Returning to China in 1920, Liang retired from political life. He returned to journalism, editing a new publication Emancipation and Reconstruction, focused on importing new economic ideas from the West. He died of cancer in 1929, in Beijing. Like Wei Yuan and Feng Guifen, Liang drifted back towards his traditional Confucian and Buddhist roots as he… Read more »
In 1917, China joined the fight against the Germans in World War I, partly in hope of securing a stronger position in global affairs should the French and British allies prevail. Japan had committed to the war three years earlier, on the same side. Liang traveled to Europe as China’s envoy to the Paris Peace… Read more »
With the sudden and anti-climactic collapse of the Qing in 1911, Liang saw his chance to throw his hat in the ring politically. Estranged from Sun Yat-sen’s party, however, Liang decided to support the opposition, led by Yuan Shikai. Yuan Shikai (1859–1916) was an important Chinese general, an ally of Li Hongzhang during China’s late… Read more »