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 Liang Qichao (1873-1929) was a Chinese scholar, journalist, philosopher and reformist during the Late Qing Dynasty, who inspired Chinese scholars with his writings and reform movements.
Liang Qichao was born in Xinhui, Guangdong Province. His childhood and young stages, in many people’s eyes, fully complied with the definition of genius characters. He learned Si Shu Wu Jin (Four Books and Five Classics) at the age of six, could write articles over one thousand characters at nine, passed the Xiangshi official examination being Xiucai at twelve, and passed Huishi examination being Juren at seventeen. In ancient China, these are rarely comparable successes by others.
Liang was also a very diligent writer. In almost 36 years’ writing career, though a large part was taken by political activities, he left an average of 390,000 words per year, all kinds of writings amounted to more than 14 million words. He had a variety of anthologies published, most of which was incorporated in collection “Collected Works of Yinbingshi” (literally, collection of cold-drinking room) released in Sep. 11, 1936.
Reform Movements
As an advocate of constitutional monarchy, Liang was unhappy with the governance of the Qing Government and wanted to change the status quo in China. He organized reforms with Kang Youwei by putting their ideas on paper and sending them to Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty. This movement is known as the Wuxu Reform or the Hundred Days’ Reform. Their proposal asserted that China was in need of more than “self-strengthening”, and called for many institutional and ideological changes such as getting rid of corruption and remodeling the state examination system.
 This proposal soon ignited a frenzy of disagreements, and Liang became a wanted man by order of Empress Cixi, the leader of the political conservative party who later took over the government as regent. Cixi strongly opposed reforms at that time and along with her supporters, condemned the “hundred Days’ Reform” as being too radical.
In 1898, the Conservative Coup ended all reforms and began to sweep away reforming pioneers, the famous Six Gentlemen of Reform Movement were killed in Beijing, including Liang’s teacher Kang Youwei. Liang Qichao was exiled to Japan, where he stayed for the next fourteen years of his life. In Japan, he continued to actively advocate democratic nations and reforms by using his writings to raise support for the reformers’ cause among overseas Chinese and foreign governments. In 1899, Liang went to Canada, where he met Dr. Sun Yat-Sen among others, then to Honolulu in Hawaii. During the Boxer Rebellion, Liang was back in Canada, where he formed the “Save the Emperor Society”. This organization later became the Constitutionalist Party which advocated constitutional monarchy. While Sun promoted revolution, Liang preached reform.
Early Journalist
Liang Qichao was the “most influential turn-of-the-century scholar-journalist,” according to Levenson. Liang showed that newspapers and magazines could serve as an effective medium for communication political ideas.
Liang, as a historian and a journalist, believed that both careers must have the same purpose and “moral commitment.” Thus, he founded his first newspaper, called the Qing Yi Bao, named after a student movement of the Han Dynasty.
Liang’s exile to Japan allowed him to speak freely and exercise his intellectual autonomy. During his career in journalism, he edited two premier newspapers, Zhongwai Gongbao and Shiwu Bao. He also published his moral and political ideals in Qing Yi Bao and New Citizen.
In addition, he used his literary works to further spread his views on republicanism both in China and across the world. Accordingly, he had become an influential journalist in terms of political and cultural aspects by writing new forms of periodical journals. Furthermore, journalism paved the way for him to express his patriotism.
Translator, Poet and Novelist
Liang was of the Translation Bureau and oversaw the training of students who were learning to translate Western works into Chinese. He believed that this task was “the most essential of all essential undertakings to accomplish” because he believed Westerners were successful – politically, technologically and economically.
Liang advocated reform in both the genres of poem and novel. Collected Works of Yinbingshi are his representative works in literature which were collected and compiled into 148 volumes.
Liang also wrote fiction and scholarly essays on fiction, which included Fleeting to Japan after failure of Hundred Day’s Reform (1898) and the essay On the Relationship between Fiction and the Government of the People (1902). These novels emphasized modernization in the West and the call for reform.
His Family
 Liang had two wives in his life. The first one, Li Huixian, was introduced by her cousin who happened to the claims examiner of Liang and admired his brilliance very much. When Liang and Li got married, Li brought two maids along and one named Wang Guiquan, who later became Liang’s mistress in 1903, and cared for the children after Li Huixian’s death in 1924.
Liang Qichao had 9 daughters and sons, many of who later became outstanding talents:
• Liang Sishun (1893-1966), the eldest daughter, the poetry research experts.
• Liang Sicheng (1901-1972), the eldest son, famous construction scientists, elected one of the first academicians of the central institute (humanities group) in March 1948. His wife was Lin Huiyin.
• Liang Siyong (1904-1954), the second son, famous archaeologists elected one of the first academicians of the central institute (humanities group) in March 1948.
• Liang Sizhong (1907-1932), the third son, served as officer of Kuomintang NO. 19 Artillery, and died early due to illness.
• Liang Sizhuang (1908-1986), the second daughter, famous library experts, deputy curator of Beijing University Library.
• Liang Sida (1912-2001), the fourth son, famous economics.
• Liang Siyi (1914-1988), the third daughter, engaged in social activities.
• Liang Sining (1916-2006), the fourth daughter, engaged in Red Army for China's revolution, vice minister and consulter of the department of international contact of China Red Cross.
• Liang Sili (1924- ), famous rocket control system expert, elected the academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1993.
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