ABSTRACT
The equilibrium of power and problems which the government of Szechwan inherited from the three strong governors-general of the late nineteenth century, Ting Pao-chen, Liu Ping-chang and Lu Ch’uan-lin, was lost during the viceroyalties of K’uei-chün and Ts’en Ch’un-hsüan, 19 July 1898 to 18 April 1903. Fortunately for K’uei-chun the rebellion remained relatively localized and its unified leadership made it comparatively easy to handle. With the Yu Man-tzu rebellion, with its dark hints of popular fury, social revolution and foreign war, safely out of the way, K’uei-chun’s administrations lapsed comfortably into the regular pattern of late imperial government in Szechwan. The chi-an kuan-yun was even more unpopular. Although in theory simply an extension of Ting Pao-chen’s official transport system which had been a distinctive feature of the province since 1877, Ts’en’s programme in fact represented a radical departure from tradition. Ts’en Ch’un-hsuan was reckoned a successful governor-general.
