Japan's politics of assassination not only changed Japan's political trajectory, but also changed China's destiny. The "Treaty of Shimonoseki" that the Chinese are familiar with is stained with the blood of assassination violence.

text | Qiu Liben

Japan’s politics of assassination not only changed Japan’s political trajectory, but also changed China’s destiny. The "Treaty of Shimonoseki " that the Chinese are familiar with is stained with the blood of assassination violence. On March 24, 1895, Qing dynasty minister Li Hongzhang , who went to Shimonoseki, Japan, to negotiate the aftermath of the Sino-Japanese War of 1895, was shot in the left face by the assassin Koyama Toyotaro. , how embarrassing it is.

This was a major event that shocked the world at that time. Li Hongzhang survived the catastrophe and escaped. However, Japan immediately faced pressure from the great powers and lost confidence in diplomatic negotiations. It gave up asking the Qing Dynasty to cede the Liaodong Peninsula, and received 100 million taels less in compensation for military expenses. However, in the face of the failure of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1894, the Qing government had to cede Taiwan, which led to the painful history of the island being colonized by Japan for fifty years.

The 60-episode TV series " Towards a Republic" launched by CCTV in 2003 reproduced the scene of Li Hongzhang's assassination. Director Zhang Li, Sheng Heyu, and screenwriter Zhang Jianwei all paid great attention to details and brought Li Hongzhang to life in the spring. The process of twists and turns and mediation in the sail building is described in detail. The veteran actor Wang Bing who played Li Hongzhang was in his sixties at the time, similar to Li Hongzhang. He had gone through the storms of political movements and years of hardships. He said that he found the basis for his performance in " the emotional bankbook", and he raised his hand. Every move is a play.

Wang Bing filmed the scene where the "Treaty of Shimonoseki" was signed. It was so emotional that it felt like he was actually there. A female Japanese translator on the crew couldn't help but hug him and burst into tears afterwards. Wang Bing also said Li Hongzhang's famous saying: "One generation can only do what one generation has done."

"Toward the Republic" is a wonder of modern history TV series. It depicts the social changes of Japan's Meiji Restoration in detail, pointing out that Japan's victory in the Sino-Japanese War was the result of the mobilization of the whole country and the emperor's hard work. Many Japanese actors were used in the play to recreate the customs and customs of the Meiji period, showing the atmosphere of an era when Japan had strong hope but was also gradually heading toward self-destruction. The political passion of the new generation of is even willing to use political violence to eliminate any force that blocks the path of militarism.

In the play, Li Hongzhang's character is treated from a sympathetic and understanding perspective, breaking the past narrative that criticized him as a "traitor". In the precarious setting sun of the empire, he used his all-rounded figure to deal with internal and external pressures, trying to minimize the damage. He was assassinated in Japan, but his vitals were not injured, but deep down he was heartbroken and found the pain of being alone and helpless. Later, also faced Qiu Fengjia 's negative comment that " the prime minister has the power to cede territory, but the lonely minister is powerless to recover. ". The blood of Li Hongzhang's assassination failed to prevent him from signing the Treaty of Shimonoseki and could not change Taiwan's fate of being colonized.

But now Abe ’s blood on the streets of Nara has become the ink for Japan to revise its peace constitution . With the strong support of public opinion, Japan is bound to cancel Article 9 of the Constitution and embark on the path of military expansion. It will also impact the situation in the Taiwan Strait and intervene in cross-strait relations. The politics of assassination has become an accelerator of changes in power, heading towards the future of an uncertain era.

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