The Hundred Days Reform of 1898 was a period of dramatic political reform initiated by Chinese Emperor Guangxu and his group of advisors. This period represented an effort to modernize and strengthen China by introducing western-style institutions, policies, and practices. It was an attempt to bring about sweeping changes in the way the Chinese government was run and to launch China into the twentieth century.
The goal of the Hundred Days Reform was to create a more unified and organized bureaucracy that had the capability to keep up with the rapidly changing times. In particular, the Chinese wished to move away from a decentralized system of government where each local government had a large amount of autonomy and towards a centralized government where they could enact more uniform policies across the entire country.
To achieve this end, the Hundred Days Reform sought to introduce significant reforms and changes to the existing bureaucratic structure. These included efforts to strengthen the central government by expanding education and training opportunities, increasing bureaucratic capacity, and making the bureaucracy more merit-based. Additionally, they sought to reform taxation and revenue collection, as well as promote economic development. Finally, they sought to strengthen the legal system and allow for more openness in the press.
The Hundred Days Reform contained both domestic and foreign policy initiatives. Domestically, these included efforts to improve civil rights and legal systems, strengthen educational and training opportunities, and improve healthcare services. On the foreign policy front, it sought to increase China’s presence in world affairs, improve relations with its neighbors, and foster economic development.
Ultimately, the Hundred Days Reform was a bold and ambitious attempt by Emperor Guangxu and his advisors to accelerate the modernization of China. The goal was to move China from a traditional Confucian-based feudal system of government to a more progressive and modernized state that would be able to compete on the global stage. At the time, the Chinese Empire was facing immense pressures from powerful industrialized nations in the West, and the Hundred Days Reform was an attempt to bring the nation into the modern era.
While the Hundred Days Reform was an essential step in the modernization of China, it ultimately failed. Upon its completion, the reforms were viewed by many as too radical and destabilizing. Additionally, the narrow timeframe of the Reform and its limited scope did not allow for its full implementation or realization of its potential benefits.
However, despite its failure, the Hundred Days Reform had a profound and lasting impact on China. Its legacy is seen in the implementation of the modern administrative system, the introduction of civil service examinations, increased tax revenues, improvements in public health, advances in technology and transportation, increased openness and freedom of the press, and an emphasis on education. All of these elements remain today and are integral components of the Chinese system of government. This period of dramatic reform also served as a catalyst for further modernization in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.