Who was Yuan Shikai? - Part 2

While the Qing Dynasty suffered its decline, Yuan’s fate saw the opposite. He rose up to become of the most influential officials and court. However, with this rise, he collected enemies who strike against him in the most opportune time. From then on he faced a roller coaster ride of ups and downs that would lead him to one of the most prominent figures in a time of great turbulence in Chinese history.

Retirement and Revolution

In 1908, Yuan suffered a huge blow in his career. The Guangxu Emperor passed away and shortly afterward, so as his patron the Empress Dowager Cixi. The Dragon Throne fell to a mere infant boy Puyi who ascended as the Xuantong Emperor. The blow came as a regency council formed around the child emperor headed by his opponent Prince Chun. As expected by Yuan, he lost his position as Viceroy and Commander of the Beiyang army. He faced this dismissal with grace and chose to retire to his hometown in Henan for the next 3 years.


Yuan’s career seemed to hit rock bottom, but events in 1911 allowed him to bounce back and even surpass his previous achievements. On October 1911, an accidental blast in Hankow uncovered a plot by revolutionaries within the New Army aiming to overthrow the Qing Dynasty. The accident sparked panic from the revolutionaries within the stationed New Army unit in Wuchang who decided to start an uprising. The uprising grew to other provinces and turned into the Xinhai Revolution.

Nanjing Road during the Xinhai Revolution
Beijing court descended once again into turmoil. The regency council of Prince Chun swallowed their pride and sought Yuan’s help recalling him from retirement and appointing him commander of Beiyang Army. Yuan grabbed the opportunity to take revenge and decided to refuse the appointment citing his ailing feet. He dragged on the bargaining until the Court grew more desperate as the revolutionaries continued to make gains. He finally relented to the request only after the court agreed to his demands of a constitution and creation of the position of Premier. He then marched with his military forces pushing back the revolutionaries. By November 1911, he received the post of Premier as a reward and part of the deal. However, sensing the already impending doom of the Qing, he decided to negotiate for a peaceful settlement with the Provisional Government centered in Nanjing headed by the renowned Dr. Sun Yat-sen. 
Dr. Sun Yat-sen
He and the revolutionaries agreed to a settlement calling for the abdication of the Emperor, the establishment of a constitution with a republican government, and the election of Yuan Shikai as President of the new Republic of China. Yuan, with his military might and past exploits, won the ultimate price of becoming China’s head of state. He successfully convinced the regency to agree to the terms and on January 1, 1912, witnessed the birth of the Republic of China. By February 12, 1912, the Xuantong Emperor abdicated ending more than a millennium of imperial rule. On the same day, Yuan Shikai took his oath as the new President of the Republic of China.

President of China

Yuan Shikai served as President of China from 1912 until 1916. In his tenure, he faced tremendous challenges that polarized the country. With the whole of China still defining its direction, Yuan for all of his intents and purposes decided to embark into a controversial project that marred his presidency broke his heart and finally contributed to his demise.
Yuan Shikai in Uniform
Yuan Shikai established Beijing as his capital, a political move meant to bring the government in his power base. He resided in the new presidential palace west of the Forbidden City – the Zhongnanhai. As the President of a newly born Republic, he faced a tough task of firmly establishing a government and finally tackling the enormous problems that China faced.
Xinhua Gate of Zhongnanhai
He began to restart the Chinese economy. He supported the modernization of many industries and oversaw the establishment of about 4,000 factories. He promoted agricultural mechanization through training and importation of new technology. He modernized the financial sector by reforming the currency, issuing bonds, and founding numerous banks.

He also supported education ordering a 4-year mandatory education to all young Chinese. He made attempts to establish an independent judiciary to repeal the extraterritorial rights of foreigners. Nevertheless, his grand projects met financial restraints such as in the fields of the judiciary. Moreover, some provinces and army units remained autonomous and rogue. Furthermore, he faced difficulty in establishing good relations with the national assembly.

Yuan and the National Assembly, in particular, the majority party the Guomindang had a terrible relationship. Yuan viewed the National Assembly as slow and meddlesome. In March 1913, the Guomindang party headed by Song Jiao-ren opposed Yuan’s decision to take a foreign loan. Suddenly on March 20, 1913, Song Jiao-ren fell to an assassin’s bullet. Fingers pointed towards Yuan Shikai as the culprit of the assassination, but the lack of evidence allowed Yuan to retain the presidency. Nevertheless, the assassination sowed the seeds of mistrust and enmity between Yuan and the Guomindang now led by Sun Yat-sen. Yuan ordered the arrest of Dr. Sun who fled to Japan where he called for another revolution against Yuan.
Song Jiao-ren
President Yuan then moved to establish a presidential rather than a parliamentary government. By May 1914, he declared himself President for Life. He then abolished all legislative bodies from national to local levels. Local administration transferred from local assemblies to magistrates just like in the old days of the Qing. By 1915, Yuan consolidated his power as the strong authoritarian President of China.

Yuan’s consolidation and monopolization of power made him unpopular among the revolutionaries including Sun Yat-sen, but his decline in popularity further plunged in 1915 by consenting to the notorious 21 Demands. While the west fought among themselves during World War I, Japan made its move to advance its interest in China in form of 21 Demands which included extraterritorial rights and territorial concessions. Yuan understood the superiority of Japan’s military might and agreed to hold talks regarding the demands. From February 2 to May 7, Chinese and Japanese diplomats negotiated the 21 demands reaching an agreement that formalized the unpopular concessions on May 8, 1915. Yuan’s reputation dropped as many labeled him as a traitor.
The Chinese's Acceptance of the Twenty-One Demands
Yuan, however, saw no other choice as the other meant war, but the episode made him realized the utter weakness of China and saw only a single solution to solve it. He believed that only through autocracy would China once again be strong. He thought autocracy had been in Chinese culture for more than a millennium and it saw its worst and best. He hoped autocracy to deliver faster recovery and strengthening of the nation. Thus, during the 2nd half of 1915, he embarked on his project to re-establish the imperial system with him as the new Emperor and founder of a new dynasty.

On November 20, 1915, President Yuan convened a special national assembly to discuss the restoration of imperial rule. Of course, the assembly only meant for formalities and the result came as expected with President Yuan being elected as the new Emperor of China. By December 12, 1915, he enthroned himself as China’s new Hongxian (Constitutional Abundance) Emperor. He changed the name of the Zhongnanhai into the Xinhua Palace which meaning New China Palace. He also mulled on establishing new imperial traditions and ceremonies to aggrandize the new dynasty.

His restoration of the Empire on the other hand garnered tremendous disgust. The Guomindang and Sun Yat-sen grew louder in calling for Yuan’s ousting. Provincial generals and even conservatives also rallied against Yuan for his decision. Overwhelming pressure burdened Yuan and by March 1916, he abandoned his imperial dreams.

The event struck President Yuan and caused his health to decline. By May 1916, his conditions worsen until June 6, 1916, when he passed away at 57 years old due to organ failure.
The Funeral of Yuan Shih-kai
Aftermath
After the presidency of Yuan Shikai, the country descended into further chaos. Yuan’s generals further split China into their own domains more than the west did. This era of powerful generals came to be known as the Warlord Era.

Summing Up

Yuan Shikai had a controversial life. His ascendency to the presidency had been an inspirational tale from a man who failed the civil service exams twice to one if not the most powerful man in China in the 1910’s. He earned a reputation as a skilled politician, administrator, and soldier garnering him the necessary resources to become the President of the Republic of China. As President, he faced tremendous challenges with some out of his control. Either lack of imagination or ambition or even desperation he made the wrong choice of restoring a hated system, thus tarnishing his reputation and his own heart in the process. Yuan Shikai’s rise and fall tell an inspirational as well as warning tale in a time of tremendous changes in China’s history.


Bibliography:

Books:
Fairbank, John King. China: A New History. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2006.

Websites:
Ch’en, Jerome. “Yuan Shikai.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed on July 26, 2020. URL: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Yuan-Shikai 

David. “The Top 10 Facts on Yuan Shikai - Qing China's Greatest General.” China Highlights. Accessed July 26, 2020. URL: https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/china-history/yuan-shikai-facts.htm  

Fercility. “Yuan Shikai.” China Highlights. Accessed July 26, 2020. URL: https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/china-history/yuan-shikai.htm  

Pruitt, Sarah. “Who was Yuan Shikai?” History.com. Accessed on July 26, 2020. URL: https://www.history.com/news/who-was-yuan-shikai 


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