In Pursuit of the United Provinces of China

Abstract

This chapter examines the most radical form of provincialism articulated by Qing elites in Meiji Japan: provincial independence and federalism. It begins by tracing the historical evolution of provincial identity in China proper and the reinforcement of provincial consciousness and sentiment among Qing elites abroad. It then surveys Japanese interpretations of Western political ideas—such as freedom, civil rights, and popular sovereignty—and Qing elites’ provincialist discourses, highlighting how Japanese scholarship inspired visions of a Chinese federation of independent provinces. It concludes by exploring how these discourses on provincial independence and federalism were translated into political practices in China proper during the early twentieth century.