization to save the country from collapse. In 1898, a 103-day movement known as the Hundred Days’ Reform began, inspiring Chinese writer 梁启超 (Liang Qichao) to write a collection of biographies about six of its martyrs who were killed while supporting this cause. In this article, we will share their stories.
The Six Gentlemen
The six gentlemen being discussed were all appointed or connected to Emperor Guangxu’s reform court. They were:
- Tan Sitong: A philosopher and writer from Hunan province who became a key intellectual figure of the reform movement.
- Kang Guangren: A political organizer known for his administrative ability, who acted as a liaison between court reformers and intellectuals.
- Lin Xu: A brilliant young scholar from Fujian province, who drafted many reform edicts directly under the emperor.
- Yang Shenxiu: A senior court official who had a long and distinguished career in the Qing administration and provided senior-level support to the reformers from within the bureaucracy.
- Yang Rui: A strategic thinker from Hunan province who served as imperial censor and became one of the emperor’s most trusted advisors during the reform period.
The Reform
After China had lost the First and Second Opium Wars to Britain, humiliating treaties followed, and the later 1895 defeat to Japan revealed the weaknesses that had resulted. The aforementioned reformists pushed for institutional change and Emperor Guangxu, then in his twenties, was persuaded to support the reforms. The main goals of the reform were as follows:
- Modernize Education: They wished to abolish the classical exam system and established modern schools and universities.
- Streamline Government: Reducing the bureaucratic bloat and fighting corruption were key targets.
- Strengthen Military: The plan was to adopt Western training and technologies.
- Encourage Industrialization: Improved transport, factories, and communications were considered vital.
So What Happened?
The reform ran from June-September 1898 and during this short period, over 40 edicts were issued. However, Empress Dowager Cuxi saw these reforms as a threat to her power and to traditional Confucian values. Therefore, with support from conservative officials and military officers, on September 21, 1898, she carried out a coup, where she declared all of the issued edicts as void, placed Emperor Guangxu under house arrest, and ordered the immediate arrest of key reformers. 
The six reformers discussed in this article were given no formal trial, and sent to Caishikou execution ground in Beijing, where they were beheaded. Despite the grim outcome for Tan Sitong, Kuang Guangren, Lin Xu, Yang Rui, Yang Shenxiu, and Liu Guangdi, their actions influenced key changes such as the 1905 abolition of the exam system and the 1911 Xinhai Revolution that ended the Qing Dynasty. Their legacy lives on and memorials have been erected in their honor, such as the “Six Gentlemen Martyrs Shrine” in Beijing. While some view their deaths as the tragic result of pushing too hard and too fast, they will always be remembered for their courage.
Image by: Unknown author
Liang Qichao was also a major reformer, but he managed to flee to Japan during the coup. He wrote several biographies about the Six Gentlemen. If you are learning Chinese and wish to learn more, click here to read their stories.