Li Yuanhong

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the Tang dynasty chancellor, see Li Yuanhong (Tang chancellor).
In this
Li
.
Li Yuanhong
黎元洪
Li c. 1915
President of the Republic of China
In office
11 June 1922 – 13 June 1923
Preceded byZhou Ziqi
Succeeded byGao Lingwei
In office
7 June 1916 – 17 July 1917
Preceded byYuan Shikai
Succeeded byFeng Guozhang
Provisional Vice President of the Republic of China
In office
1 January 1912 – 6 June 1916
PresidentSun Yat-sen
Yuan Shikai
Succeeded byFeng Guozhang
Personal details
Born19 October 1864
Xinhai Revolution

Li Yuanhong (Chinese: 黎元洪; pinyin: Lí Yuánhóng; courtesy name Songqing 宋卿) (October 19, 1864 – June 3, 1928) was a Chinese politician during the Qing dynasty and the Republic of China. He was the president of the Republic of China between 1916 and 1917, and between 1922 and 1923.

Early life

Genealogy of Family Li. According to the records of the genealogy, Li lived his childhood in Hanyang.

A native of

Hankou
. In 1910, he attempted to break up revolutionary rings that infiltrated his 21st Mixed Brigade. He did not arrest anyone caught in subversive activities, but simply dismissed them.

National prominence

Wuchang
, China in April 1912

When the

Xinhai Revolution of 1911 broke out, the Wuchang mutineers needed a visible high-ranking officer to be their figurehead. Li was well respected, had supported the Railway Protection Movement, and knew English, which would be useful in dealing with foreign concerns. He was reportedly dragged from hiding under his wife's bed and forced at gunpoint to be the provisional military governor of Hubei despite killing several of the rebels. Though reluctant at first, he embraced the revolution after its growing momentum and was named military governor of China on 30 November. Qing Premier Yuan Shikai
negotiated a truce with him on 4 December.

While Li commanded the rebel army,

Republican Party
.

In 1913, he combined the Republicans with

Empire of China (1915–16),[1]
a decision which would help his standing later on. Li remained in self-imposed isolation at his residence during the monarchic period, and until the death of Yuan.

Presidency and later life

Li served as president from 7 June 1916 to 17 July 1917. When Yuan died, he left a will containing Li's name along with Premier

Zhang Xun for assistance. In exchange, Zhang asked for the dissolution of parliament which was granted on 13 June. Zhang, who was secretly pro-German, unexpectedly occupied Beijing from 14 June to 12 July 1917 and kept the president prisoner. Zhang then proceeded with a move that would undermine most of his support when he attempted to restore Emperor Puyi and the Qing dynasty on 1 July. Li was released to the Japanese legation where he asked for Duan's assistance in saving the republic. Duan overthrew Zhang within two weeks, and restored the republic by 12 July; Duan himself was reinstated as premier by 14 July. Vice President Feng Guozhang
was made acting president in Nanjing. On 17 July, distraught from recent events, Li officially resigned from office and moved to Tianjin in retirement.

He served again as president of China between 11 June 1922 and 13 June 1923 after Cao Kun forced out President Xu Shichang. Li was chosen because he was respected by all of the factions and was hoped to reunify the country. He accepted only with the private assurances that warlord forces be disbanded; they were never honored. Like his first term, he called back the original National Assembly but he was even more powerless than before. He organized the "Able Men Cabinet" consisting of prestigious experts but it became undone when he arrested the finance minister for graft after examining rumours and circumstantial evidence; a court threw out the charges. Cao soon harbored presidential ambitions himself and orchestrated strikes to force Li out of office. Cao went as far as trying to bribe the assembly into impeaching him. When Li was vacating the capital, he attempted to take the presidential seal with him but was intercepted. He fled to Japan for medical treatment and returned to Tianjin in 1924 where he later died. His tomb, built in 1935 and restored in 2011, is situated on campus of Central China Normal University in Wuhan. He married Wu Jingjun (1870-1930) and had four children.

  • Li Yuanhong about 1917
    Li Yuanhong about 1917
  • Li Yuanhong riding a horse and attending a parade
    Li Yuanhong riding a horse and attending a parade
  • Li Yuanhong in civilian attire
    Li Yuanhong in civilian attire

See also

References

  1. ^ "China, her history, diplomacy, and commerce, from the earliest times to the present day". 1917.

External links

Political offices
Preceded by President of the Republic of China
First term
1916–1917 		Succeeded by
Preceded by President of the Republic of China
Second term
1922–1923 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Li_Yuanhong&oldid=1217906977"