"The Age of Awakening"There is a shocking scene: a group of young insurgents are taken by officers and soldiers to the downtown area to be beheaded, while the onlookers discuss the speed of the knife with indifferent faces. What's even more incredible is that after the executioners were executed, they took steamed buns and dipped them in blood to eat. This appalling scene is not fiction, but a reality that was common in the late Qing Dynasty.
For example, the patriotic hero Tan Sitong was slashed more than 30 times with a blunt knife by the executioner when he was dying, while the onlookers were looking forward to it with steamed buns in their hands, eager to dip Tan Sitong's blood first. Tan Sitong was born in Beijing in 1865, the son of a Qing dynasty minister who attached great importance to the education of his children, so he began to study under him at an early age, cultivating a strong sense of patriotism. With this patriotic heart, Tan Sitong has been committed to seeking and exploring a way out for China.
He believes that the only way to save China is to reform and change the law. This idea coincided with the Guangxu Emperor, who had the desire to save the country at that time. Emperor Guangxu found like-minded partners and no longer flinched. He summoned Tan Sitong to Beijing, entrusted him with an important task, and was determined to launch the Wuxu Reform. In 1898, Emperor Guangxu promulgated the edict of "Ming Dingguo", which officially opened the prelude to the Wuxu Reform.
The reformists, led by Tan Sitong, Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao and others, waged a fierce struggle against the old faction. They advocated learning from Western culture, attaching importance to the development of science and technology, encouraging the people to set up enterprises, and turning ancestral halls into schools, which seriously damaged the interests of the conservative faction headed by the Empress Dowager Cixi. Once the reform is successful, the political landscape will inevitably be reshaped, and the DPRK and China will be replaced by the reformers.
These young reformers obeyed the orders of the Guangxu Emperor and did not take the Empress Dowager seriously at all. This move undoubtedly challenged Cixi's authority. What she pursued all her life was supreme imperial power. If the reformers gained power, the Guangxu Emperor would have his own power, which would pose a serious threat to Cixi's position.
Cixi knew that the policies advocated by the Restorationists were a sustainable policy for the Qing Dynasty, but despite this, she could not tolerate this happening. After repeated warnings to no avail, in September 1898, the Empress Dowager Cixi staged a coup d'état, deposed the Guangxu Emperor, and placed him under house arrest.
Not only that, in order to completely eradicate the troubles, the Empress Dowager Cixi carried out a brutal purge of the reformers in the court, and Tan Sitong was also martyred in this catastrophe. Yuan Shikai betrayed the Restorationists and revealed to the Empress Dowager Cixi a plan to rescue Emperor Guangxu, resulting in Tan Sitong and five other members of the Restoration**. In prison, Tan Sitong was resolute and unyielding, publicly condemning the old school such as the Empress Dowager Cixi. The Empress Dowager Cixi was furious and ordered the execution of Tan Si and others.
When they were taken to the market, they were called treason by throwing rotten eggs and rotten leaves. In the face of the heroic righteousness of his companions, Tan Sitong seemed calm and fearless. However, when he was executed, the executioner used a blunt knife and cut down more than thirty knives before ending his life. This brutal method of death can almost be described as a slow sawing of the head, making it difficult to imagine Tan Sitong's pain before his death.
There were people in the crowd holding steamed buns waiting to dip them into Tan Sitong's hot blood, because there were rumors at that time that eating human blood steamed buns could strengthen the body and eliminate all kinds of diseases. This kind of corrupt ruling class and indifferent and ignorant people are doomed to the failure of the reform. Although Tan Sitong was young and righteous, his legacy lasted for a hundred years.
His sacrifice has awakened the people of the world: all countries change the law from bloodshed, and today China has not heard of anyone who shed blood because of the change of law, and the reason why this country is not prosperous. "From then on, we will set a noble example of righteousness. These are Tan Sitong's last words before his death, and every word is full of blood and tears, like a sharp sword piercing deep into the hearts of the Chinese people.
Tan Sitong's sacrifice demonstrated his patriotic spirit to the world with blood, and inspired countless people with lofty ideals to take him as a model and begin to spread new ideas among the people. In addition to the great spirit of never giving up, Tan Sitong also left two students, one named Cai Yi and the other named Yang Changji. Cai Ye and Yang Changji have adhered to the teachings of their teachers and cultivated many outstanding students, the most famous of which are the ** and *** who led China to a new life
It can be said that Tan Sitong's sacrifice opened a new chapter in China's modern history, and he used his blood to awaken the numb people and find a new way out for China. It is precisely because there are countless people like Tan Sitong in China that they can abandon shame in just a hundred years, and they have exchanged their blood for the peaceful life of future generations, and they are real heroes and martyrs. Just like Yang Changji.