【那些年．這一天】〔1894年8月1日．甲午戰爭：中國、日本正式向對方宣戰〕

1894年8月1日．甲午戰爭：中國、日本正式向對方宣戰
1st August 1894．First Sino-Japanese War: China and Japan officially declared war

自推行明治維新以後，日本的國力飛躍發展，並於19世紀末逐步向朝鮮（素為中國藩屬國）擴張。1894年，日本藉朝鮮內亂出兵當地，其後不但拒絕清廷的撤兵要求，更突襲擊沉清廷運兵船「高陞號」。至8月1日，中、日正式向對方宣戰，甲午戰爭正式爆發。


The national strength of Japan had been greatly enhanced since the Meiji Restoration, and it started to expand in Korea (a tributary nation of China) since the late 19th century. In 1894, Japan sent soldiers to Korea on the pretext of suppressing the Tonghak Rebellion. Later, the Japanese troops refused to withdraw from Korea and even launched a surprise attack to sink the Chinese troopship ‘Gaosheng’. On 1st August, China and Japan officially declared war against each other. The First Sino-Japanese War broke out.

這場戰爭歷時約8個月，期間清廷連戰連敗，北洋海軍更是全軍覆沒。1895年4月17日，交戰雙方簽訂《馬關條約》結束戰事。各界對於清廷的敗因意見不一，其中梁啟超指出只有李鴻章（清朝重臣、北洋海軍領導者）「以直隸一省敵日本全國」，戰敗實屬必然。無論如何，日本因戰事勝利迅速崛起，令列強另眼相看，至於列強於戰後加緊劃分勢力範圍，則令中國面臨被瓜分的危機。

The First Sino-Japanese War had lasted for about 8 months. The Qing government suffered a series of defeats and the Beiyang Fleet was annihilated. On 17th April, the Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed to end the war. Liang Qichao once pointed out the failure of the Qing government was inevitable, as only Li Hongzhang (pillar of the Qing government and leader of the Beiyang Fleet) ‘led Zhili (a province) against Japan (a country)’. Nevertheless, the victory established Japan as the dominant power in Asia and its prestige rose in the eyes of the world. On the other hand, as the European Powers sped up the establishment of their sphere of influence in China after the war, China faced imminent threat of being partitioned.

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