Chinese History

Zou Rong made several poignant arguments in favor of a revolution in China. His first main argument was that the Manchus had to be deposed as rulers because they were responsible for the massacre and oppression of the Han people. He cited the massacres of Yanghzou and Jiading as examples of this. He thus argued that a revolution was necessary for the overthrow, since according to him, revolutions can only lead to the advancement of a nation. The second argument Zou Rong made was that in order for a revolution to be successful, education was necessary both before and after it. This education would help to make people aware of the purpose and meaning behind the revolution, thus keeping the support alive for it. Zou Rong's third argument was about revolutionary independence. He maintained that this independence needed to be modeled after the American experience. He listed nineteen points regarding what had to be achieved after the revolution's success. These ranged from calling for the banishment of the Manchus from China to explaining how a democratic government was to be set up. His fourth and final argument was in regard to how the post-revolutionary government was to be created. He argued that any vestiges of the old government had to first be removed. Then he emphasized that the new regime had to follow the American model.

Zou Rong's rhetorical strategies were used to achieve support for his arguments favoring revolution. It involved getting the people to become emotionally invested in it. For example, he asked his countrymen to ponder over whether the Yangzhou and Jiading massacres were really the only ones committed by the Manchus. He argued that it was quite possible for more massacres to have taken place throughout China, since the Manchus had unleashed their armies upon the land. Another question he asked his countrymen about was whether the people slaughtered by the Manchus were not their Han ancestors. If they were, and he asserts they were, he asked whether it wasn't necessary to avenge them, even if this should take generations.