Wade–Giles ( /ˌweɪd ˈdʒaɪlz/; simplified Chinese: 韦氏拼音; traditional Chinese: 韋氏拼音; pinyin: Wéi-Shì Pīnyīn ; Wade–Giles: Wei²-Shi⁴ P'in¹-yin¹), sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a romanization system for the Mandarin Chinese language. It developed from a system produced by Thomas Wade during the mid-19th century (simplified Chinese: 威妥玛拼音; traditional Chinese: 威妥瑪拼音; pinyin: Wēituǒmǎ Pīnyīn ; Wade–Giles: Wei¹-t'o³-ma³ P'in¹-yin¹), and was given completed form with Herbert Giles' Chinese–English dictionary of 1892.

Wade–Giles was the most widely-used system of transcription in the English-speaking world for most of the 20th century, used in several standard reference books and in all books about China published in western countries before 1979. It replaced the Nanjing-based romanization systems that had been common until late in the 19th century. It has been entirely replaced by the pinyin system in mainland China. Outside mainland China, it has mostly been replaced by the pinyin system (developed by the Chinese government and approved during 1958), but remains common in history books, particularly those about Imperial China. Additionally, its legacy can be felt in the common English names of certain individuals and locations (e.g. Mao Tse-tung).

The Emperor of China (Chinese: 皇帝; pinyin: Huángdì, pronounced [xu̯ɑ̌ŋ tî]) refers to any sovereign of Imperial China reigning between the founding of Qin Dynasty of China, united by the King of Qin in 221 BCE, and the fall of Yuan Shikai's Empire of China in 1916. When referred to as the Son of Heaven (Chinese: 天子; pinyin: tiānzǐ, pronounced [ti̯ɛ́n tsɨ̀]), a title that predates the Qin unification, the Emperor was recognized as the ruler of "All under heaven" (i.e., the world). In practice not every Emperor held supreme power, though this was most often the case.^{[citation needed]}

Emperors from the same family are generally classified in historical periods known as Dynasties. Most of China's imperial rulers have commonly been considered members of the Han ethnicity, although recent scholarship tends to be wary of applying current ethnic categories to historical situations. During the Yuan and Qing dynasties China was ruled by ethnic Mongols and Manchus respectively after being conquered by them. The orthodox historical view over the years sees these as non-native dynasties that were sinicized over time, though some more recent scholars argue that the interaction between politics and ethnicity was far more complex. Nevertheless, in both cases these rulers had claimed the Mandate of Heaven to assume the role of traditional emperors in order to rule over China proper.

William Henry "Harry" Giles (born September 1, 1930) CM, QC is a pioneer in early academic intervention and French immersion and widely regarded as an influential educator in Canada. He is the founder of two French immersion private schools, the Toronto French School and The Giles School.

Born in Windsor, Ontario, Giles has a Master of Education and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto as well as a Bachelor of Laws from Osgoode Hall in Toronto. In 1954 he married Anna Por with whom he had three children.

As founder for 25 years, headmaster of the Toronto French School, Giles introduced bilingual immersion education in Canada at the Toronto French School, which he founded and served for 25 years as headmaster. He also introduced and implemented the first early intervention programmes in Canadian schools. The success of his education model was instrumental in launching French immersion programmes throughout the North American public school system.

Giles established the prestigious pre-university competitions, the Canadian Chemistry and Physics Olympiads, and started the first GCE Ordinary ("O") and Advanced ("A") examination centre in Canada. He assisted in the creation of the International Baccalaureate and established the first examination centre of the International Baccalaureate in Canada. He has participated actively in worldwide education communities including representing Canada at the 2nd, 3rd and 4th International Curriculum Conferences.

Kang Youwei (simplified Chinese: 康有为; traditional Chinese: 康有為; pinyin: Kāng Yǒuwéi; March 19, 1858–March 31, 1927), was a Chinese scholar, noted calligrapher and prominent political thinker and reformer of the late Qing Dynasty. He led movements to establish a constitutional monarchy and was an ardent Chinese nationalist. His ideas inspired a reformation movement that was supported by the Guangxu Emperor but loathed by Empress Dowager Cixi. Although he continued to advocate for constitutional monarchy after the foundation of the Republic of China, Kang's political ideology was never put into practical application.

Kang Youwei was born on March 19, 1858 in Nanhai, Guangdong province. According to his autobiography, his intellectual gifts were recognized as a child by his uncle. Therefore, from an early age he was sent by his family to study the Confucian classics in order to pass the Chinese civil service exams. However, as a teenager he was dissatisfied by the scholastic system of his time, especially its emphasis on preparing for the eight-legged exams, which are artificial literary exercises done during examinations.