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32 CHINA MISSION YEAR BOOK.this country, and in Europe he was entrusted with thetask of investigating the financial systems of the GreatPowers. The significance of this appointment lies tosome extent in the fact that Tang Shao-yi had been oneof Yuan Shih-k ai s henchmen, and as far as the financial side of it was concerned, it was a neat move onYuan s part to get Tang Shao-yi out of an uncongenialpost at Mukden and prepare him to stand by Yuan sside as financial adviser. The very day he set out,however, an Imperial Decree was published authorizingthe adoption of a standard currency on a tael basis, andit was believed at the time that this was Chang Chihtungs answer to Yuan s despatch of Tang Shao-yi.The decree has never been enforced however.From this time on to the middle of November theGovernment displayed no great activity. On the I4thof November the Emperor Kwang Hsu passed away, andwithin twenty-four hours the Empress-Dowager, whohad for a few hours become the Empress Grand Dowager,also passed away. The new Emperor, Pu Yi, who tookthe reign title of Hsiian Tung, was but a child of twoand a half years, so that his father, Prince Chun,became Regent. The Regent is brother to the lateEmperor. At this critical time the work of Governmentalmost appeared to stand still ; everything was possible,nothing happened. A fortnight after the opening of thenew reign the Chinese mind was vastly relieved by thepublication of an Imperial Decree concerning constitutional reform, in which it was declared that the newsovereign would adhere strictly to the plans laid downby his predecessor and follow his programme (as givenabove). That affairs were not going smoothly it wasnot difficult to infer from the fact that Chang Chih-tungwas asking for leave of absence at the same time asYuan Shih-k ai s memorial in favour of the establishment of a responsible cabinet within a year was beingadversely criticized by the rest of the Grand Councillors.The year closed in tranquillity.

"We"IMPORTANT EDICTS AND GOVERNMENT CHANGES. 33The year 1909 opened with sweeping changes. Onthe 2nd January Yuan Shih-k ai was summarily dismissedand succeeded in his post at the Waiwu Pu by L,iaugTung-yen, still the incumbent. The vacancy on theGrand Council was filled by the appointment of NaTung, a Manchu, as Probationary Grand Councillor.All this, according to the Decree, because UnexpectedlyYuan Shih-k ai suffers from pains in his legs,"andwish to show him our sympathy." That dismissalwas a mistake of the first magnitude. Since the departure of Yuan there has been no head-aud-shoulders manin Peking, and during the year that followed hisdismissal mail}? strong men were removed by death ordismissal. Chang Chih-tung died in the beginning ofOctober, and Sun Chia-nai, a sterling and safe, but notan outstanding, man followed in November. Towardsthe end of June the Chihli Viceroy, Yang Shih-hsiang,died, and this weakened the forces at Peking, for TuanFang, his successor, was scarcely his ;equal and TuanFang was dismissed on the 2Oth November as the resultof petty squabbling. The peculiar circumstances of thePeking Court might well account for the dismissal ofTuan Fang, though the fact that he had been attachedto the party of Yuan may have helped in the decision,but no Court intrigue can be held to account for the coldreception with which Tang Shao-yi met on his returnfrom abroad, or for the studied pigeonholing of thevaluable information that he had collected during hismission ;and apparently nothing but the fact that hewas one of Yuan s men accounted for his final dismissal.He was one of the ablest men in Peking. Other dismissals reflected more credit on the Regent. Theravenous and corrupt President of the Board of Communications, Chen Pi, was dismissed and his place takenby Hsu Shih-chang, who vacated the Mauchuriauviceroyalty to take up his Peking office, Hsi Liang, ahide-bound but honest Mongol Tory, thoroughly capable,the doyen of the provincial inandarinate, being trans-

32 CHINA MISSION YEAR BOOK.this country, and in Europe he was entrusted with thetask of investigating the financial systems of the GreatPowers. The significance of this appointment lies tosome extent in the fact that Tang Shao-yi had been oneof Yuan Shih-k ai s henchmen, and as far as the financial side of it was concerned, it was a neat move onYuan s part to get Tang Shao-yi out of an uncongenialpost at Mukden and prepare him to stand by Yuan sside as financial adviser. The very day he set out,however, an Imperial Decree was published authorizingthe adoption of a standard currency on a tael basis, andit was believed at the time that this was Chang Chihtungs answer to Yuan s despatch of Tang Shao-yi.The decree has never been enforced however.From this time on to the middle of November theGovernment displayed no great activity. On the I4thof November the Emperor Kwang Hsu passed away, andwithin twenty-four hours the Empress-Dowager, whohad for a few hours become the Empress Grand Dowager,also passed away. The new Emperor, Pu Yi, who tookthe reign title of Hsiian Tung, was but a child of twoand a half years, so that his father, Prince Chun,became Regent. The Regent is brother to the lateEmperor. At this critical time the work of Governmentalmost appeared to stand still ; everything was possible,nothing happened. A fortnight after the opening of thenew reign the Chinese mind was vastly relieved by thepublication of an Imperial Decree concerning constitutional reform, in which it was declared that the newsovereign would adhere strictly to the plans laid downby his predecessor and follow his programme (as givenabove). That affairs were not going smoothly it wasnot difficult to infer from the fact that Chang Chih-tungwas asking for leave of absence at the same time asYuan Shih-k ai s memorial in favour of the establishment of a responsible cabinet within a year was beingadversely criticized by the rest of the Grand Councillors.The year closed in tranquillity.

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