Qing Empire

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Revision as of 12:15, 12 October 2008

大清國
Dà Qīngguó
Empire of the Great Qing

Flag of the Qing Empire
Anthem Gong Jin'ou
Official Language	Chinese
Capital	Beijing
Emperor	Pu Yi (era name: Xuantong)
Prime Minister of the Imperial Council	Xu Shichang
Establishment - Establishment of the Qing Empire	1616
Re-Establishment - German restoration of the Qing Empire	February, 2 1927
Government	Autocratic monarchy
Currency	Yuan
Area	circa 312,685 km²
Population	circa 65,700,900

The Empire of China, or officially Empire of the Great Qing (Pinyin: 大清國), or better known as Qing China (to distinguish it from the other factions in China) is a country in Far Eastern Asia. It is bordered to the north by Mongolia, the Fengtien Republic (under Japanese control), and the German enclave of Tangshan; to the east by the German enclave of Qingdao and the Yellow Sea; to the south by the Legation Cities and the Allgemeine Ostasiatische Gesellschaft; and to the west by the Shangqing Tianguo-controlled area and the Xibei San Ma warlords' demesne.

The Qing Dynasty of Manchurian origin ruled the Empire of China from 1644, date of the conquest of Chian proper by the Manchu Aisin-Goro clan, to 1911, year of the Republican Xinhai Revolution that deposed Emperor Pu Yi. The Qing era coincided for China with the highly representative reigns of Kangxi and Cixi, but also with an increased isolation of China and the rise of European colonialism, reaching his peak with the Boxer Rebellion. After the 1911 Revolution, the Chinese Republic soon collapsed into anarchy, where power was divided between numerous warlords, until the 1926 German intervention. On February, 2 1927 (beginning of the Fire Rabbit Year), the Qing Empire was restored under the present system: an autocratic monarchy of divine right, centered on the Emperor's person and his orders transmission through a small Imperial Council. Even though the Empire of China stands as the only official power in China, it's still the shadow of its former self: much of the economic and military powers are monopolized by the Allgemeine Ostasiatische Gesellschaft, and puritan revolts is spreading in Chinese campaigns.

History

After the proclamation of the Chinese Republic by Sun Yat-Sen in 1911 and the separation of numerous provinces throughout China, the Qing dynasty, installed in 1644 by the Manchu clan Aisin-Goro was removed a year later by the Imperial Edict of Empress Dowager Longyu bringing the abdication of the Child Emperor, Pu Yi, then six years old; he stayed as the former Emperor of China, installed in the Forbidden City at the expense of the Chinese Republic, before being expelled by one of the numerous warlords who shattered China during this era. The Chinese Republic stood despite anarchy and some anecdotal events as short-lived Empire of general Yuan Shikai (1916) and a twelve days-long recrowning of Pu Yi by warlord Zhang Xun (1917).

In the 20's, German Chancellor von Tirpitz, fearing that a Chinese Civil War would bring instability in Asia, decided of an intervention in China. In a few months, German colonial armies controlled Eastern China and divided the country in two zones : the south under administration of German companies, the north under a restored Qing Empire ruled by collaborationist native politicians. They reinstalled Pu Yi as Xuantong Huangdi (Emperor Xuantong), his 1908's crowning era name. The Qing Empire is now a shadow of its former self: it lost its dignity as an independent country, its economy is in the hands of the German trusts, and even its legitimacy is disputed, challenged by Zhang Tianran's Shangqing Tianguo and his puritan revolters.

Fall of the early Qing Empire

On the death of the Emperor Guangxu and his aunt Empress Dowager Cixi on November 1908, China was already about to collapse. The despotic and corrupted rule of Empress Dowager Cixi, beginning after the bloodbaths of the Opium Wars and the Taiping Rebellion, froze any chance of reforms and let the European powers and Japan dismembering with impunity the Middle Kingdom and intervening freely in its internal policy, as during the 1901 intervention against the Boxer Rebellion. After the death of the Emperor, his three-years-old nephew Pu Yi succeeded him, with the regency ensured by his father, Zaifeng, the 2nd Prince Chun. The regent tried to enhance reforms for a more modern constitutional monarchy, eventually removing the powerful general Yuan Shikai from all his positions. However, on October, 10 1911, a military uprising broke out in Wuchang, where an anti-Qing plot within army units had been unveiled: the revolt quickly began to spread throughout China. The republican leader, Sun Yat-Sen, quickly came back from exile to lead the revolution: on December, 29 1911, the provinces which had declared their independance from the Qing Empire elected Sun as the provisional President of the Republic of China, officially proclaiming the Republic on January, 1 1912. Meanwhile, Yuan Shikai, who had been recalled by the powerless regency to lead the army, agreed to recognize the Republic and forced the Empress Dowager Longyu to sign the abdication papers on behalf of the Emperor, Pu Yi.

Yuan Shikai's rule

Yuan Shikai as the Hongxian Emperor (1915-1916)

However, the Chinese republic quickly proved to be shaky. After the fall of the Qing empire, the country was effectively cut in two, between the North controlled by Yuan Shikai's armies, in Beijing, and the South, under Sun Yat-Sen, in Nanjing. To prevent civil war and possible foreign intervention from undermining the infant republic, Sun agreed to Yuan's demand that China be united under a Beijing government headed by Yuan. On March 10, in Beijing, Yuan Shikai was sworn in as the second Provisional President of the Republic of China. Yuan however revised the Consitution in a dictatorial sense, but the Kuomintang (Nationalist Party), an amalgamation of small political groups supportive of Sun, won various seats in the Assembly. Yuan, supported by monarchists and recognized internationally after making some concessions to the major power, wanted to take military action against the Kuomintang. In July 1913, seven southern provinces rebelled against Yuan, thus beginning the Second Revolution: the fight was however quickly won by Yuan's forces, eventually forcing Yuan and his supporters to exile. In November Yuan Shikai, legally president, ordered the Kuomintang dissolved and forcefully removed its members from parliament.In January 1914 Yuan formally suspended the parliament. In February, Yuan called into session a meeting to revise the Provisional Constitution of the Republic of China, which was announced in May of that year, expanding his powers. In December 1914, he further revised the law and lengthened the term of the President to ten years, with no term limit. Essentially Yuan was preparing for his ascendancy as the emperor. Opposition continued to grow against Yuan, who was gradually showing his vows of being made Emperor: even his former monarchist supporters aimed to topple him.

When the Weltkrieg broke out in 1914, Japan seized German holdings in Shandong Province. In 1915 the Japanese set before the government in Beijing the so-called Twenty-One Demands. The Demands aimed to install Japanese economic controls in railway and mining operations in Shandong, Manchuria, Fujian, and pressed to have Yuan Shikai appoint Japanese advisors in key positions in the Chinese government. The Twenty-One Demands would have made China a Japanese protectorate. Hopefully, it was made uneffectual by the subsequent anarchy in China and officially made null and void by the 1921 Peace with Honour. On 12 December 1915, Yuan declared himself emperor of a new Empire of China. This sent shockwaves throughout China, causing widespread rebellion in numerous provinces. On 25 December, some generals and governors formed the National Protection Army and declared Yunnan independent, encouraging other southern provinces to declare independence. Thus began the National Protection War. Yuan's generals, who were already wary of Yuan's imperial coronation, did not put up an aggressive campaign against the National Protection Army. On 22 March 1916, Yuan formally repudiated monarchy and stepped down as the first and last emperor of his dynasty. Yuan died on 6 June of that year. Yuan Shikai's imperial ambitions finally ended with the return of republican government.

Restoration

Politics

The Chinese Imperial Council

Emperor: Xuantong Emperor (born 7 February 1906)

Prime Minister: Xu Shichang (born 20 October 1855)

Minister of Foreign Affairs: Wang Zuanxu (born 2 June 1885)

Minister of War and Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese Imperial Air Service: Fu Zuoyi (born 2 June 1895)

Minister of Security: Qu Yangke

Minister of Special Intelligence: Shang Zhen (born 1887)

Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese Imperial Army: Wu Peifu (born 22 April 1874)

Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese Imperial Navy: Otto Ciliax (born 30 October 1891)

Military

Culture