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A Volatile World （1）
Yuan Shikai |
| CCTV.COM 2002-09-10 14:09:21 |
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 Yuan Shikai asked a photographer from Tianjin Photo Studio to have this photo taken while he was at an idle end at home in 1911. Published by “Oriental Journal” in Shanghai, the photo seemed to tell people that Yuan Shikai had withdrawn from political arena and lived in seclusion. He chose a village called Huanshang close to Jing－Han Railway, and built a mansion with a spacious courtyard that covered an area of over 13 hectares. He heard whistles from the trains passing by day and night and paid close attention to the news delivering through the railway.
Yuan Shikai, 23, was sent to Korea with an army in 1882. After Sino－Japanese War of 1894－1895, he returned home and took over an army stationed in Xiaozhan of Tianjin. He trained it into China’s first modern new army. Yuan became a key figure who could control the situation during the Reform Movement of 1898. He was a minister after Li Hongzhang who had the full trust of Empress Dowager Cixi during the last 10 years of the Qing Dynasty. Yuan was removed from office after Cixi died and went back to his native home.
Wuchang Uprising broke out in 1911 when Yuan celebrated his 52nd birthday. He seemed to foresee what would happen. Three days later, an imperial edict of reinstating him from the Qing court arrived. Yuan Shikai became the focus of attention of thousands of people. Both the dying imperial court and the new republic placed their hope on him. Empress Dowager Longyu appointed him Prime Minister with full power, and asked Zai Feng, the emperor’s father, to hand over his power. Members of the revolutionary party hinted that Yuan Shikai would certainly be the president if he approved of the republic. Yuan did.
After the Qing ruler gave up the throne, Sun Yat－sen kept his word and resigned from parliament. But he insisted that Yuan must assume office in the south.
 On February 18, 1912, a mission arrived in Beijing to welcome Yuan to the south. Yuan entertained them cordially. Not long afterwards, the troops under his direct control mutinied in Beijing. Making it a reason that the north was unstable, he refused to go to the south. Revolutionaries once again compromised, so Yuan Shikai was sworn in in Beijing.
In August of that year, a grand ceremony was prepared in Beijing to welcome Sun Yat－sen who had given up his presidency four months ago. He came to discuss the state affairs at the invitation of Yuan Shikai.
Sun Yat－sen and his party arrived at the Beijing Railway Station on 24th. Yuan sent his luxurious horse cart for Sun Yat－sen and accommodated him in Guest－Welcoming Hotel in Waijiaobu Street. They held 13 meetings to discuss the state affairs. The whole country paid great attention to these summit meetings. Being interviewed by a reporter, Sun Yat－sen said it was only Yuan Shikai who could be the president. And then Sun accepted with pleasure the mandate of Yuan Shikai to plan the building of the country’s railways. People noticed that Sun Yat－sen gave up politics and concentrated in industrial development as he had promised in his resignation speech.
Huang Xing had taken a skeptical attitude to Yuan Shikai. But Sun Yat－sen urged him to come to Beijing. After meeting with Yuan, Huang praised him as number one man in the present world. Huang kept his word and disarmed several hundreds of thousands of his troops in the south. But Sun Yat－sen and Huang Xing, two founders of the National Republic of China, didn’t expect that one year later they had to take up arms once again.
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Editor: Liu Baoyin CCTV.com
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