Directory_and_Chronicle_1933 — Page 441

CHINA

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ment to be endorsed by the National Assembly, and this was done unani- mously. Meanwhile the advance on Hankow had been begun, and on October 29th General Yin Chang reported that the native city of Hankow had been taken by the Imperial army. The Imperialist Commander-in-chief deemed it necessary to the success of his plans that the entire city should be destroyed by fire, and consequently some 700,000 persons were rendered homeless. After desperate fighting the Wu Han towns" were re-taken by the Imperialists. There was severe fighting also at Nanking before it capitulated to the Revolu- tionaries, and became the seat of the Republican Government. After the Imperialist success at Hankow there were overtures for peace, and negotia- tions were opened at Shanghai on December 18th between Wu Ting Fang, as the representative of the Revolutionaries, and Tang Shao-yi, as the envoy of the Imperial Government: hut the conference came to an end almost as soon as it opened, because on behalf of the Revolutionaries the abolition of the monarchy. was insisted upon as the basis of negotiation. This was firmly opposed by Yuan Shih-kai, but on December 28th the Throne announced that it was prepared to leave the question of the future constitution of China to the decision of a national convention. That was the position at the end of the year. Meanwhile Prince Chun had resigned the regency, and by Imperial Decrees the monarchy had been made a limited monarchy on British lines. The Republican convention had elected Sun Yat Sen as President of the Republican Military Government, and upon his installation at Nanking on January 1st, 1912, he appointed a Ministry and issued an appeal to the Powers to recognise the Republican Government. Terms of abdication were offered to the Court at Peking, and Yuan Shih-kai was invited to assume the position of Provisional President of the Republic. After many Palace con- i ferences a Decree of abdication was issued by the infant Emperor, as having becn respectfully received from her Imperial Majesty the Empress Dowager Lung Yu. The terms of abdiction provided that the Emporer may retain the title of Emperor of Ta Ching and shall be treated accordance with the etiquette which would govern relations with a foreign monarch on Chinese soil. An annuity of four million taels is payable to him, and His Majesty was permitted to continue in occupation of the Palaces in the Forbidden City until the Summer Palace should be ready for him. The nation undertook to maintain the tombs of the Imperial dead. In due course Dr. Sun Yat-sen resigned the Presidency in favour of Yuan Shih-kai, who was practically unanimously appointed by the National Assembly at Nanking. It was ex- pected of him that he would journey to Nanking to be installed; but after much discussion this ceremony was performed in Peking. The ambition of the Republicans was to make Nanking the capital of China, but there was much opposition to the proposal, and Peking continued to be seat of govern- ment. Early in 1913 the National Assembly gave place to a Parliament of two Houses, and after the abortive second revolution, against what was re- garded as dictatorship by Yuan Shih-kai, the "provisional" Government was brought to an end by Parliament duly electing Yuan Shih-kai as President of the Republic for a period of five years, with General Li Yuan-hung as Vice-President. The year 1913 closed with Parliament suspended, owing to a mandate by the President cancelling the seats of over 300 members for treasonable conspiracy, and, pending a new election, an "Administrative Conference," representative of the whole of the provinces, was formed to consider a number of legislative projects including a revision of the law.

This was succeeded in 1914 by the creation of the Tsan Cheng-Yuan or State Council composed of men of official and administrative experience, mostly, of course, of the old school. The year was notable for the operations of a notorious robber chief, known as the White Wolfe, who commanded a large following, and for months terrorised almost the whole of mid-China. The marauding band traversed several Provinces, plundered cities and laid waste whole districts. The chief defied all the efforts of the Military for quite a long time, but was ultimately killed and his followers dispersed. This was not the only misfortune in that year, for floods greater than had