Empire of China (1915–1916)
Empire of China 中華帝國 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1915–1916 | |||||||||
| Anthem: 《中華雄立宇宙間》 "China Heroically Stands in the Universe" | |||||||||
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| Status | Unrecognized state | ||||||||
| Capital | Peking 39°54′N 116°23′E / 39.900°N 116.383°E | ||||||||
| Largest city | Shanghai | ||||||||
| Official languages | Standard Chinese | ||||||||
| Demonym(s) | Chinese | ||||||||
| Government | |||||||||
| Emperor | |||||||||
• 1915–1916 | Yuan Shikai | ||||||||
| Prime Minister | |||||||||
• 1915–1916 | Lu Zhengxiang | ||||||||
| Legislature | National Assembly | ||||||||
| Historical era | World War I | ||||||||
• Establishment of the Empire | 12 December 1915 | ||||||||
| 25 December 1915 | |||||||||
• Abdication of Yuan Shikai, restoration of the Republic | 22 March 1916 | ||||||||
• Death of Yuan Shikai | 6 June 1916 | ||||||||
| Currency | Silver Yuan | ||||||||
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The Empire of China (1915-1916) was a short-lived nation (1915–1916), which was established by the president of China at that time, Yuan Shikai, who would be crowned Emperor of China since the Qing Empire collapsed during the 1911 Xinhai Revolution led by Sun Yat-sen. The cause was hindered by the republicans and disloyalty from many military commanders. Seeing the weakness of the Emperor, many foreign powers withdrew their support and the Empire of Japan threatened to invade. Yuan Shikai abandoned the monarchy on March 22, 1916 and restored the republic. He then continued to rule as President until his death on June 6. Vice President Li Yuanhong assumed the role and restored the National Assembly and Constitution. However, the central authority was greatly weakened and this led to the period known as the Warlord Era.
