Yuan Shikai declares the establishment of the Empire of China and proclaims himself Emperor.

Yuan Shikai

First president of the Republic of China (1859–1916)

Yuan Shikai was a Chinese general and statesman who served as the second provisional president and the first official president of the Republic of China, head of the Beiyang government from 1912 to 1916 and Emperor of China from 1915 to 1916. A major political figure during the…

Empire of China (1915–1916)

Brief restoration of monarchy in China by Yuan Shikai

The Empire of China, also known in historiography as the Hongxian Monarchy, was a short-lived attempt by Chinese president Yuan Shikai from late 1915 to early 1916 to reinstate the monarchy in China, with himself as emperor. The attempt ultimately failed, set back the republican…

Emperor of China

Throughout Chinese history, "Emperor" was the superlative title held by the monarchs of imperial China's various dynasties. In traditional Chinese political theory, the emperor was the "Son of Heaven", an autocrat with the divine mandate to rule all under Heaven. Emperors were…

December 12

Day of the year

December 12 is the 346th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 19 days remain until the end of the year.