"The Ancient Meanings of the Constitution" was written in the 27th year of Guangxu (1901). Tang Shouqian did not sign his real name, but used the pseudonym "Ri Ti Shi Sheng" instead. The book consists of three volumes. It aims to prove that the Constitution is inherent in China. By citing the rights granted by the constitutions of Eastern and Western countries and proving them one by one with ancient Chinese books, the Chinese people will know that the Constitution is a pearl in the abyss. They can learn from it and consolidate it into their own. The book believes that the Constitution is the talisman of civil rights and the backing of monarchy. It emphasizes that although ancient China had the name "Constitution", it is different from the Constitution in the modern sense. After the Gengzi Rebellion, the theory of constitutionalism gradually became popular in both the government and the public. However, people at that time only knew that the Constitution was what the East and West had done, and did not know that the Constitution was inherent in China. The book was created to correct this perception.
