Kang Youwei went into exile overseas and spent a huge amount of money to buy an island and named it "Kang Youwei". What is the current situation?

An old Chinese gentleman who calls himself Kang Youwei came to Stockholm from Norway on the 19th. ?Svenska Dagbladet

According to Swedish sinologist Ma Yueran. In the early morning of August 19, 1904, Kang Youwei, a man in a robe, and Kang Tongbi, a woman in a cheongsam, arrived at the long-distance bus station in Stockholm, the capital of the Kingdom of Sweden. Probably Kang Youwei and the others had a unhappy life in Norway. Kang Youwei said that the Kingdom of Norway was useless. In fact, to this day, the Kingdom of Norway has the highest democracy and freedom index in the world. Kang Youwei and Kang Tongbi had a very good first impression of this Swedish kingdom with 1,200 islands.

Kang Youwei, who was shopping with his beloved daughter, said: "Looking at the vastness and cleanliness of the roads, looking up at the splendor of the pavilions, and the prosperity and beauty of the ladies (unmarried girls, especially young women on the streets) that I met around me? "Kang Youwei feels that Sweden is clean and atmospheric, and its young women are incredibly beautiful. It is simply the best in Europe." He also played with her daughter in the waters east of Stockholm. At this time, the autumn air is crisp; here, we are surrounded by islands and lakes. Kang Youwei's original words are: "The island is surrounded by a lake, and the lake is surrounded by islands. The lakes and islands go around and around each other endlessly." ?Kang Youwei believed that this place was the most livable and a holy place for retirement and seclusion.

In 1909, Kang Youwei waved his hand and I bought it. This purchase of the island, construction of a garden (Beihai Thatched Cottage), and supporting luxury furniture cost a total of 35,999 kronor (according to research by researcher Zhao Liren of the Guangdong Academy of Social Sciences). Maybe we have no idea about 35,999 kronor, which is converted into RMB, which equals RMB 25,558.40. It seems very cheap. But we cannot consider the current exchange rate and current purchasing power. You can buy an island and build a large villa with luxurious furniture. It is not far from the capital of the Kingdom of Sweden. You can even feel the warmth of spring and face the sea. Speaking of which, it is equivalent to about 1 billion yuan now.

How did Kang Youwei get so much money? It turned out that after he fled overseas, he actively worked for reform and attempted to make a comeback and form a royalist party in Canada. He is the leader of the Royalist Party, and his daughter is the president of the Royalist Association. The full name of the Royalist Association is actually the "Company to Protect the Qing Emperor". Look, it's a company. It may not be all clouds, but it must be business. Kang Youwei was a gifted orator who impressed the Chinese with his words. It is said that even Sun Wen's brother Sun Mei donated money to the Royal Society. On the other hand, building an industry, establishing a joint-stock company, and serving as chairman are all about making money. In the name of saving the country, protecting the monarch and the people, he received a lot of donations, and his return seemed a bit like a fraudulent donation. And they squander the money wantonly, and it is quite common for the Kingdom of Sweden to buy an island and build a villa in such willful ways.

Let’s take a look at the current status of the island.

Fu Lao believes that the island owner Kang Youwei's so-called "buying the island" is actually renting the island. He has the right to develop the island for a certain period of time, but does not own it. Otherwise, the king originated from the Kingdom of Sweden under Napoleon. Wouldn't that be a land sale? If Kang Youwei had ownership of the island, he should at least pass it on to his descendants. The island was even regarded as the place where the Qing Dynasty was restored. As for when Sweden will take Kang Youwei back, we don’t have a detailed answer yet.

Kang Youwei Island is about 15 kilometers away from downtown Stockholm, with an area of ??about 0.0274 square kilometers. Its area is similar to the area of ??Beiyu (Dabei Island) that we are familiar with. The Swedish name is Restaurant Island, or Restaurangholmen in Swedish. There is an extra letter ?h? in the picture above (ferry map). Demographic data are unknown. It is said that there once was a restaurant on Gaishima, which was very popular, so the island was tackily called Hotel Island. Later, it was reduced to ashes due to fire. Fu Lao made a bold guess that this hotel was probably a remodel of Beihai Thatched Cottage. Therefore, there are no remains of Kang Youwei on Kang Youwei Island. However, in the eyes of Chinese people in Sweden, especially people with the surname Kang, they will affectionately call the island Kang Youwei Island. And when you are there, you tell them: "Kang Youwei." ?They all knew that it was Kang Youwei who was the culprit.

Stockholm Sweden means wooden island, so can Kang Youwei Island be translated into Kang Island?