Liang Qichao (1873-1929) was a reformist intellectual, who facing brutal repression fled to Japan where he lived for fourteen years. His long exile, travels and writing - of fiction, journalism and above all essays - gave Liang a unique authority in the first years of the twentieth century. Liang then became a key figure in the Republic of China; his attempts to foster parliamentary government failed, but he successfully opposed efforts to re-establish the monarchy.
