There was strenuous opposition, and this most vigorous in the
party in which she had placed herself when she dethroned Kuang
Hsu. The conservatives regarded this as the wildest venture that
had yet been made, and were ready to use all their influence to
prevent it; nevertheless the Empress Dowager called to her aid
the greatest and most progressive of the Manchus, the Viceroy
Tuan Fang, and appointed him head of a commission which she
proposed to send on a tour of the world to examine carefully the
various forms of government, with the purpose of advising her, on
their return, as to the possibility of giving a constitution to
China.

A special train was provided to take the commission from Peking
to Tientsin. It was drawn up at the station just outside the gate
in front of the Emperor's palace. The commission had entered the
car, and the narrow hall or aisle along the side was crowded with
those who had come to see them off, when, BANG, there was an
explosion, the side of the car was blown out, several were
injured, including slight wounds to some of the members of the
commission, and the man carrying the bomb was blown into an
unrecognizable mass. For a few days the city was in an uproar.
Guards were placed at all the gates, especially those leading to
the palace, and every possible effort was made to identify the
nihilist. But as all efforts failed, and nothing further
transpired to indicate that he had accomplices, the commission
separated and departing individually without display, reunited at
Tientsin and started on their tour of inspection.

This commission was splendidly entertained wherever it went,