Tan Sitong's life was short, only 33 years old.
However, his thoughts and actions represent the sincere ideals and pursuits of the advanced Chinese of that generation.
He was a pioneer and role model for radicals for more than a hundred years.
Family
Tan Sitong's ancestor was made a marquis in the Ming Dynasty for his military exploits, and later a branch of the Tan family moved to Liuyang, Hunan.
For more than a hundred years in the middle of the Qing Dynasty, the Liuyang Tan clan abandoned the martial scriptures and cultivated and read heirlooms, which was a small local family.
In 1859, Tan Sitong's father Tan Jixun was admitted to the Jinshi, and the Tan family returned to prominence, becoming one of the four major families of Liuyang Tan, Song, Li and Liu.
On March 10, 1865, in the spring and February of the fourth year of Tongzhi, Tan Sitong was born in Beijing, where his father was an official.
Tan Sitong's family relationship is complicated, he has a total of eight brothers and sisters, and he ranks seventh.
His father took two concubines, and although his mother was the main chamber, she did not get the favor of Tan Jixun, and the family status was low.
His father was cold to him, and his stepmother abused him. He also didn't have a good relationship with his siblings. The young Tan Si was physically weak, withdrawn, stubborn and independent, and sentimental.
In 1876, Tan Sitong's mother, eldest brother and second sister all died of diphtheria infection, and he himself lay in a hospital bed for more than three months. His stepmother abused him, causing him to suffer a lot of "nothing that a living person can do."
Tan Sitong's personality has a very strong element of sadness and pity, and has a strong sense of distress that does not correspond to his age. He is also quite strong and independent. Unfortunate life encounters have sharpened and cultivated his indomitable character of resistance.
The old-fashioned family has a warm and harmonious surface and a fighting heart inside. Tan Si's experience with his childhood has made him have a spirit of resistance from an early age, and even if he loses his life, he will break this relationship between the common name religion. This long-term conflict with gangchangming religion was an important source of thought for him to reflect on gangchang.
Tan Sitong is very rebellious and has a fairly strong tendency towards a "heretical" ethic.
This was not because he was a willful official eunuch, but because he was disgusted with the father and son of the monarch at that time. It can be said that when Tan Sitong encountered pain that very human beings could endure, he must also be looking for the cause of his suffering and looking for a way to liberate himself, "Si Tong also aspired to go beyond this earth, regard the earth as a palm, and regard this body as a ten-millionth of a million. ”
knowledge
As the child of a family of eunuchs, Tan Sitong received a traditional Chinese cultural education since childhood. He was enlightened at the age of five, studying traditional scriptures and learning poetry.
At the age of 24, he learned wang fuzhi's knowledge from his teacher. His ideas have changed from the early study of the scriptures to the study of Funayama, which focuses on inner righteousness.
He praised Wang Fuzhi as "a scholar for five hundred years, a true ancestor of the heavenly people, and only one person in Chuanshan", and he formed a middle school idea led by Chuanshan Studies.
Later, he studied Buddhism from the famous Buddhist scholar Yang Wenhui, combining Buddhism with Confucianism.
Tan Sitong put forward the philosophical idea of "benevolence", "tong" and "equality". "Benevolence" is the only moral code of human society, people should not "make a distinction in vain", we must break the difference between people and me, to achieve the purpose of "through the heavens and the earth, all things and people and I are one", father and son, kings and subjects are independent individuals, to break the appearance of exclusion, through the way of "exclusive respect for the soul" to build an equal, democratic society of unity.
In 1894, tan si tong was 29 years old, and the defeat in the Sino-Japanese War made Tan Si tong despair for a while, "when feeding and forgetting to eat, sleeping and being tired, wandering around the house, the unknown came out." At that time, Tang Caichang, who was discussing the strategy of saving the country with him in Hubei, "stayed up all night, full of blood, bitter hands, and cried for several lines." ”
After the age of thirty, Tan Sitong began to study the "Study of restoration and change", with the purpose of saving the dead and enlightening thoughts.
At this stage, because of Wuchang, he met many of Zhang Zhidong's friends, came into contact with a lot of Western knowledge in mathematics, physics and other aspects, deepened his understanding of Western natural sciences, and integrated Western studies into his own ideological system.
In 1896, he met with the missionary and translator Fu Lanya in Shanghai and met Liang Qichao in Beijing. He also came into contact with advanced Western science and technology such as trains, ships, and electric wires in Tianjin; and saw the development of mining in Tangshan, such as coal mines and gold mines in Mohe. These are important sources of his new ideas.
After the first afternoon, he was completely disappointed in the court of the late Qing Dynasty, and also reflected and criticized the entire Chinese tradition.
In "Renxue", he listed the Crimes of severe punishment by the Qing government, harsh taxes, official corruption, and foolishness of the people. All kinds of signs have exposed many problems in the rule of the Qing government, showing the incompetence of the Qing government, this contradiction has reached an irreconcilable level, and only by "swearing to kill all the monarchs in the world" can we achieve a democratic, independent, and equal society of unity.
He believes that the Qing government's "soil is dirty, its people are also seeded, its hearts are also birds' hearts, and its customs are also vulgar." The Qing government "had the power of murder and murder," seized the property of the Central Plains, slaughtered the people of the Central Plains, and "imprisoned their eyes and ears, shackled their hands and siblings, suppressed their minds, cut off their sources of profit, embarrassed their livelihoods, and covered up their wisdom and skills."
Since the Qing government was not good, it was necessary to rebuild and borrow Western law to establish new etiquette and new systems for China. Equal freedoms must be achieved.
Tan Sitong regards the outside as a "net", and the net must be broken; the core of the net is "Lun Chang", specifically the three principles and five constants, so if you want to be free, the three programs must be completely broken. Lunchang is both a way of life, but also a custom and a system, and to make a decision on Lunchang is to adjust the way of life, in short, to make music for the re-production of etiquette in China.
This was the way of salvation that Tan Sitong proposed himself after studying Chinese and Western learning under the internal and external troubles at that time.
politics
Tan Sitong was a loser in the imperial examination. The identity of the superintendent of other countries is bought at a cost. In the decade from 1885 to 1894, he participated in five township examinations, all of which failed.
Repeated failures in the examination often made him feel frustrated.
In 1896, his father donated him an alternate prefect of Jiangsu.
In 1895, the year before that, he organized a numeracy society in his hometown in Hunan, and opened a new course at Nantai Academy. He began to engage in social activities.
In 1897, Chen Baozhen, the governor of Hunan, invited him to Changsha to run a new policy. He, Chen Baozhen, Tang Caichang and others organized the Hunan New Deal, and set up the Shiwu School to appoint Liang Qichao as the chief teacher.
The Hunan New Deal in which he participated included inland steamships, commercial mining, the Xiangyue Railway, the Shiwu Academy, the Wubei Academy, the Security Bureau, and the Southern Society, with the Southern Society being the most prosperous.
Liang Qichao recalled that he said that "Junshi is the head of the school, and he is responsible for the matter of speech", and he is generous in discussing the affairs of the world, and everyone who hears it is moved, "The atmosphere in Hunan Province is very open, and the merits of Junzhi are mostly." ”
The Hunan New Deal was the first new deal in modern China, which was promoted by Tan Sitong.
On June 11, 1898, the Guangxu Emperor promulgated the "Decree on the Determination of the State" and decided to change the law. In August of the same year, because of the recommendation of Xu Zhijing, a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, Tan Sitong was recruited into Beijing by the Guangxu Emperor. On August 21, Tan Si went to Beijing with him.
After entering Beijing, Tan Sitong was summoned by the Guangxu Emperor. Originally, Tan Sitong was ordered to go to Jiangsu to carry out a reform campaign, but the next day it was decided to appoint him as one of the four military machines Zhang Jing who participated in the New Deal.
After the appointment, Tan Si and the other four military aircraft Zhang Jing were specifically responsible for issuing instructions to various local officials in the name of the edict, and these instructions were directly issued to the newly recruited military aircraft Zhang Jing, who added a signature, and their working method was roughly the same as the "vote proposal" of the cabinet.
Although the position of the military aircraft Zhang Jing was not high, Tan Sitong's power at this time was actually greater than that of the military aircraft minister, because the military aircraft minister was intended to be determined, and the purpose was first intended and then the decree was issued.
Tan Sitong, as a politician who "participated in the New Deal," first had opinions, then played them out, and formed his will.
During the period of the Penghu Reform Law, Tan Sitong mainly focused his political views on the handling of the specific affairs of the Penghu Reform Law.
Many of the ideas of the Penghu Restoration were the opinions of Tan Sitong.
The restoration movement encountered great resistance and could not be carried out. Tan Sitong went to see Yuan Shikai and wanted to use Yuan Shikai's military strength to carry out reforms. As a result of Yuan Shikai's whistle-blowing, on September 21, Empress Dowager Cixi launched a coup d'état, and on September 25, Tan Sitong was arrested and killed on the 28th.
Some people believe that Tan Sitong has a strong revolutionary tendency and that restoration is not his goal.
In the "Records of Hearing and Seeing of Wu Shu", Tang Caiqing specifically recorded the fact that Tan Shi, Tang Caichang and others secretly planned to contact the Brotherhood of Elders and jointly carry out armed rebellion. Another example is what Ouyang Yuqian described: "It can be seen that the ideas in his (Tan Sitong)'s bones are different from those of the royalists, and he only thinks that he is a temporary means to use Guangxu to carry out the new policy." In other words, Tan Sitong tried to take advantage of the opportunity of assisting the Guangxu Emperor in his restoration and reform of the law to plan a revolution.
Opposing the old family because of dissatisfaction with the life of the old family, and opposing the imperial court because of dissatisfaction with the situation of the country, this is Tan Sitong.
temperament
Tan Sitong is a strange man in the world, who is both literate and martial, and is deeply righteous for human feelings.
When he was 13 years old, he wrote such a couplet - "Only leave chivalry in heaven and earth, don't have a crazy name from ancient times", and people call him "youthful and vigorous".
His poems are open-minded and heroic, such as "There is a Feeling":
There is nothing in the world to resist the spring sorrow, and it is a cry to the heavens. Forty million people burst into tears, where is the end of the world is Shenzhou.
Such as the well-known "Prison Wall":
Looking at the door to stop Thinking Zhang Jian, he endured death and waited for Dugan. I smiled at the sky with a horizontal knife and went to leave the liver and gallbladder for two kunluns.
Tan Sitong also learned martial arts since childhood, proficient in swordplay, boxing, and good at archery on horseback.
He has traveled back and forth many times in the north and south of the great river, up and down the Yellow River, and he himself described this experience as "traveling to the rivers and seas in the east, the Tianshan Mountains in the west, flying earth and chasing meat, fighting wine and running across", such as the ancient rangers.
He likes to make good friends with good people, and when he was a teenager, he was closely related to the famous chivalrous warrior, "The Great Sword King V". "Big Knife King Five" is a dart master in Beijing, because he is strong in martial arts and good at using big knives, so people call him "Big Knife King Five". At that time, there was also a jianghu warrior in Beijing, known as "Tong Arm Ape Hu Qi", and Tan Sitong followed him to learn martial arts such as taijiquan and double knives.
As a noble prince and a reader, he was happy to make friends with good people and was chivalrous, which was rare at that time.
Tan Sitong married at the age of 19, at that time, the marriage of the children was decided by the parents, and Tan Sitong's wife was named Li Yan. Li Yan was also born in The Xiang mendi, and her father, Li Shourong, was very talented and was a famous "Talented Son of Changsha". Li Shourong entered the army in the sixth year of Xianfeng (1856) and served as the head of the transfer department and other official positions.
Although Tan Sitong and his wife Li Yan had not seen each other before they were married, they were very affectionate after marriage.
A poem that Tan Sitong gave to his wife at the age of 33 and the preface to the poem are:
"On the third day of the first month of April, Yu Zhigui will travel and remember that he and his son Li Jun were married on the third day of the first month of April, exactly fifteen years. The praise of Garter, also rejoiced, not to catch the Western Elysium that had been born. In all lifetimes, dwelling in the lotus flowers, so that the birds of the same destiny can congratulate each other. I hope to strive for more refinement, self-esteem, and double cultivation of blessings and wisdom. ”
This passage at least shows that: First, after 15 years of marriage, Tan Sitong still remembers that the third day of the first month of April is the wedding anniversary, and specially writes poems to his wife as a souvenir; second, they are married and agreed, just like living in the Western paradise world; third, not only in this life, they also hope to live together in future lives, and both of them will cultivate greater blessings. Such marriages are rare in traditional arranged marriages.
Tan Sitong respects his wife and respects women.
Tan Sitong believes that "men and women are the elite of heaven and earth, the same immeasurable virtue, and equality."
He also advocated that "husband and wife are friends", and that husbands and wives should not be inferior, but equal friends.
In China at that time, it was very common for men with some status and some money to marry concubines, that is, to marry small wives, and many people also married several in succession. Tan Sitong's father had married a total of three concubines.
However, Tan Sitong always advocated and insisted on monogamous marriage, and although he was the son of an inspector and was talented, he never took a concubine in his life, nor did he indulge in drinking or prostitutes.
Tan Sitong and Li Yan once had a son, but they died of illness before they were one year old, and they never had children again.
At that time, a woman without children could have been thrown out of the house, but Li Yan did not suffer such a fate.
Especially unlike others at that time, Tan Sitong did not ask Li Yan to simply be a gentle and virtuous wife, he also wanted his wife to be a thoughtful and discerning woman.
He once gave Li Yan a pair of couplets: "Build up the backbone of the iron for people, and open the rolls to open the eyes of the sea silver."
Tan Sitong had great respect for his wife, and after the rise of the Restoration Movement, Tan Sitong encouraged Li Yan to go out of the family, become a director of the Women's Society, found a women's school, and start a career like a man.
Tan Sitong played the piano well, and personally supervised the production of two seven-stringed pianos, "Residual Thunder" and "Crashing Thunder". Tan Sitong loved to learn martial arts when he was young, often smelling chickens dancing fencing in the early morning; at the same time, he was also good at playing the piano, often expressing his inner feelings with the piano, so people gave him a "sword and guts qin heart" elegant name.
It is said that the night before Tan Sitong left Liuyang in 1898 to participate in the reform of the law in Beijing, he and his wife played the Bunting Qin and the Remnant Leiqin in the candlelight.