Biography of Yuan Shi Kai

Biography of Yuan Shi Kai
Yuan Shi Kai, a military leader, world leader, and a government official of China was born in 1859, Henan Province, China. He was a Chinese general and politician famous for his influence during the late Qing Dynasty, his role in the events leading up to the abdication of the last Qing Emperor of China, his autocratic rule as the second President of the Republic of China (following Sun Yatsen), and his short-lived attempt to revive the Chinese monarchy, with himself as the "Great Emperor of China."(Laing).
Rose to fame
Yuan Shikai rose to fame by participating in the First Sino-Japanese War as the commander of the Chinese stationary forces in Korea. He avoided the humiliation of Chinese armies in the war when he was recalled to Beijing several days before the Chinese forces were attacked. As an ally of Li Hongzhang, Yuan was appointed the commander of the first New army in 1895. As the officer most directly responsible for training China 's first modernized army, Yuan gained significant political influence and the loyalty of a nucleus of young officers: by 1901, five of China 's seven divisional commanders and all other senior military officers in China were his proteges.
After the Wuchang uprising and the advent of the republic, Sun Yat Sen was elected as the first president of China. And because they did not have the strong point in military, the Republic compromised with Yuan who also was the mastermind behind the abdication of the Child Emperor. With this, he was elected Provisional President of the Republic of China, replacing Sun Yat Sen.
During 1913 to 1915 period, he acted as the President of China.
Another attempt by Yuan to sustain his power in the country was restoring the Monarchy with himself as the Emperor in 1915. However, this ended with another loss to Japan, and he was forced to accede to Twenty-One Demands. Faced with widespread opposition, Yuan repeatedly delayed the accession rites to appease his foes, but his

References: Laing, Ellen Johnston. (2004) Selling Happiness, University of Hawaii Press. p. 92. ISBN 0-8248-2764-3. Zhengyuan Fu. (1994) Autocratic Tradition and Chinese Politics, Cambridge University Press. pp. 153–154. ISBN 0-521-44228-1. Biography of Liang Chi Chao Liang Chi Chao was a Chinese scholar, journalist, philosopher and reformist during the Qing Dynastry. His notable contributions during this era are inspiring the people of China with his writing and reform movements. Liang Chi Chao was born in a small village in Xinhui Guangdong Province on February 23, 1873. Liang 's father, Liang Baoying was a farmer, but a background in classics allowed him to introduce Liang to various literary works when Liang was six years old. By the age of nine, Liang started writing thousand-word essays and became a district-school student soon after. As an advocate of constitutional monarchy, Liang was unhappy with the governance of the Qing Government and wanted to change the status quo in China. He organized reforms with Kang Youwei by putting their ideas on paper and sending them to Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty. This movement is known as the Hundred Days ' Reform. Their proposal asserted that China was in need of more than "self-strengthening", and called for many institutional and ideological changes such as getting rid of corruption and remodeling the state examination system. Liang thus was a major influence in the debates on democracy in China. In 1898, the Conservative Coup ended all reforms and exiled Liang to Japan, where he stayed for the next fourteen years of his life. In Japan, he continued to actively advocate democratic notions and reforms by using his writings to raise support for the reformers’ cause among overseas Chinese and foreign governments. He continued to emphasize the importance of individualism, and to support the concept of a constitutional monarchy as opposed to the radical republicanism. In 1899, Liang went to Canada, where he met Dr. Sun Yat-Sen among others, then to Honolulu in Hawaii. During the Boxer Rebellion, Liang was back inCanada, where he formed the "Save the Emperor Society". This organization later became the Constitutionalist Party which advocated constitutional monarchy. While Sun promoted revolution, Liang preached reform. Though his thoughts and teachings inspired many to overcome and reform, he did not act personally in politics to gain own power. He died in 1929 in Beijing. Reference Levenson, Joseph. Liang Ch 'i-Ch 'ao and the Mind of Modern China. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1970