Kang Youwei

[kahng yoo-wey]

or K'ang Yu-wei

(born March 19, 1858, Guangdong province, China—died March 31, 1927, Qingdao, Shandong) Chinese scholar, a key figure in the intellectual development of modern China. In 1895 Kang led hundreds of provincial graduates to protest the humiliating terms of China's treaty with Japan after the Sino-Japanese War and to petition for reforms to strengthen the nation. In 1898 the Qing emperor launched a reform program that included streamlining the government, strengthening the armed services, promoting local self-government, and opening Beijing University. The empress Cixi annulled the reforms and had six reform leaders executed, and Kang had to flee the country. In exile, he opposed revolution; instead, he favoured rebuilding China through science, technology, and industry. He returned in 1914 and participated in an abortive restoration of the emperor. His fears of a divided country led him to oppose the government of Sun Yat-sen in southern China. Kang is also known for his reappraisal of Confucius, whom he saw as a reformer.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.

Lin Yang-kang

Lin Yang-kang (林洋港, pinyin: Lín Yánggǎng; b. June 10, 1927) is a politician in the Republic of China (Taiwan).

Biography

Born in Nantou County, Taiwan, Lin graduated from National Taiwan University with a bachelor of science degree. He was:

1967-72: Magistrate of Nantou County
1976-78: Mayor of Taipei City
1978-81: Chairman of Taiwan Province
1981-84: Minister of the Interior
1984-87: Vice Premier of the Republic of China
1987-94: President of the Judicial Yuan

He is a vice-chairman of the Kuomintang. In the 1990s, Lin was in the "non-mainstream faction" that aimed to be less confrontational with the People's Republic of China than Lee Teng-hui. He tried to replace Lee in the 1990 indirect presidential election, with Chiang Wei-kuo as his running mate.

He resigned his position as the head of the Judicial Yuan to become a presidential candidate in the 1996 elections. Since the Kuomintang did not nominate him, Lin ran as an independent. Though he originally considered Chen Li-an as his vice presidential running mate, finally he still picked former Premier Hau Pei-tsun, considering Hau's background might attract more mainlanders' votes for him. However because of his pro-China and pro-reunification standpoints during the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis, they only finished third with 14.9% of the vote. He has since retired from political affairs and secluded himself in Taichung after this defeat.

Lin is married to Chen Ho (陳閤) with one son and 3 daughters.