Yuan Shikai

Yuan Shikai (1859-1916) was an important politician and militarist in China's modern history. He had a major influence during the last years of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912).
As a relatively young man, Yuan was sent to Korea as supreme adviser on Korean government policies, and after his return he was in charge of training new troops. He played an important role in promoting modernization and in forcing Emperor Pu Yi's abdication.
Yuan Shikai was elected the first official president of the Republic of China (1911-1949), and was active in establishing modern industrial, judicial and educational systems as well as unifying the currency. He even tried to restore the monarchy in China, and proclaimed himself the Hongxian Emperor; though in this he failed.
Early Life
On September 16th, 1859, Yuan Shikai was born into an aristocratic family in Yuanzhai village of Henan Province. He started to learn the Confucian classics at six years of age. In his youth, however, he was more interested in military strategy, fencing and boxing.
In 1876, Yuan married a girl from the Yu family, and in 1878 she bore him a son named Yuan Keding. Shikai took the imperial examination twice (in 1876 and 1879 respectively) to pursue a civil-service career, but he failed both times, so instead made up his mind to enter politics through joining the army.
Under the influence of the Westernization Movement (a movement aiming to learn from Western countries), Yuan Shikai gave his allegiance to Wu Changqing, the commander of the Huai Army, and in May 1881 became an assistant to Wu.
Years in Korea
In 1882, during the Joseon Dynasty in Korea, Heungseon Dawongun, father of the Gaozong Emperor of Korea, tried to seize power through a military coup. This led to a struggle between him and Empress Myeongseong.
The empress asked the Qing government to send troops to quell the coup. Yuan Shikai was sent to Korea by Li Hongzhang, viceroy of Zhili (presently Hebei Province), to suppress the rebels, and he succeeded.
As a result, Heungseon Dawongun was escorted as a prisoner to Baoding (of Hebei Province), and the 23-year-old Yuan Shikai was appointed supreme adviser on Korean government policies by Li Hongzhang and stationed in Korea. He helped to train Korea's new army and to control Korean taxes, and he earned unanimous approval from Korean nobles during his stay in Korea.
In 1884, Japanese troops stationed in Korea attempted to kidnap the Korean Emperor Li Xi (the Gaozong Emperor) during a military coup. Li Xi asked the Qing government for help, and Yuan Shikai commanded the Huai Army and helped the Koreans defeat the Japanese, protecting Korea and the Qing government's interests in Korea; for which he gained favor in the eyes of Li Hongzhang.
When the Dongxuedang uprising broke out in Korea in 1894, Yuan Shikai advised the Korean Emperor to ask for assistance from the Qing government. Later, the Japanese army sent more troops to Korea and attempted to start a war. Before the First Sino-Japanese War, Yuan Shikai returned to China via Inchon, masquerading as a peasant. Due to his outstanding record in Korea, Yuan was recommended by Li Hongzhang to be in charge of training the new army.
Establishing the New Army
Yuan Shikai started to train the new army in Tianjin in 1895. Later, he was in charge of training and expanding the Dingwu Army under the command of Li Hongzhang, and the Dingwu Army evolved into the Beiyang Army, the main land force in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). Most warlords during the Republic of China (1911-1949) had been trained in the Beiyang Army; including Xu Shichang, Duan Qirui, Feng Guozhang, Wang Shizhen, Caokun and Zhang Xun.
In 1897 Yuan Shikai was promoted to chief prosecutor of the Zhili (presently Hebei Province) high court, and he was still in charge of drilling troops. In June 1898, the 39-year-old Yuan Shikai was promoted to President of the Board of Industry.
The pro-emperor party pinned their hopes on Yuan's new army, and Tan Sitong (a leader of the Wu Hsu Reform of 1898) once advised Yuan Shikai to send troops to besiege the Empress Dowager in the Summer Palace. Yuan, however, didn't take Tan's advice and instead reported Tan's plot to Rong Lu, a pro-empress figure, resulting in the failure of the Wu Hsu Reform of 1898 and the arrest of the Guangxu Emperor.
In 1899 Yuan was appointed governor of Shandong Province and he led his new army into Jinan to suppress the Boxers (the Righteous and Harmonious Fists fighting the foreign invaders). Owing to Yuan's tough policies, the Boxers couldn't find a foothold in Shandong, so they fled to Tianjin and Beijing. In 1900, the Eight Power Allied Forces (Britain, France, Russia, the US, Germany, Italy, Japan and Austria) ransacked Beijing, but Shandong remained stable under Yuan's governance. When Li Hongzhang was promoted to Chancellor of the Beiyang Army in November 1901, Yuan Shikai was also promoted, and became a notable figure in the history of China.
New Policy Period of the Late Qing Dynasty
After the Boxer Protocol was signed in 1901, due to internal and external pressures, the Guangxu Emperor implemented many new policies, which were strongly supported by Yuan Shikai. Shandong University was established in 1901 under Yuan's advocacy.
The Army Drilling Ground was set up in Beijing in 1903, and then Yuan was in charge of drilling the Beiyang Army. Later, Yuan was also involved in setting up industrial and mining establishments, railways, a police force and new-style universities, and he eventually abolished the time-honored imperial examination.
The Guangxu Emperor and Empress Dowager passed away on successive days in November 1908, and the young prince Pu Yi (later the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty) ascended the throne, with his father Zai Feng as regent. Zai Feng hated Yuan Shikai with a vengeance, because of Yuan's new policies and his behavior at the time of the Wu Hsu Reform. Zai Feng suspected that Yuan had betrayed the reforming party, which