Birmingham age-herald., 1894-11-02
THE CHINESE THRONE
EMPEROR KWANG-SU DOES NOT RE-
 SPECT ALL ITS TRADITIONS.

He Is Rather More Progressive Than His
 People and May Suffer In Consequence.
 History and Traditions of the Ruling
 Dynasty. Tho emperor of China has all at onco become the central figure, as the emperor of Germany was year or two ago, and his present temper and recently declared in- tentions have suddenly assumed en inn portance no one could have expected year ago; not that China as ration is so important, but If she should be- conquered and dismembered how would England, France and Russia agree as to spells and boundariesP
 The man on whom so much depends is a headstrong youth, known to the outside world as Kwang-Su, born Aug. 15, 1871, and therefore but 23 years old, and, what is of far more importance than either of these facts he is not, strictly speaking, the rightful heir to the throne. He is the son of his grandfather's youngest son and was chosen while paternal uncle older than his father was living and had living son. And this complicated situation resulted from curious intrigue and horrible crime by an ambitious woman.
 In 1920 Tan-Kwang, the last of the ex- elusive emperors of the old style, ascended the throne. In his reign the British car ried on what is commonly called the opium war, and finally France joined in compel ling China to open her ports, and even the United States lent moral assistance. Tan Kwang died Feb. 24, 1850, leaving his country apparently open to foreign trade and Hongkong in possession of the Eng fish, but irregular hostilities continued +o,, hofa cluded with all the western powers, and soon after the final settlement Tan Kwang's successor died, leaving an infant son as heir to the throne.
 Hien-F Fung heir to Tan-Kwang and the first emperor under the new system of in- tercourse with foreigners, loft his brother, Prince Kung, and his widow, the dowager empress, as Europeans would say, joint regents of the kingdom and official guard ians of his son, Tung-Chi The latter married quite young and soon after died of smallpox, but it was generally believed in Picking that his widow promised an heir to the throne. She died suddenly under circumstances not yet fully known, and it is believed that the dowager em- press had her poisoned in order that she and Prince Kung might continue to rule the empire.
 The son of Prince Kung brother next in age to Hien-Fung, would have been the rightful heir, but Kung was already regent and his services could not be dis pensed with and Chinese law forbids that a father should serve a son or occupy an inferior rank in government position. So council of Mantchoorian princes was called and they selected the youngest brother of Hien-Fung and Prince Kung- namely, Prince Ch'u 'un, as the proper chan nel of descent, and his son was declared heir to the throne with the title of Kwang-. Su, which means illustrious succession. ,"
 frE1Sen un could hold no government position because his son was emperor and died in 1884, two years after Kwang-Su ascended the throne. He is called the son of heaven by his people, and his royal seat is called the dragon throne. The dowager empress, cruel and arbitrary as she is re- puted to be, had ruled with vigor for many years and acquired extraordinary inf1u- encc despite the low condition usually as- signed to women in China, but Kwang-Su soon proved equally arbitrary, and after some stormy times, of which few particu- lars reached the outside world, he swept aside much of tho old court etiquette and admitted foreign ambassadors to audience on prescribed days in the first month of each Chinese year.
 The reception is held in an outbuilding, however, originally used for menial pur- poses, and in the ceremonies it is still as- sumed that China holds the sovereignty of the world and that the foreign ministers see him only by the grace of superior and not of right The improvised throne in which he sits at these receptions is an elaborately carved chair of ebony, richly gilded. The cushions are of dark blue satin, and on either side of the throne stands an enormous fan, carved and paint ed to portray the wings of brilliantly hued bird. Near by are two huge and richly decorated cases containing the robes of state. In the rear is a magnificently constructed screen, with carving and paint ing to portray dragons and other monsters with hideous eyes. During the reception the emperor maintains Q stolid immobility %f, .%t ,f1ay, ,tc mn Ny