We read all the lead to present a different history.
Looking back at history, China has maintained a leading position in the world for thousands of years, but due to the continuous "closed country" policy implemented from the late Ming Dynasty to the middle of the Qing Dynasty, China has gradually been caught up by Western countries and even far behind. Since the 20th year of the Qing Dynasty (1840 AD), China has been constantly oppressed by the great powers, from a large country dominating the East to a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. Although the decadent and backward Qing government only knew how to pay compensation for the land in order to survive, there were still countless patriots who fought unremittingly for the interests of the country. One of them painstakingly bought a piece of "waste paper" and years later helped China preserve at least 20,000 square kilometers of land, smashing the dirty plot of Japan and South Korea to seize Chinese land.
▲ Painting of the scene of the signing of the Treaty of Nanking
This person's name is Bai Wenwei, born in the second year of Guangxu (1876 AD), and his ancestral home is Baijiazhai in Nanxiang, Shou County, Anhui. The Bai family is a scholarly family, and their ancestors are relatively learned readers. In this family environment, Bai Wenwei began to receive a traditional education from an early age, familiar with classical masterpieces such as the Classic of Mountains and Seas and Erya. When playing with his friends, Bai Wenwei often led everyone to imitate the soldiers' posture exercises, and while directing, he told everyone that he would kill all the evil people and corrupt officials. A few years later, Bai Wenwei began to study agronomy, and although his callos were calloused, he was in a state of disrepair, and he did not think that he was bitter at all.
Because Bai Wenwei studied hard, he soon became famous in the township for his talent. From the age of 16, Bai Wenwei replaced her father and taught in private schools. During this period, Bai's father repeatedly asked Bai Wenwei to take the imperial examination. Bai Wenwei could not resist his father's bitter persuasion and registered for the exam at the age of 21. From the state examination, the government examination to the hospital examination, Bai Wenwei has successively achieved excellent results in the examination room. Bai Wenwei's parents were very satisfied with this, and the neighbors also showed great envy, but Bai Wenwei himself said indifferently: "After the national plan, do not carve insects and small skills here." ”
▲Restoration of the Qing Dynasty imperial examination scene
After the end of the Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese War, Bai Wenwei and Sun Yujun and others founded the "Reading Newspaper" in Shoucheng, and gradually put into practice the relatively progressive ideas of reform. In the summer of the twenty-fifth year of Guangxu (1899 AD), after Bai Wenwei heard that the Qing government had signed the "Tibet Secret Treaty" with Russia, he went to many places to this end, angrily denouncing the Qing government for losing power and insulting the country. When he went to Nanjing, Bai Wenwei became acquainted with Zhao Sheng, Zhang Bochun and other revolutionary workers, and then joined the "strong national association" with the goal of counter-Qing revolution. In the twenty-ninth year of Guangxu (1903 AD), Chen Duxiu, Pan Zanhua and other Japanese students returned to China and gathered students in the Anqing area to give lectures.
▲The scene of the Negotiation and Signing of the Treaty between The Qing and Russia was restored
After Bai Wenwei came to power, he passionately attacked the Qing government, vigorously criticized the absurd idea of "preferring land to send friends rather than land to leave Han people", and strongly demanded that Chinese youth make concerted efforts to "eliminate evil government and save the people from water and fire." The students who attended this rally chanted "Bai Junzhen Hero also!" When officials in Anqing heard about it, they were afraid that Empress Dowager Cixi and other powerful figures would blame them, and sent people to persecute the students attending the meeting. After the turmoil subsided, Bai Wenwei entered the military training academy in the spring of the following year, and then contacted Xiong Chengji, Ni Yingdian and others to create a "classmate association" to discuss how to overthrow the corrupt and incompetent Qing government.
▲Stills of Empress Dowager Cixi
In September of the thirty-first year of Guangxu (1905 AD), Bai Wenwei entered the 2nd Battalion of the Thirty-third Standard of the Nanjing Zhen army as a front team officer. A few months later, Bai Wenwei led people to the "Alliance Association" led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen. At the end of the following year, Bai Wenwei conspired with Sun Yujun and others to bomb Duanfang, the governor of Liangjiang. After the news leaked, Bai Wenwei was forced to leave his post, and then became a second-class staff officer on the recommendation of Wu Luzhen, deputy to jilin border affairs. At the beginning of the 34th year of Guangxu (1908 AD), the Korean Empire, at the instigation of the Japanese Governor's Office, went so far as to publicly declare that it wanted to retake the "Majima region" that originally belonged to Korea. Bai Wenwei was ordered to seoul to inquire about the situation in North Korea. During this period, Bai Wenwei disguised himself as a merchant and through special relationships, he met the son of Theobu Shoshu of The Joseon Dynasty.
▲ Itō Hirobumi's old photograph of the Joseon Dynasty
The reason why Bai Wenwei took pains to get close to this clumsy disciple was because he heard that the latter had a copy of the "Map of Dadongyu" drawn by the Korean geographer Kim Jong-ho in the eleventh year of Qing Hamfeng (1861 AD), although the map was crumpled like "waste paper", it was ironclad evidence that the "Majima area" belonged to China. Taking advantage of the feast, Bai Wenwei proposed to the eunuch to buy it at a high price of 500 yuan, and the latter gladly agreed, and the two traded early the next morning, and Bai Wenwei secretly escaped from North Korea. Soon after this incident occurred, the stupid disciples publicized the matter, believing that Chinese businessmen were stupid and deceitful, and they were very proud for a while.
▲ Cover of "Map of Dadongyu"
However, this incident attracted the attention of some people who had a heart, and eventually Ito Hirobumi heard about it, and he immediately ordered that the map be recovered at all costs. Fortunately, Bai Wenwei had quite a strategy, and along the way, he tried his best to break through the heavy interrogation of the Japanese police, and finally successfully returned the "Map of Dadong Public Opinion" back to China. Later, when China and Japan and South Korea were negotiating over the "between the islands" issue, the Chinese side took out this map and argued on the basis of reason, successfully proving that the Yanbian area and the Changbai Mountain Tianchi belonged to China, and the representatives of Japan and South Korea were dumbfounded. With this ironclad evidence, China successfully defended this precious 20,000 square kilometers of land. The heroic deeds of Bai Wenwei are worth remembering for future generations.
Resources:
Historical Materials of Qing Dynasty Diplomacy, Diplomatic Relations between the Late Qing Dynasty and the Korean Empire