The Yuan Clan Rules China

From Sun Wen's founding of the republic to the rise of Cai E's National Protection Movement, the years Yuan Shikai was in power were a bleak time for the nation and an unfortunate one for its people.

Around the founding of the Republic of China, the cast of characters included Empress Dowager Longyu, who ruled from behind the curtain but had no way to exert control; Regent Zaifeng, who installed a young emperor and his widowed mother on the throne; Yuan Shikai, a tragic figure who tried to revive the imperial system with a bubble of a dynasty; Sun Yat-sen, the leading statesman who drew up a blueprint for the new nation; Song Jiaoren, an organizer with both ambition and a sound theoretical foundation; Huang Xing, a general with no troops; Goodnow, the constitutional adviser who brought a breeze of imperialist sentiment from America; Yang Du, who misled Yuan by first backing the republic and then the monarchy; the "Six Gentlemen," who were either self-promoting or praised by others as monarchists; Yuan Keding, regarded by his countrymen as a complete fool; Liang Qichao, whose article brought down the short-lived Hongxian monarchy; and Cai E, caught up in the phantom war...

The inauguration of President Sun Wen marked the beginning of a new era. The old imperial system slowly sank beneath the ocean of history, while a new democratic government gradually rose on the horizon. Its growth may be slow, but it will eventually flourish. This must be an inevitability of history, one no one can reverse.

How did Yuan Shikai play the late Qing government and the National Revolutionary Army against each other to strengthen his own position and covet the presidency? What does the historical mystery of Song Jiaoren's assassination reveal about the forces behind it? How did Sun Yat-sen's personality influence his efforts to reform the Kuomintang and pursue revolution? How complex and changeable were domestic and foreign affairs under Yuan's rule? What was the relationship between the Society for the Preparation of Peace and the Yuan government, and who exactly were its "Six Gentlemen"? What political ideas of Professor Goodnow should not be forgotten? Drawing on his consistent scholarly integrity, Mr. Tang refuses to curry favor or blindly follow the crowd. He insists that arguments be drawn from historical evidence and that every statement be supported by proof.