Journal paper

Issue No.	No. 67
Title	Political Reform during the Late Qing Dynasty: On Ye Han, The Society for Children’s Education, and The Children’s Educator
Author	Akiyoshi Yaotani
Page	51-102
Abstract	This paper considers political reform in China during the late Qing dynasty. Its particular focus is on Ye Han, one of the founders of The Society for Children’s Education, an organization guided by the belief that political reform should begin with early childhood education. Ye Han was also instrumental in the creation of The Children’s Educator, a newspaper that advocated for the education of children from the earliest ages upward. By examining Ye Han, The Society for Children’s Education, and The Children’s Educator, the paper helps us arrive at a better understanding of the nature of political reform in China during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. 　　In the aftermath of China’s humiliating defeat in the First Sino- Japanese War (1894-1895), Ye Han, who was then living in the interior city of Wuchang, attempted to found both a newspaper and a school. He failed in these attempts, however, due to fundraising difficulties and the stifling cultural atmosphere of Wuchang at the time. He then moved to Shanghai in the fall of 1897. There, together with Wang Kangnian, Wang Zhonglin, and others from the so-called Jiangsu-Zhejiang school, he established The Society for Children’s Education. He also helped found The Children's Educator. The relatively liberal environment of Shanghai enabled Ye Han and other like-minded reformers to succeed, whereas the repressive and conservative environment of Wuchang had doomed them to failure. This paper also examines how Ye Han pitted himself and his allies against Kang Youwei and his followers during the Reform Movement of 1898. Political activists such as Ye Han continued to participate in the political activities of the Shanghai elite after 1900. By considering the activities of Ye Han and his allies, we can see how the elites grew in power as the Qing dynasty drew to a close.
Keyword	The Society for Children’s Education, The Children’s Educator, Ye Han, Wang Kangnian, Reform Movement of 1898
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