Yan Fu: Hundred Days Reform

Different from Wang’s literati arguments, Yan Fu successfully offered his scientific explanation of the need of change. Yan Fu’s unique interests and standpoint is the advanced western thought of Darwin and Spence on Evolution of specie, “The idea is that people and things exist in profusion, surviving on what the natural environment provides, but when they encounter others, people and things struggle over the means of survival” (De Bary 646). For surviving, species need to compete with other species, which involved changes. Yan Fu felt this moral idea could also apply to the survival of a country. Completion just made one better and better. For a country, once it competed with others, it would figure out own weakness. By strengthening weakness, it would be advanced and had no chance being beaten up by others. It indirectly shows us a country should make changes in order to competitively survive. Only the most advanced country could be the best among others rather. Otherwise, the country would …show more content…
As one of the leaders of Hundred Days reform, Kang thought change is not a new topic for china, as he wrote in his essay Kongzi gaizhi kao, “Chinese principles and institutions were all laid down by Confucius. He disciples received his teachings and transmitted them so that they were carried out in the country and used to change old custom” (De Bary 651). Rather than directly showing people something abstract, Kang slowed down the process which helped people to accept his idea. In this way, by taking Confucius as the example of reformer, Kang intended to notice people that changes don’t mean only bad results to the society. As the sage Kangzi, he did change previous thought and made it become his own useful things to others and his disciples. Therefore, people should not feel about changes, and they should have positive attitude toward changes happening in the