The Presidential Inauguration Hui and Tong Meng Hui / Tung Men Hui. Between 1895 Commemorative Medals (PICMs) and 1911, Dr. Sun organized numerous uprisings against the Manchu Dynasty. When the revolution in Wuchang Republic of China (1912 - 1924) broke out on October 10, 1911, Dr. Sun was in exile in the United States lobbying for financial support from King Kwok Chinese overseas and from the western governments. In December 1911, Dr. Sun returned to Shanghai and was Introduction immediately elected by the revolutionaries as the Provisional President. This article explores the presidential inauguration commemorative medals (PICM) of the Republic of China On January 1, 1912, Dr. Sun declared the establishment issued between 1912 and 1924 and discusses the political of the Provisional Government of the Republic of China / military figures who became the Presidents of the in Nanjing / Nanking. Nevertheless, due to the lack of Republic of China during that period. The outbreak of financial support and unity between different factions of the Revolution on October 10, 1911 did not result in the the revolutionaries, the tide of war with the Imperial swift collapse of the Manchu / Qing / Ching Dynasty. Army under the command of Yuan Shi-kai was turning Though China was eventually declared a republic in early against the revolutionary forces. On the brink of defeat, 1912, the establishment of a Republican Government in Dr Sun was forced to compromise with Yuan. As a result, Beijing / Peking (also called the Beiyang / Peiyang on February 12, 1912, the baby emperor Pu Yi was Government) only marked the beginning of power dethroned. Dr. Sun resigned from the Provisional struggles and civil wars which resulted in frequent Presidency and recommended Yuan as the 2nd changes in the presidency of the Republic of China. Provisional President. When Yuan broke his promise and established a dictatorship in 1913, Dr. Sun organized the Second Revolution against Yuan, but his efforts were unsuccessful. Dr. Sun spent the rest of his life building the Nationalist Party/Kuomintang and fighting the warlords. Figure 1: Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Dr. Sun Yat-sen (lst Provisional President: January 1, 1912-April 1, 1912) Dr. Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925) (Figure 1) was the national founder of the Republic of China. He was the leader of the secret organizations, Xing Zhong Hui / Hsin Chung Figure 2: Yuan Shi-kai/Yuan Shih-kai. 2 JOMSA Yuan Shi-kai (2nd Provisional President: March 10, 1912-October 9, 1913, 1st President: October 10, 1913-June 6, 1916) Yuan Shi-kai / Yuan Shih-kai (1859-1916) (Figure 2) emerged quickly in the political arena after the disastrous defeat of Imperial China in the Sino-Japanese War in 1894. Yuan was an advocate of the westernization of the Imperial Army. Consequently, in 1895, Yuan was appointed as the Commander of the "Newly Created Army" which later formed the Beiyang ! Peiyang Army Group. During the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, unlike most Chinese officials who adopted a hostile attitude towards foreigners, Yuan suppressed the Boxers in Shantung Province and prevented the clash of his troops with the Allied Forces of the Eight Nations. After the death of Li Hong-zhang / Li Hung-chang in 1901, Yuan succeeded Li as the Viceroy of the Zhili ! Chihli (which covered Beijing), as Beiyang Commissioner, and as commander of the Beiyang Army Group. After the Revolution broke out, Yuan was appointed as the Prime Minister of Cabinet on November 1, 1911 and charged with the suppression of the revolutionaries. Yuan took advantage of the situation by fighting and negotiating with the revolutionaries on the one hand and urging the Manchu Court to abdicate on the other hand. Eventually, in February 1912, the baby emperor, Pu Yi, Figure 3: Li Yuan-hong/Li Yuan-hung. was dethroned and Dr Sun Yat-sen also resigned from the Provisional Presidency. On March 10, 1912, Yuan who was not a revolutionary himself, was the commander was inaugurated in Beijing as the 2nd Provisional of the brigade in which the junior officers started the President. Afterwards, Yuan changed the capital from Revolution in Wuchang, Hubei Province, on October Nanjing to Beijing to further strengthen his power. 10, 1911. His subordinates pushed him to join the Violating his promise to uphold the Provisional revolutionaries and assume the role of the Military Constitution, Yuan plotted the assassination of Song Jiao- Governor ! Dou Du of the Revolutionary Military yen, the majority leader in the National Assembly in Government of Hubei Province. Then, he was elected as March 1913, and then successfully suppressed the Second the Provisional Vice-President when Dr Sun Yat-sen was Revolution organized by Dr Sun. elected as the 1 st Provisional President in Shanghai. He was also the Vice-President during Yuan Shi-kai’s On October 10, 1913, Yuan was inaugurated in Beijing presidency. He became an adherent of Yuan and took an as the 1st President of the Republic of China. In 1914, active role in the suppression of the revolutionaries. Yuan established his dictatorship by dissolving the Nevertheless, in December 1913, Yuan forced Li to resign National Assembly and abolishing the Provisional as the Military Governor of Hubei Province, causing Li Constitution. In December 1915, Yuan even proclaimed to lose his military power. In return, when Yuan himself the "Hong Xian" Emperor. Opposition proclaimed himself the "Hong Xian" Emperor, Li throughout the country immediately arose. Yuan had’to withdrew his support to Yuan by refusing to accept the suspend his monarchical movement in March of 1916 title of honor conferred by Yuan. and died on June 6, 1916. After Yuan’s death in 1916, Li, as the Vice-President, Li Yuan-hong (President: became the President. But the real power was in the hands June 7, 1916-July 30, 1917) of the Prime Minister, Duan Ji-rui / Tuan Chi-jui (1865- 1936) (Figure 4) who was the warlord of the Anhui/ Li Yuan-hong/Li Yuan-hung (1864-1928) (Figure 3), Anhwei clique. In 1917, Li disagreed with Duan over Vol. 55, No. 1 3 (Duan was born in Anhui Province. The warlords under his leadership were called the Anhui clique.) Feng, with his power base in Jiangsu Province, also built up his Zhili clique (as Feng was born in Zhili). Figure 4: Duan Ji-rui/Tuan Chi-Jui. the issue of China’s participation in the First World War against Germany. Hoping that another warlord, Zhang Xun, would help counterbalance the power of Duan, Li Figure 5: Feng Guo-zhang/Feng Kuo-chang. brought Zhang Xun to Beijing in June, 1917. However, Zhang Xun, who was an imperialist, betrayed Li by After the resignation of Li Yuan-hong, Feng took over restoring the boy emperor, Pu Yi, to the throne and forced the duties of the Acting President on July 6, 1917 in Li to abolish the Republican Government. As a Nanjing. Then, on August 1, 1917, the inauguration consequence of the swift defeat of Zhang’s troops by a ceremony was conducted in Beijing. After that, the coalition force under the command of Duan in July, 1917, conflicts of interests between Feng and Duan were Duan re-captured Beijing and Li resigned. intensified, particularly over the issue of the unification of China which was divided between different warlords Feng Guo-zhang (Acting President: and the revolutionaries in Guangzhou / Canton. With his August 1, 1917-October 10, 1918) power base mainly in the central provinces of China, Feng advocated the peaceful unification of China by Feng Guo-zhang/Feng Kuo-chang (1859-1919) (Figure means of negotiation. On the other hand, with his power 5), like Duan Ji-rui, was originally a subordinate of Yuan bases mainly in the northern provinces, Duan, as the Shi-kai in the Beiyang Army Group back in the 1890s. Prime Minister of the Republic, ordered the forces of When the Revolution broke out in 1911, Feng and Duan the Zhili clique in the central provinces to conquer the were both key commanders in the Imperialist Army. The southern provinces. By doing so, Duan wanted to reduce victories of Feng in Hubei Province forced Dr. Sun Yat- the strengths of both the Zhili clique and southern sen to compromise with Yuan, and during Yuan’s provinces, leaving room for the expansion of the Anhui presidency, Feng became the Military Governor of clique. The takeover attempt by Duan was however Jiangsu / Kiangsu Province. Because of self-interests, neutralized by Cao Kun / Tsao Kun, a warlord of the Feng opposed Yuan’s monarchical movement. After Zhili clique, who took an uncooperative attitude towards Yuan’s death in 1916, power went to Feng and Duan Duan’s order. To retaliate, claiming that the term of five who became the Vice-President and Prime Minister years for the 1st Presidency was about to expire since respectively. When Duan consolidated his power in Yuan Shi-kai’s inauguration on October 10, 1913, Duan Beijing by building his Anhui clique among the warlords organized an election for the 2nd President in September 4 JOMSA .