

孫中山領導辛亥革命,無數仁人志士拋頭顱、灑熱血,付出了自己的青春與生命,特別是最先走出國門睜眼看世界的大批赴日留學生在推動社會歷史轉變的辛亥革命中扮演了舉足輕重的角色。
風起云涌的留日浪潮
1871年《中日修好條規》簽訂后,兩國正式建立近代意義上的外交關系。1894年,中國海軍在甲午海戰中慘敗。中國各階層看到日本明治維新的成功,感覺到中國在物質文明、科學技術和思想文化上的落后,痛心之余,開始關注日本,關注日本的近代轉型,“以日本為師”的呼聲迅速高漲。1896年,清政府批準唐寶鍔等13位學生赴日本留學,從而掀起了長達40多年留學日本的熱潮。這些留學生中,既有滿腔熱血的青年子弟,也有胸懷遠大的王公子弟;既有探尋真理的秀才舉人,也有學習知識的在職官員,甚至還有沖破束縛的纏足女子和生命不息的白發老翁,浩浩蕩蕩的赴日大軍“好像唐僧取經一樣,懷著圣潔而嚴肅的心情,靜悄悄地離開故鄉,掛帆而去”,成為中日兩國茫茫大海上一道亮麗的風景。歷時42年的頻繁留日運動,就像1000年前日本的遣隋、遣唐使們,形成了中日文化交流史上的盛事,極大地影響了中國近代社會的發展進程,對中國和日本的經濟、政治、社會和文化都產生了深遠的影響。其中,最直接的影響就是促進了近代中國革命運動的蓬勃發展,從康有為、梁啟超到國民黨、共產黨,赴日留學人員在許多重大歷史階段都發揮了重要的作用。
留日學生吳玉章曾經寫過一首詩:“東亞風云大陸沉,浮槎東渡起雄心;為求富國強兵策,強忍拋妻別子情。”這是當時留日學生心情的集體寫照,他們懷抱各自救國的不同理念,像海綿吸水一般如饑似渴地努力學習軍事、法政、文史、外語、美術、醫學等文化知識,希望為祖國的獨立、富強和繁榮貢獻自己的力量。正如1919年即將回國的周恩來寫到的:“大江歌罷掉頭東,邃密群科濟世窮。面壁十年圖破壁,難酬蹈海亦英雄。”歷史表明,正是這一批批前仆后繼蹈海的先驅成為推動中國革命勝利的排頭兵。
留日學生的革命和文化活動
戊戌變法失敗后,維新派領袖康有為、梁啟超等都得到日本友人的幫助,亡命日本,繼續進行宣傳、鼓動和組織革命與文化活動。1894年,孫中山在檀香山成立興中會后,許多留日學生仰慕孫中山的革命熱情,身懷救國的理想,放棄了在日本的學業,回到國內進行革命活動,如黃興、宋教仁在湖南組織了華興會,陶成章、徐錫麟在江浙組織了光復會,吳春陽、陳獨秀在安徽組織了岳王會,浙江留學生傅夢豪作為留日中國國民會代表回滬協助宋教仁、陳其美成立中國國民會,等等,這些革命團體成為推動近代中國革命與社會變革的重要政治力量。
1905年8月20日,在孫中山和黃興的聯合倡導下,流亡日本的革命黨人在東京成立了同盟會。同盟會以及華興會、光復會等革命團體的主要領導人和各個部門的負責人,除了孫中山以外,幾乎都是留日學生,如相當于同盟會副總理的黃興,管總務庶務科的宋教仁、搞外交的廖仲愷,評議部的吳玉章等,同盟會派到國內各個省去發動群眾的主盟人,也主要由留日學生擔任。
此外,以“革命軍中馬前卒”自稱的留日學生鄒容寫成《革命軍》一書,旗幟鮮明、通俗易懂地回答了中國民主革命的基本問題,在國內和日本廣泛流行,“倘說影響,則別的千言萬語,大概都抵不過淺近直截的‘革命軍中馬前卒’鄒容所做的《革命軍》”(魯迅語)。留日學生陳天華先后撰寫《猛回頭》和《警世鐘》,揭露帝國主義列強瓜分中國,清朝政府淪為“洋人的朝廷”,號召全國各階層民眾團結起來,推翻清政府的反動統治,等等。他們宣傳革命思想、啟發民智,有力地推動了全國革命形勢的高漲,成為辛亥起義的重要吹鼓手。
活躍在辛亥革命中的留學生
隨著國內民族危機和革命形勢的發展,大批留日學生或拋棄學業或學成回國,積極投身到如火如荼的社會革命運動中,成為各省起義中的中堅力量。
號稱“鑒湖女俠”的秋瑾到日本后與女同學發起組織了近代中國第一個婦女愛國組織——“共愛會”。為了宣傳革命、喚醒民眾,秋瑾還在東京創辦了《白話報》月刊。她先后結識了陶成章、陳天華、黃興、魯迅、何香凝等一大批愛國人士,并加入了陶成章等人組織的光復會,同盟會成立后被推舉為浙江省分會會長和評議部評議員。1907年,她在紹興主持大通學堂的校務,暗中培養革命力量,提倡軍事訓練。皖浙起義失敗后,秋瑾慷慨就義。作為一名得風氣之先的女革命者,秋瑾以自己的言行舉止演繹了“不惜千金買寶刀,貂裘換酒也堪豪。一腔熱血勤珍重,灑去猶能化碧波”的豪壯人生,成為近代留日學生投身革命運動的楷模。
1910年開始,同盟會在中國各地發動的10多次武裝起義,起義的指揮官,大多留學于日本士官學校等軍事學校,如最為壯烈的廣州起義,埋在黃花崗的七十二烈士中就有林覺民、方聲洞等8名留日學生。1911年10月10日辛亥革命爆發,留日學生成了各省起義的重要軍事指揮力量。另外,大阪高等醫學校的留學生組織了紅十字會,浙江嘉興留學生蔣可宗任隊長回國奔赴戰場,為起義軍治療傷病員,參加了光復杭州、攻占南京等戰役。
辛亥革命之后,五四運動、新文化運動及共產黨成立過程中,作為領導及骨干的留日學生蔡元培、陳獨秀、李大釗、魯迅、王國維、李叔同、郁達夫等一大批知識精英以“從別國竊得火來,本意是煮自己的肉”的精神,擎起了中國思想、教育、藝術和文學等文化建設的大旗。可以說,留日學生在風云際會的近現代歷史上,以自己的知識、才情和熱情,成為中國經濟、社會、科技、文化從傳統走向現代的生力軍,抒寫了絢麗多彩的社會畫卷。
Students Played a Big Role in 1911 Revolution
By Yao Cheng
The 1911 Revolution overthrew China’s 2-millennia feudal system and opened the nation to the outside world, the modern era and the future. The success of the revolution was made possible by many individuals, including a large group of students who had been to Japan and got the first glimpse of what the world of today looked like. These students-turned-revolutionaries played a critical role in the success of the 1911 revolution.
The 1871 treaty between China and Japan on improving relations between the two countries led to the founding of the modern diplomatic relationships between the two neighbors. The Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 prompted Chinese to examine the colossal success of the Meiji Reform of Japan and study the next-door neighbor and its rapid, eye-opening, and awe-inspiring upgrade to modernization and industrialization.
In 1896, the Chinese government sent 13 students to study in Japan, thus marking the beginning of a 42-year period of Chinese students receiving modernized education in Japan. The students included the hot-blooded young people, descendents of royal families of the Qing Dynasty, scholars cultivated by the Chinese imperial examination system, and government officials. Some of these students were women and old men. In Japan they studied military affairs, law and politics, history, literature, foreign languages, art, medicine, just as did the Japanese who came to China during the Tang Dynasty about 1,000 years ago. The 42 years marked a flourishing period of cultural exchanges between the two countries. The Chinese people who visited Japan and studied there played an unprecedented role in shaping the fate of modern China.
After the failure of the 100-day Reform in 1898, Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao, the two major leaders of the movement, escaped to Japan with the help of Japanese friends. In 1894, Dr. Sun Yat-sen set up “Revive-China Society” in Honolulu. Many Chinese studying in Japan admired Dr. Sun’s revolution ideal and came back to China to start revolutionary activities. Anti-Qing organizations mushroomed, becoming important political forces that pushed for changes in the ancient nation.
And Japan became the place where Chinese revolutionaries took refuge and reorganized themselves. On August 20, 1905, Chinese revolutionaries in exile in Japan organized themselves into the United League of China. With the exception of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, all the other founding members were those who had studied or were studying in Japan. Many Chinese students went back to their home provinces to organize the same-minded people together. Zou Rong (1885-1905), a martyr of the anti-Qing revolution, wrote “The Revolutionary Army”, a pamphlet published in Shanghai in 1903. It explained all the key issues of the revolution in plain Chinese. It became the most influential revolutionary manifesto. Zou Rong died in prison at the age of 20.
From 1910 onward, the United League of China organized more than ten armed uprisings across China. Most of the commanders of these uprisings had studied in military academies in Japan. The 72 martyrs who died in Guangzhou Uprising in April 1911 included eight cadets such as Lin Juemin and Fang Shengdong. When the provinces across China rose against the Qing rulers in the wake of the Wuchang Uprising, the military leaders of these provincial uprisings were mostly former cadets who had studied in Japan.
After the 1911 Revolution, the Chinese students who had studied in Japan continued to play a key role in shaping the future of China. These influential leaders include Cai Yuanpe, Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao, Lu Xun, Wang Guowei, Li Shutong, Yu Dafu, and Zhou Enlai, just to name a few.