The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-05-04
HAS A ROMANTIC CAREER
THE MAN WHOSE HEAD is WORTH
$65,OOO.
Though Only 2S, Leung Chi-tso Has
Been the Associate of the Greatest
Men in China and Japan.

Leung Chi-tso, one of the reformers
for whose head the Dowager Empress
has offered a reward of $4,000, and for
whom a hired assassin is now said to
be on his way to Honolulu, is young
man. only 20, but he has had an active
and varied career.
He was born of a family with a good
education, but not of wealth in the dis
trict of Sun Wui, near Canton. His
grandfather bore the degree of B. A.,
and his father was one of the leading
teachers in the district of Sun Wui.
Leung entered his fathers school at the
age of six years. At II he went to Can
ton to take his examination for the de-
gree of b. A. in the great competitive
examinations of the Chinese education
al system. The examination was con-
Quoted by an inspector of schools APP
pointed by the Emperor. There were
1000 students at this examination, or
whom Sc succeeded in winning the much
coveted degree, Leung securing the
ninth place out of the thirty-siX. Soon
afterward he removed to Canton and
entered the Kwong Ngar University. AT
the monthly examinations in this uni
versity there were 240 students. He al
ways gained a high place.
At the age of sixteen he attained the
degree of Master of Arts, awarded after
an examination conducted by Lee Tuan
Fun, Doctor of Divinity, inspector of
colleges appointed by the Emperor. AT
this time he became engaged to a sister
of DR.. Lee, Tuan Wal, an accomplished
and highly educated young woman,
principal of the girls high school in
Shanghai.
About this time Leung Chi-tso began
the study of western learning, entering
the school of Kwang Yu Wei the great
reformer, at Canton. Here his interest
in western methods of science and gov
eminent were very much qutckened. He
read and studied all the books on these
subjects which were then translated
into Chinese While in this school he
frequently returned to his native viii
lage and assisted his father in estab
fishing better methods in the village
life, modelling these on the military
type, and aiding greatly in abolishtng
gambling and opium smoking.
At twenty years of age he went to
Picking, where he became principal of
the Royal Family school. Princes and
relatives of the Emperor were his pu
pills. At this time he was married the
wedding ceremonies being according to
the Chinese form, and the ceremonies
being on grand scale.
During the war with Japan in 1895,
he eXerted himself to obtain a modern
military organization of the army and
| to turn the events of that war to
general reform of governmental and po-
| litical methods. He wrote voluminously
on these subjects for various publica-
lions, and secured to a memorial en-
! bodying his ideas of reform, thirteen
| hundred signatures from among the
literati of Picking, Kwang Yu Wei's and
| his own name heading the list. The
memorial however, never reached the
| Emperor, because of the influence or
| the conservative and reactionary Off
Gals then in power.
At twenty-five he organized a Scien-
| tific and Progressive Association at
| Picking, of which many of the ablest
Chinese scholars and missionaries resi-
dent in Picking were members. OF this
| association Leung was secretary, but
after an existence of three months IT
was ordered disbanded by the Empress
! DOwager.
On the appointment of Wong Chun
| Hin as minister to Germany, Leung
| Chi-tso was rendered the position of
| secretary of legation. But he declined,
| to pursue his work of reform agitation.
| A little later he was rendered the post
of secretary of legation at Washington
on the appointment of Tu Ting Fang
the present minister at Washington.
| This he also declined for the same
reason, as he also declined the position
of adviser to Shing Hang Shun, nisis-
ter of railroads.
About this time Viceroy Chong Chi
Tung, Governor General Chin Pc Chuan
and Inspector" of Schools Kong Bow, all
of Human province, established a uni
versity devoted to the encouragement
of western learning and liberal ideas.
Leung Chi-tso was called to the presi-
dency of this institution. There was a
faculty of six, and 120 boarding students
and 1900 day students, many of them
persons who had achieved the degrees
of A. b. and A. M. in Chinese learning
Auxiliary to this the Nam Hook Ora
torical Association was established, OF
which Mr.. Leung was made president
The influence of these two institutions
was very soon and very forcibly felt
and within a year the government OF
the whole province was put upon an
entirely new and reform basis. New
regulations of police were established
more in conformity with western ideas
and many reform institutions We're es-
tablished.
During this time Mr.. Leung was q
constant contributor to papers publish
ed in Shanghai, Tien-tsin, Canton, and
in the provinces of Human, TIE ChueT
and Hupeh, and about this time pub
lished book of 500 pages entitled, RE
form Methods" which has had very
wide circulation in China.
Whhn Leung was twenty-siX the EN-
peror Kwang Hsu took the reins OF
government Leung was introduced tc
the Emperor by one of the Cabinet min
listers. The Emperor, impressed with his
abilities, referred his name to the
Chung li-Yamen for a report as to the
propriety of appointing him to a re.
sponsible position in the government
AS members of the Chung li-Yamen
Prince Ching, Ii Hung Chang ant
Chong Yam Hoon after investigation
and reading his book and his magazin,
articles, strongly recommended him u
the Emperor and he was appointed pri
vate adviser to the Emperor, and Su
perintendent of the Institute for tn
Translation of Western Books. At thi
time he became one of the organizer
of the Anti-Foot. Binding Society II
Shanghai
1t was during this time that the re
markable series of reform edicts wer
promulgated. These so aroused tn
conservative and reactionary elements
in the government as to lead the EN-
press to seize power herself, and to seLt
, tn refOrmers to death or exile, Ieunj