Empire of China

Also known as Chinese Empire

1915–1916 country

Key facts

Status: Unrecognized state
Capital: Beijing
Largest city: Shanghai
Official languages: Standard Chinese
Government: Unitary constitutional monarchy ( de jure ) Unitary absolute monarchy under a military dictatorship ( de facto )
1915 1916: Yuan Shikai
Legislature: National Assembly
Historical era: World War I
Empire declared: 12 December 1915
National protection war: 25 December 1915
Abdication of yuan shikai: 22 March 1916
Death of yuan shikai: 6 June 1916

~18 min read

Article

The Empire of China, also known in historiography as the Hongxian regime (Chinese: 洪憲帝制; pinyin: Hǒngxiàn dìzhì; Wade–Giles: Hung-hsien ti-ch’ih) in certain contexts, 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 cause by several years, and led China into a period of fracture and conflict among various local warlords.

Background