Jordan,Yiian and Chinese politics,1906-I9rI II of both monarchs'were therefore to Jordan 'a fortunate solution of the difficulty'.3 CHAPTER II Jordan's optimism was short-lived.Early in Igog Yuan Shih-k'ai was JORDAN,YUAN AND CHINESE POLITICS summarily dismissed from the government by the regent,Prince Ch'un, 1906-1911 who was the father of the infant emperor,Hstan-t'ung,and a brother of the late emperor,Kuang-hsti.Furthermore,the Ch'ing government lost other indispensable officials:the veteran Chang Chih-tung died WHEN Jordan returned to Peking in 1go6 he found that society had early in October,shortly followed by the dismissal on trivial grounds of changed wonderfully'.Many of the social changes signified that'a.new Tuan-fang,whom Jordan regarded as the most able Manchu official at China'was emerging.Chinese ladies were seen on the street riding or the time.4 driving in carriages;and princes and other high dignitaries increasingly As expected by some Chinese officials before the imperial deaths, abandoned their traditional seclusion from dinner parties and other considerable tension in the government arose from the regent's obvious social occasions.More and more Chinese sought to eliminate opium- preference for Manchus than for Chinese.This resulted in marked smoking and foot-binding of women,regarding these traditions as Manchu ascendency in many departments.In order to strengthen the positive vices.1 Manchus militarily,Prince Ch'un in January Igog organized under his The political scene,however,was less encouraging.Between 19o6 and command a new army of hand-picked Manchu Imperial Guards the outbreak of the revolution in October IgIr Jordan observed,in a (Chin-wei chtin).He ordered it to be trained by his younger brother, somewhat over-simplified way,three basic trends in Chinese politics: Tsai-t'ao,and his kinsmen,Yu-liang and T"ieh-liang.In May Prince Su increasing weakness of the Manchu government;the growing strength (Shan-chi),Tsai-tse,the regent's cousin,Tieh-liang,and Sa-chen-ping of the anti-Manchu elements;and Yuan Shih-k'ai,representing the were instructed to make preparations for a navy.In June the regent middle course between the corrupt but conservative government and declared himself commander-in-chief of both the army and the navy, the radical anti-government forces. and an office of military supplies was established under Yu-liang's The Manchu government had been overtly incompetent since the direction.In August Tsai-hstin,another brother of the regent,and middle of the nineteenth century,and barely survived the Boxer Sa-chen-ping were ordered to inspect the military defenses of all the Uprising.Jordan's view of the situation was more pessimistic after the provinces along the coast and those bordering the Yangtze.Shortly death of the august empress dowager,Tz'u-hsi,on I5 November 19o8. afterwards they were sent to study the navies of various European The emperor Kuang-hsu died the day before,but the event was countries.At the end of Igro Tsai-hsun was appointed minister of the relatively insignificant.The empress dowager had been the effective navy,and in May IgII a General Staff Council (Chiin-tau fu)was set ruler of the country,and most people believed that it was her efforts up under Tsai-t'ao. which prevented China's immediate collapse after the Boxer catastrophe. Jordan obviously did not favour these developments because they The empress dowager's death had been dreaded for some time in would widen the rift between the Manchus and the Chinese.Further- official circles,and it was feared that her disappearance would cause an more,he had little faith in the Manchu leaders;apart from distrusting upsurge of anti-Chinese sentiment from the Manchus and disorder Tieh-liang for being an avowed enemy of Yuan Shih-k'ai,he did not generally.2 Many interested foreigners shared the same feeling.Yuan credit the two brothers of the regent with much ability.5 Shih-k'ai at this time was both president of the Ministry of Foreign Jordan,though concerned at the steady decline of the Ch'ing govern- Affairs (Wai-wu pu)and a member of the Grand Council (Chiin-chi ch').Jordan hadhad the additional worry that with the demise of the ment,was more disturbed by the growing autonomy of the provinces. He was convinced that the weakness of the central government vis-d-vis Empress,the emperor would wreak vengeance on Yuian for his betrayal the provinces could gravely affect foreign interests in China. of the Hundred Days Reform in 1898 which,if successful,would have In 1898 the British and Chinese Corporation obtained in the lower installed the emperor as the effective ruler.The 'simultaneous deaths Yangtze two concessions,namely the rights to build the Shanghai-