What is Tan Sitong's life story?

When the Reform Movement of 1898 reached its climax, Tan Sitong was arrested for reporting by Yuan Shikai.

Devote oneself to the rejuvenation of the motherland

Tan Sitong, a native of Liuyang, Hunan Province, was born in Beijing on March 1865. He grew up in a feudal bureaucratic family, and was influenced and educated by strict feudal culture. His father, Tan Jixun, was once the governor of Hubei. Tan sitong was ambitious since he was a child. He was unrestrained and uninhibited, and his articles were novel and open. My father has always been cautious and often educates him, so the relationship between father and son is tense. From the age of 10, Tan Sitong studied under Ouyang Zhonggu, who is good at learning the world, and later under the famous chivalrous broadsword Wang Wu. He despised the imperial examination, studied Confucian classics and appreciated the works of Yan Yuan, Gong Zizhen, Wang Fuzi and Huang Zongxi. Since A.D. 1884, he began to roam the northwest and southeast provinces, with a journey of more than 80,000 miles. This not only broadened his horizons, deepened his love for the motherland, but also enabled him to witness the miserable life of the lower classes, which led to the idea of saving the nation and dedicating himself to the motherland.

1895, the failure of the Sino-Japanese War and the signing of treaty of shimonoseki greatly stimulated Tan Sitong. He was angry and wrote a poem saying:

"Nothing in the world is worth the sadness of spring, it is the cry of the pale.

Forty million people shed tears together, and there are plenty of fish in the sea! "

1In the spring of 896, Tan Sitong met with Liang Qichao in Beijing, which was highly appreciated by Liang Qichao. He admired Kang Youwei's thought of political reform and claimed to be Kang Youwei's "private school disciple". Since then, he took an active part in the political reform movement, and completed his main work "Benevolence" at the beginning of A.D. 1897. In Benevolence, Tan Sitong directly pointed the finger at feudal autocracy and feudal ethics and called on people to break through the trap of feudal ethics and ethics. 1at the beginning of 898, Tan Sitong returned to Hunan. Presided over the current affairs school, founded Nanshe, and published Hunan Daily. At every meeting, hundreds of people came to listen to Tan Sitong's generous speech, which soon made Hunan an important base for the Reform Movement.

There are four Qing military aircraft.

1June, 898, Emperor Guangxu issued a letter to reform. On the recommendation of Xu Zhijing, the minister of reform, Tan Sitong was recruited to Beijing to participate in the New Deal and was awarded the title of Sipinqing, who worked in the military department. With Yang Rui, Xu Lin and Liu Guangdi, they are also called "Four Secrets of Military Aircraft". Tan sitong was overjoyed. In order to repay his "kindness", he took great pains to actively promote the New Deal regardless of the danger of "killing himself". Emperor Guangxu wanted to build a memorial hall, set up an adviser, ordered Tan Sitong to draft an imperial edict, and asked for some typical examples of the previous generation, saying that he would go to the Summer Palace himself to ask the Empress Dowager Cixi for instructions. After leaving North Korea, Tan Sitong said to others, "Only then do you know that the emperor has no power at all." .

At that time, Rong Lu was the governor of the capital, and Yuan Shikai was trained in Tianjin as a warlord. Emperor Guangxu promoted Yuan Shikai to assistant minister and asked him to go to Beijing to appear before the court.

Emperor Guangxu summoned Yuan Shikai, who held military power twice, and expressed his support for the political reform, which made the die-hards look askance. Some conservative ministers went to the Empress Dowager Cixi to complain, and Rong Lu, a close confidant of Empress Dowager Cixi and then governor of Zhili, quickly transferred troops to prepare for emergency. It is said that Rong Lu will take advantage of Emperor Guangxu's military parade in Tianjin to abolish Emperor Guangxu. Emperor Guangxu felt that the situation was critical, so he sent a secret letter to Yang Rui. Among them, Emperor Guangxu told Yang Rui in an eager tone that it was difficult to keep his throne, and Empress Dowager Cixi would kill him at any time. He hoped that Yang Rui and other reformers would adopt new methods to turn China from crisis to strength, which did not violate the meaning of Empress Dowager Cixi, and made it clear that they were trying to find a compromise method to continue the political reform.

A man with lofty ideals who is unwilling to escape.

The reformer wept bitterly. At this point, Tan Sitong volunteered to act as a lobbyist, persuaded Yuan Shikai to send troops, killed Rong Lu and Gu Cixi, saved Guangxu and guaranteed the New Deal, but Yuan Shikai betrayed him. When the coup took place, he and Liang Qichao were struggling to find a solution in their apartment. When the news of the search for Kang Youwei came, Tan Sitong calmly said to Liang Qichao: "We couldn't save the emperor before, and now we can't save Mr. Kang. I am not afraid of death, let them catch me! " Liang Qichao advised him to elope with him, but he refused. Instead, he advised Liang Qichao: "If no one escapes this disaster, no one will inherit our great cause of political reform in the future. If no one dies because of the political reform, I will not be able to repay the emperor's kindness. " Later, Tan Sitong and Wang Wu planned to rescue Emperor Guangxu, but the plan fell through because of haste. At this time, Tan Sitong was in a very dangerous situation. Many people advised him to leave, but he refused. He said: "The political reform in every country is caused by bloodshed. Today, China has not shed blood because of political reform, and this country is not prosperous. Yes, all heirs start at the same time! " He is determined to shed blood for reform to arouse people's awakening.

Die a glorious death

On September 24th, Tan Sitong was arrested in Liuyang Hall. In prison, he recalled the past and calmly wrote poems on the wall of his cell with cinders:

"James Zhang desperate, endure death for a moment to go it alone.

I laughed from the horizontal knife, and I went to stay in two Kunlun mountains. "

On September 28th, the Qing government beheaded Tan Sitong, Liu Guangdi, Yang Rui, Kang, and Tan Sitong in the execution ground of Beijing Caishikou, which was known as the "Six Gentlemen of the Reform Movement of 1898". Before the execution, Tan Sitong's face was cold and upright. Facing the butcher's knife, his face does not change color. He shouted at tens of thousands of onlookers: "If you want to kill a thief, you can't return to heaven, you can die well. Come on! " This made the executioner shudder and shocked the audience present. Tan sitong is only 33 years old this year.

After Tan Sitong's death, broadsword Wang Wu collected the body. The next year, his body was transported back to Liuyang, Hunan Province and buried at the foot of a stone mountain outside the city. In order to show respect for the reformists, later generations carved such a couplet on the huabiao in front of the tomb:

Never wear, flake stands in the sky;

A beautiful mountain, the mountains go to waves.

The death of Tan Sitong shows the heroic spirit of patriots who sacrificed their lives for the prosperity of the country, and also shows that the reformist road is not feasible. If China wants to be rich and strong, it can only overthrow the decadent Qing Dynasty.