# Lin Xu

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{{Short description|Chinese politician (1875–1898)}}
{{Family name hatnote|[Lin](/source/Lin_(surname))|lang=Chinese}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Lin Xu
| image              = Ling Heuk.JPG
| alt                = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software -->
| caption            = 
| native_name        = {{nobold|林旭}}
| birth_name         = 
| birth_date         = 1875
| birth_place        = Houguan, Fujian (now Fuzhou)
| death_date         = 28 September 1898
| death_place        = [Caishikou](/source/Caishikou), [Beijing](/source/Beijing)
| death_cause        = Beheading, Execution
| native_name_lang   = zh
| other_names        = 
| occupation         = Government official, reformer, scholar, writer
| years_active       = 
| known_for          = Advocacy of political reform
| notable_works      = 
| movement           = Reformist faction
}}
'''Lin Xu''' ({{lang-zh|c=林旭}}; 1875<ref name="Yang Tianshi 2011">{{cite book|author=Yang Tianshi|title=The End of Imperialism: A Concise History of the Xinhai Revolution|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SbSUDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT68|date=1 August 2011|publisher=Yuelu Press|isbn=978-7-80761-636-8|pages=68–}}</ref> – 28 September 1898<ref name="Becker2008">{{cite book|author=Jasper Becker|title=City of Heavenly Tranquility: Beijing in the History of China|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bYxlFQF1JccC&pg=PA97|year=2008|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-530997-3|pages=97–}}</ref>), [courtesy name](/source/courtesy_name) '''Tungu''' ({{lang|zh|暾谷}}), was a Chinese politician, scholar, songwriter and poet who lived in Fujian. He was also a student of [Kang Youwei](/source/Kang_Youwei), a prominent official and one of the leaders of a [reform movement](/source/reform_movement) in the late Qing regime.

Lin Xu was one of the "[Six Gentlemen of Wuxu](/source/Six_gentlemen_of_the_Hundred_Days'_Reform)".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dangshi.people.com.cn/n1/2017/0223/c85037-29103252.html|title=Lin Xu before and after the Wuxu Reform|author=|date=2017-02-23|work=[People's Daily](/source/People's_Daily)}}</ref> On September 28, 1898, he was executed at [Caishikou Execution Grounds](/source/Caishikou_Execution_Grounds) in [Beijing](/source/Beijing) via [decapitation](/source/decapitation).<ref name="Shan2018">{{cite book|author=Patrick Fuliang Shan|title=Yuan Shikai: A Reappraisal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E1JtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA84|date=14 November 2018|publisher=UBC Press|isbn=978-0-7748-3781-1|pages=84–}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-7YtAQAAIAAJ |title=Xinhua Digest |publisher=[People's Publishing House](/source/People's_Press_(Beijing)) |year=2004 |pages=72–}}</ref>

==Biography==
Lin Xu was born in [Houguan](/source/Houguan_county) (侯官), which is now [Fuzhou, Fujian](/source/Fuzhou%2C_Fujian).<ref>{{cite book|title=History of Chinese Literature: Modern Volumes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ANxxAAAAIAAJ|year=1998|publisher=Jilin People's Publishing House}}</ref> He took the [imperial examination](/source/imperial_examination) locally and obtained the position of a "[Jieyuan](/source/Jieyuan)" ({{lang|zh|解元}}) in 1893.<ref>{{cite book|author=|title=Fuzhou Old Pictures|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gmJ8AAAAIAAJ|year=2000|publisher=People's Fine Arts Press|isbn=978-7-102-02191-1}}</ref> In 1895, he had become an official.

In April 1898, in response to foreign [imperialism](/source/imperialism) and internal political turmoil within the Qing government, Lin co-founded the State Protection Association ({{lang|zh|保國會}}) with others to oppose [colonialism](/source/colonialism). He fought for radical social, educational and political reforms in China. As one of the [Six Gentlemen](/source/Six_gentlemen_of_the_Hundred_Days'_Reform) who attempted to implement the [Hundred Days' Reform](/source/Hundred_Days'_Reform) programme with backing from the Guangxu ruler, Lin advocated a radical position in which China would adopt a modern-style government and convert into absolute dictatorship to a [Prime minister](/source/Prime_minister) ruled [constitutional monarchy](/source/constitutional_monarchy).

However, on 21 September 1898, the conservative faction in the Qing government, led by [Empress Dowager Cixi](/source/Empress_Dowager_Cixi), saw the Hundred Days' Reform programme as a foreign plot to overthrow the government. The State Protection Association was disbanded, and the Hundred Days' Reform was terminated, while the Six Gentlemen were arrested and imprisoned. Seven days later, on 28 September, [Empress Dowager Cixi](/source/Empress_Dowager_Cixi) ordered the Six Gentlemen to be executed and beheaded outside [Xuanwu Gate](/source/Xuanwumen_(Beijing)) in [Beijing](/source/Beijing).

==References==
{{Reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lin, Xu}}
Category:Qing dynasty government officials
Category:1875 births
Category:1898 deaths
Category:Politicians from Fuzhou
Category:Writers from Fuzhou
Category:Musicians from Fuzhou
Category:Poets from Fujian
Category:Qing dynasty poets
Category:Deaths by decapitation

{{China-politician-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Lin Xu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lin_Xu) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lin_Xu?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.