Yun Yuding

Yun Yuding

Yun Yuding (1862-1917), a native of Daxing, Hebei Province, was born in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province. In the 15th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu, he was a Jinshi in the imperial examination. He served successively as an announcer of the daily lecture hall, an assistant lecturer of the Imperial Academy, an assistant editor, editor in chief, and an adjunct of the National History Museum, a manager of the Wenyuan Pavilion, the president of the Xian'an palace, a bachelor's degree, an editor in chief of the National History Museum, and the general office of the constitutional research institute. He served as a court historian in the late Qing Dynasty for 19 years.

Life of the characters

Yun Yuding acted all his life, and the events of Shenqu and shencen had the greatest influence. On the sixth day of may in the 33rd year of Guangxu (1907), Yun Yuding, who was then serving as a bachelor, impeached Qu Hongyi, Minister of military aircraft. On the next day, he served Zhu Yu, and Qu kaique returned home. On the first day of July in the same year, he impeached Cen Chunxuan, governor of Guangdong and Guangxi. On the fourth day of the same year, he served the imperial edict: "Cen Zhao kaique recuperates to show his sympathy." In less than two months, he brought down two important officials in succession, making him famous in the government and the opposition. In fact, in these two incidents, Yun Yuding was only instructed by others and played a small role in the political struggle of the upper class. Like many literati in the Qing Dynasty, Yun Yuding kept a diary for decades. After his death, his diary was kept by his family, some of which were lost accidentally. In 1960, Yun Baohui, Yun Yuding's son, returned all the 36 diaries to Peking University Library. Some historians have consulted and quoted these diary materials in the library of Peking University, but the whole diary has not been published because of its large space and difficulty in sorting out. With ten years' efforts, Mr. Shi Xiaofeng has finished the collation and collation work, so that this precious historical material can be used for reference by more researchers. Yun Yuding's Diary of Chengzhai, which was written in 1.2 million words from 1882 to 1917, is a comprehensive record of Yun Yuding's work and life for decades. Because of his work, Yun Yuding had the opportunity to observe the words and deeds of Cixi, Guangxu and the court ministers closely. Out of his professional habits, he recorded all kinds of details in his diary, which reproduced the scene for later generations. During the routine New Year's celebrations, the foreign envoys' presence, the funerals of Cixi and Guangxu, and Xuantong's accession to the throne, he did not avoid trivial things, recording the ritual procedures, the official's clothes and colors, and the words and deeds of the relevant personnel one by one (for example, several second-class officials "talked loudly and laughed freely" at the funerals). The records of the last emperor Puyi's accession to the throne in his diary are often quoted by historians as follows: "he cried bitterly for his mother The king of prison took him on foot, entered the temple through the back door, ascended to the throne, wept and refused to take his seat. The governor stood on his feet, knelt on the throne and stood on the throne. 4. The eunuch was there to comfort him. He was crying. He wanted to go home, but he didn't want to be here. " Another example is the scene of Puyi's entrance: "on the 18th, it was sunny. The emperor's admission is a celebration Master Lu wrote this cross and recognized it word by word. I can only read four characters. I am familiar with it, but I am not. Yi Jiaoxi (who teaches Qingwen is called Jiaoxi, not Shifu) teaches Qingwen first, and can remember two letters on it. " Chongling zhuanxinlu, an appendix of this book, is a history of the late Qing Dynasty, which has a great influence in the field of historiography. Yun Yuding was in the declining period of the Qing Dynasty. In his diary, he recorded his worries and indignation about the decline of the country and the corruption of the government. He also put forward many opinions and propositions to save the poor and make the country strong. For example, in his diary of August 21, Guangxu made a detailed analysis of the eight reform measures mentioned by the officials. He believed that some of them could be considered, while others should adapt to the present law and oppose simply imitating the western law. His views on major issues such as the division of the Yangtze River and Huaihe River into provinces and the management of Xinjiang still have some reference value today. The ideological situation of the intellectuals in the late Qing Dynasty reflected in the diary is representative. Yun Yuding had a great ambition to save the world and the people. He once thought of using his talents in local areas. He paid attention to looking for talents and was willing to receive people from all over the world. His diary records the names, native places and specialties of the people he saw in detail, which is a valuable material for studying the characters in the late Qing Dynasty. Yun Yuding also mercilessly exposed the consequences of the Qing Dynasty's "literary prison" destruction and tampering with history. He lamented the previous emperor's blocking of the national heroes yuan Keli and Yue Fei, and said: "Dong Sibai's Yuemiao stele and Yuan jiehuan's tombstone are taboos and misfortunes. We can see the disaster of the writing between Yong and Qian Yun Yuding was not successful in his official career. He was always an ordinary Beijing official without much power. However, working in the court and living in the market, his hobbies were fully developed, so his diary had a broader vision and richer content. He is a historian, especially proficient in the annals of the Three Kingdoms. His diary records a lot of historical experience. As a doctor, he is quite conceited of his medical skills and founded the "Medical Research Association" in 1910. There are often records in his diary that he treats people from the top to the top; he is an ancient book collector, proficient in edition bibliography; he is a calligrapher, quite famous for Dongpo He is a poet with many records of poetry, wine and harmony in his diary, and his poems are of the true nature. He is also a fan of Peking Opera and Kunqu Opera, and has a lot of contacts with famous actors at that time. In addition, the diary also recorded many customs at that time, such as "eating dreams" related to the imperial examination, "calling Qin" and "calling deer" related to entertainment, and "snatching marriage" within three days of the national funeral, and even recorded "stars" (UFOs). The diary is rich in content and fluent in writing, which can not only be used for reference by professional workers, but also be an interesting book for ordinary readers. At the request of the national Compilation Committee of Qing Dynasty history, Yun Yuding's Diary of Chengzhai was also included in its literature series. Dai Yi, the director of the national Compilation Committee of Qing history and a famous Qing historian, personally wrote the preface and highly praised the book's collation and publication. He believed that "the publication of this diary will undoubtedly play a positive role in promoting the study of modern Chinese history and is a good book worthy of recommendation.".

Reflection on the subjugation

Yun Yuding left a diary of nearly 1.2 million words. From the Guangxu Dynasty to the early Republic of China, the changes of the central government, the wind of the times, and even his personal mental journey were all detailed. In the last stage of his life, he not only witnessed the end of the Qing Dynasty, but also witnessed Zhao Liewen's saying that "Fangzhou has no owners and people are in charge of their own affairs". On the afternoon of February 12, 1912, Yun Yuding, a retired official, rushed to Beijing. Just after discussing the current situation with his German friend collier, he had to go to Zhao Bingjun, Minister of civil affairs, to inquire about the political situation of the court. Yun Yuding was originally the editor in chief of the National History Museum. He was an idle official in Beijing. After leaving his post, he even claimed that he was indifferent to the world and did not compete with others. However, since the success of the revolutionary party in Wuchang, Yun Yuding saw that the Qing Dynasty was coming to an end, so he could no longer feel at ease to "read and write, grow bamboo and plant flowers". Since then, for more than ten days in a row, he has intensively recorded the current situation in his diary. His anxiety and indignation overflowed in his writing. On October 20, he even denounced the corruption and incompetence of the government, which was close to madness. On October 30, the Qing government finally issued an imperial edict to open the party ban and release political prisoners. It also stipulated that the royal family should not be cabinet ministers. Yun Yuding suddenly realized that the peace talks between the north and the South could be completed and that the Qing Dynasty could survive. So he was in a rare good mood. On this day, he specially mentioned in his diary that "six or seven begonias in Xiyuan are blooming, bright and lovely.". It's too late. After that, the Qing government was still in a dilemma, and the dignitaries were helpless, so they had to issue an edict to call a parliament to solicit opinions. Ten days later, the Qing Dynasty began to withdraw cash and deposit it in foreign banks. At this time, Yun Yuding was running around calling for advice and suggestions to save the Qing Dynasty. On December 28, Yun Yuding met with his fellow countryman Feng Guozhang and other more than 30 people to discuss. At the meeting, he cried out that we must use force to pacify the chaos. At the same time, we must dissolve the Advisory Bureau, which is "dedicated to stirring up disturbances" and seal up the newspapers to calm people's hearts. But in that day's diary, Yun Yuding wrote that "from the perspective of the general situation, Manchuria is doomed." Finally, on the morning of February 12, the Empress Dowager Longyu handed over the abdication edict with imperial seal to Zhao Bingjun and army Minister Wang Shizhen in the Yangxin Hall of the Forbidden City. Later, Zhao Bingjun and others bowed three times to the crying empress dowager Longyu and quietly turned to withdraw from the Yangxin Hall: the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China for 267 years, ended. In the afternoon of the same day, Zhao Bingjun told Yun Yuding that "Yizhi has announced his resignation". Although he had a premonition, Yun Yuding was still "in grief and indignation" at the moment when he got the definite news, and cried bitterly that "the country was dead.". Late that night, he reflected on the demise of the Qing Dynasty with unprecedented length in his diary. the reflection begins with the cry of Empress Dowager Longyu when she summoned Zhao Bingjun: "generally speaking, they are dear to each other. They sell everything and everything they lack. They sell all the time, so that they sell their ancestors." Longyu even angrily accused Pro GUI, saying that "up to now, I have no plan, but later I say something ready-made, and even evade one after another, leaving my widow and orphan in the dark." What empress dowager Longyu said is true. At that time, the oldest assistant minister, Prince Qing Yi, was famous for his corruption and selling official titles. He was called "the richest man in the late Qing Dynasty" by posterity. He had more than 2 million taels of silver deposit in HSBC alone. Even the New York Times and other famous foreign media reported that Yi's family was the "market" of Chinese officialdom, with "toll booths" set up in the gatehouse, which was called "Lao Qing Ji Gong" Division ". Yun Yuding himself also criticized the central corruption of the Qing Dynasty. In 1908, he wrote in his diary: "the current affairs are not the same day, but the officials, chariots, horses, clothes, wine, food and war in the Beijing Dynasty are more and more extravagant." On the eve of his resignation, he angrily denounced the officialdom at that time, for example, "if you don't climb the skirt, you can't be an official" and "all Beijing officials are addicted to money"

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