Junhao Huang
After the failure of the 1898 Hundred Days’ Reform, Kang Youwei fled overseas under intense pursuit by the Qing authorities, continually seeking foreign military intervention to support his Royalist Movement (Qinwang Movement). In order to obtain British support, Kang, who lacked proficiency in English, traveled to London accompanied by his British interpreter, Chen Enrong (Claude Ley Kum). During Kang’s subsequent period of sojourn on the Coal Island, Chen remained briefly at his side before returning to Hong Kong. Existing scholarship has overlooked this “unusual” interpreter during Kang Youwei’s overseas exile. The absence of research on his role and motivations has prevented a proper understanding of his function within Kang’s overseas activities, leaving the historical traces surrounding him largely unexplored. With the emergence of new archival materials, however, this interpreter has begun to reappear from the shadows of history. Drawing primarily on telegrams and press reports preserved in the Hong Kong Public Records Office, the Hong Kong Public Libraries Digital Collections, and other open-access repositories, this article reconstructs the life of Chen and examines the multiple identities he embodied while serving at Kang’s side. It analyzes Chen’s motives for interpreting on Kang’s behalf as a representative for Ho Tung. By interrogating the role of this interpreter, the study unearths the divergent agendas and conflicting stances held by the Hong Kong business community and exiled politicians during this British expedition. Ultimately, it seeks to draw scholarly attention to the often-overlooked interpreters accompanying Kang Youwei during his years in exile, thereby stimulating further academic inquiry into the multifaceted translation phenomena within the Royalist Movement.
