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Chapter D A Biographica l Sketc h o f Li e Xuexun : Th e Controversial an d Mysteriou s Guangdon g Gambling Farmer 9 Mandarin-Capitalis t and Secre t Agen t i n Moder n China 1 Ho Hon-wai "TT~ i u Xuexu n wa s a colourful, mysteriou s an d controversia l figure i n late imperia l an d earl y Republica n China . Althoug h hi s nam e i s 'I •/reasonabl y familia r t o historian s o f moder n China , littl e els e i s reported o f hi m i n th e secondar y literature . I n hi s stud y o f th e Imperia l Bank o f China , fo r example , Alber t Feuerwerke r note d tha t To r thre e members o f the bank's board o f directors there is no informatio n availabl e other tha n thei r names : the y wer e Wan g Wei , Li u Hsueh-hsu n (Li u Xuexun) an d Ch'e n Hsien.' 2 Thi s is not quit e th e sum of our knowledg e of the man. Joshua A. Fogel claims that 'while information o n Liu Hsueh hsun is not easily forthcoming', Feuerwerker' s statement 'seems a bit hasty'.3 Chinese historiograph y i s onl y a little mor e forthcoming . Accordin g to Fen g Ziyou' s accoun t w e kno w tha t Li u wa s a n influentia l Weixing 4 gambling farmer , an d tha t i n 190 0 h e wa s th e mastermin d behin d th e abortive schem e b y Guangdon g an d Guangx i Governor-Genera l L i Hongzhang (1823—1901 ) for the independence of the two provinces during the Boxer uprising. This episode has been treated in detail in the works o f Wu Xiangxian g (an d o f Harol d Z . SchifTrin) . Also , i n th e eye s o f Lian g Qichao (1873-1929) , Liu constituted a formidable obstacl e to the reformer s in Sout h Chin a afte r th e failur e o f the Hundre d Day s reform. Fo r a time Liang even considered making an attempt on his life. And Ding Wenjiang' s First Draft of the Documentary Chronological Biography of Mr. Liang Qichao 5 provides interesting information o n this subject (abou t which, more below). 142 Ho Hon-wai However, informatio n o n Liu's life is still scanty, vague an d fragmentary . The situatio n has improved somewha t a s new historica l sources have becom e available, notably primary archiva l materials. Although complet e informatio n on Li u i s still lacking, w e ar e in a better position toda y t o describ e hi s socia l and politica l backgroun d a s wel l a s hi s varie d caree r tha n w e wer e tw o decades ago . In thi s chapter, I thread togethe r availabl e fragments o f historical information i n a n attempt t o construc t a biographical sketc h o f Liu Xuexun , particularly i n relatio n t o som e o f the mos t importan t event s an d figures o f his time , th e bette r t o understan d bot h Li u an d ke y politica l issue s o f th e period. Early Caree r i n Guangdong : Gamblin g Farme r an d Relation s with Su n Yat-se n Liu Xuexun , style d Wenchu, alia s Ougen, wa s a native o f Xiangshan count y in Guangdong . H e earne d hi s juren (secon d degre e graduate ) qualificatio n in 1879 , an d obtaine d hi s jinshi (thir d degre e graduate ) degre e i n th e metropolitan examinatio n seve n year s later. 6 However , h e di d no t tak e u p the caree r i n officialdo m promise d b y hi s examinatio n success . Instead , h e carved ou t a career a s a gambling farmer . Perhap s h e mad e hi s ow n choic e against th e background of'th e inflatio n o f the traditiona l rulin...

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