Shi Jianru
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史久緯
June 24, 1879
史經如
Shi Jianru | |
|---|---|
| 史坚如 史堅如 | |
 Statue at the grave of Shi Jianru in Guangzhou | |
| Born | Shi Jiuwei 史久緯 June 24, 1879 |
| Died | November 9, 1900 (aged 21)(executed) Guangzhou, Guangdong, China (Qing Empire) |
| Other names | Shi Jingru 史經如 |
| Education | Gezhi Academy |
| Occupation | Revolutionary |
| Known for | Attempted to bomb the Guangdong Viceroy and Acting Governor-General of Liangguang, De Shou. |
| Political party | Revive China Society |
| Relatives | 1 brother, 1 sister |
Shi Jianru (Simplified Chinese: 史坚如, Traditional Chinese: 史堅如, June 24, 1879 – November 9, 1900), originally named Shi Jiuwei (史久緯), styled Jingru (經如), later changed to Jianru, was a Christian from Panyu, Guangdong, China (Qing Dynasty). He was a martyr against the late Qing dynasty, also a descendant of the Ming dynasty general Shi Kefa.[1] In October 1900, he made an unsuccessful attempt to bomb the highest-ranking official of Guangdong, for which he was arrested and executed by Qing authorities.
Shi was born into a wealthy bureaucratic family, with ancestors from Shanyin, Zhejiang. He had one brother and one sister. Despite being frail in his youth, he was intelligent and fond of learning, enjoying reading books. In 1898, he enrolled in the Christian Gezhi Academy,[2] where he received a Western-style education. In 1899, he joined the Revive China Society through the introduction of a Professor from Gezhi Academy and met Sun Yat-sen in Yokohama, Japan. Upon returning to China, he started to organize revolutionary activities in the Hunan region and planned an uprising.[3]
In 1900, the Boxer Rebellion erupted in northern China which led to the invasion of the Eight-Nation Alliance. Revolutionary forces, under the leadership of Sun Yat-sen, seized the opportunity presented by the chaos to launch uprisings. Zheng Shiliang initiated the Huizhou Uprising, while Shi Jianru raised funds in Guangzhou by mortgaging his own land to support the revolution. However, due to a lack of funds, the revolutionary forces in Guangzhou, led by Shi, were weak, prompting him to devise a big plan to gain influence. He considered assassinating the local Governor-General, De Shou, to support the Huizhou Uprising. Initially, he purchased 25 boxes of explosives, but they were seized by authorities. Later, he acquired 200 pounds of explosives. Under the name of his friend Song Shaodong, Shi rented a mansion behind De Shou's residence and dug a tunnel there to store the explosives.[3] On the night of October 26, 1900, Shi attempted to detonate the explosives. Due to a faulty fuse, they failed to explode. Then, in the early hours of October 30, he successfully detonated the explosives, causing several civilian casualties and damaging nearby buildings. However, the explosion didn't harm De Shou physically; it simply startled him awake by pushing him out of bed. This event astonished the public as well.
Local authorities swiftly launched an investigation and obtained information about Shi's whereabouts from one of his relatives, who feared being implicated in the case. Despite the risk, instead of fleeing, Shi returned to the site of the explosion to figure out why De Shou survived the attack. He was captured on his way to Hong Kong at the provincial dock in Guangzhou on October 31 and taken into custody. During interrogation, he endured severe torture, causing him to lose consciousness several times,[3] yet he steadfastly refused to divulge information about his accomplices.[4]
On November 8, 1900, De Shou issued the order for Shi's execution. The next day, November 9, Shi was escorted to the execution ground near Tianzi Wharf in Guangzhou, where he was beheaded[5] at the young age of 21. As a warning to the public, his head was displayed at the site of the explosion. De Shou reported the incident to the imperial court and later received approval for his actions.[3]
