i6o GREAT EMPRESS DOWAGER OF CHINA

With his great position in the esteem of the Empress
Dowager he was able to do this, in spite of the
growth of new influences at the Court of Peking
bitterly opposed to the power of the Li family.^

The immediate cause of the war of 1894-5 was an
appeal from the King of Korea for Chinese help
against a half-religious, half-political rising of the
Tong Hak or "Eastern Doctrine" sectarians,
remotely resembling the Taipings, against his
authority. China sent a small force to help her
vassal, whose country was in a terrible state of faction
apart from the Tong Hak rebellion. Japan thereon
despatched a much larger force, following but also
exceeding the terms of that provision of the China-
Japan Convention of 1885 which allowed either
country to send troops into Korea when the other
did so. In the condition of affairs, Japan eager for
war, China resigned to it, a collision was certain.
It occurred on July 25th between warships of the
two countries off the Korean coast. It is unnecessary
to go into the details of the war. As is well known,
China's military and naval reputation was utterly
shattered, and at the end the only question was how
cheaply she could buy herself off. Naturally,
recourse was had to the offices of Li Hung-chang.
The old Viceroy, who had celebrated his seventieth

1 In the autumn of 1894 the anti-Li party's domination over the
Emperor was so strong that the Empress Dowager thought it neces-
sary to write a letter to her old friend, assuring him of her continued
confidence.
