1911: The End of Imperial Rule

Zhang ChengInternational Culture Publishing Corporation · ChinaJan 2024

Rating 3.8
Word count
185K words
Chapters
48
ISBN
9787512515017

Tags

History Books Historical ReappraisalRise and FallPower GameCivic AwarenessSocial ObservationModern China

Summary

Taking the Revolution of 1911 as its central event, this book tells the history and social change of China from 1908 to 1912, beginning with the accession of the Xuantong Emperor and ending with the Northern relocation of the Nanjing Provisional Government. Before the Revolution of 1911, China also had reformists. Reformists, too, must have had a progressive side. Why was the Hundred Days' Reform suppressed at the time? Because it was progressive, and therefore hated by the diehards. Sun Yat-sen went a great step further than the reformists: he openly called for a bourgeois democratic revolution, overthrew the rule of the Qing dynasty, ended more than two thousand years of feudal monarchy in China, founded the Republic of China and a provisional revolutionary government, and promulgated a Provisional Constitution. After the Revolution of 1911, no one could become emperor again.

Editor's review

Zhang Cheng's "1911: The End of the Monarchy" is not a conventional chronicle of the Revolution of 1911 but focuses on the core of that upheaval—the process by which China's more than two-thousand-year monarchy came to an end. Grounded in solid historical sources, the author analyzes the choices and maneuvers of the Qing court, the constitutionalists, the revolutionaries and all levels of society at the historical juncture, revealing the inner logic and contingency of the monarchy's collapse. The book's value lies in its sober narrative and multi-dimensional observation: it is not content with simple causation but strives to restore a complex, contradictory and uncertain 1911. For readers, this is not only a review of historical events but an intellectual journey into a key point of China's modern social transformation. As a historian, Zhang Cheng writes with both academic rigor and readability, making the work suitable as a reference for professional research and for general readers interested in modern history.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Not a good fit for

Reading tips

  1. Read alongside works on late-Qing socioeconomic and intellectual history to build a fuller sense of the era
  2. Pay attention to the book's analysis of the mindset and strategies of the various forces (Qing court, constitutionalists, revolutionaries, local powers, ordinary people) and appreciate how historical processes combine multiple forces
  3. Consider the long-term impact of 'the end of the monarchy' as an institutional change and its connection to the subsequent search for China's path

About the publisher

International Culture Publishing Corporation China · Founded in 1984

International Culture Publishing Corporation is a publisher known for introducing foreign literature and world classics, with about 283 relevant titles in the database. Its representative books include Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther, Hesse's Siddhartha, Jiménez's Platero and I, and Gibran's The Prophet, as well as cultural readings such as Zhu Guangqian's Twelve Letters to Youth and Common Talk on Classics. In psychology, it offers the nine-volume Collector's Edition of C. G. Jung's Works, covering social psychology and applied psychology. Its author resources include Goethe, Hesse, Jiménez, Jung, and Zhu Guangqian, along with Chinese authors involved in translation and compilation. Its publishing focus is on foreign literature, classic works, psychology, and culture, serving both academic and general readers. Public information is limited, and the above is based mainly on the books in the database.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 宣统王朝 旧帝制的末日和新变革的背景
  3. 摄政王一语成谶：快完了
  4. “隆裕—载沣体制”
  5. 不愿面对的现实
  6. 袁世凯“病退”
  7. 新政是清朝最后的机会
  8. 走向共和 中国变革的新力量、新选择
  9. 洋人不是好东西
  10. 没有根的反叛者们
  11. 体制内外的变革路径
  12. 要革命，还是要改良
  13. 宪政的诱惑
  14. 现在不革命，就没有命了
  15. 铁血年华 革命党人的努力与牺牲
  16. 刺杀摄政王
  17. 革命者的铁骨柔情
  18. 黄花岗
  19. 盼来的竟然是皇族内阁
  20. 枪声在四川响起
  21. 十月围城 1911年10月10日前后发生了什么
  22. 仓促的首义
  23. 第一枪
  24. 光复武汉
  25. 泥菩萨黎元洪
  26. 地动山摇 各省独立与清廷政治剧变
  27. 第一波独立浪潮
  28. 东南易帜
  29. 南国烽烟
  30. 金陵王气黯然收
  31. 袁世凯复出
  32. 民国肇建 革命党站稳脚跟，成立南京临时政府
  33. 武汉三镇保卫战
  34. 孙先生来了
  35. 临时政府的困境
  36. 山雨欲来 一个新时代的踉跄起步
  37. 南北议和
  38. 最后的刺客
  39. 小皇帝退位，大总统易人
  40. 拿什么约束袁世凯
  41. 晚清四问 清廷节节败退启示录
  42. 谁在为晚清“殉节”？
  43. 八旗子弟是怎么废掉的？
  44. 清末朝廷为何管不住舆论？
  45. 晚清是如何失去基层州县的？
  46. 附录一：辛亥革命前后大事年表
  47. 附录二：参考文献
  48. 后记

FAQ

How does this book differ from other works on the Revolution of 1911? It approaches the subject through the lens of how the monarchy itself—a political system lasting more than two thousand years—came to an end, analyzing in depth the internal and external factors of institutional collapse, the contest among factions and the dilemmas of institutional transition, rather than simply narrating the revolutionary process or heroic deeds.
What is Zhang Cheng's style of historical writing? Zhang Cheng is known for solid sources and thorough analysis. His style is rational and restrained, attentive to detail and individual fates within grand narratives, striving to present the complex face of history and avoiding simplistic value judgments.
How difficult is this book? Does it require a professional historical background? The language is plain and the narrative clear; although it involves rich historical detail and multi-dimensional analysis, the author guides the reader well, so general readers can read it smoothly and grasp its core threads. Some familiarity with modern history helps deepen understanding but is not required.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Zhang Cheng Author · China

Zhang Cheng, a native of Linhai, Zhejiang, now lives in Beijing. He holds a doctorate in history and is a contracted writer with the Beijing Writers Association. He previously worked as an editor and associate senior editor at a publishing house and has been a guest speaker on CCTV's Legal Forum. His long-term research focuses on the history of ancient Chinese political institutions. His writing combines institutional analysis with historical narrative, attending to the rules and human relations behind the exercise of power and often using individual cases to reveal the structures of an era. He is the author of such works as The Palace Museum: A Biography, At the Yamen Gate, and Fragile Prosperity. Seven of his books are included in the collection, among them Notable Anti-Corruption Cases of the Qing Dynasty, The Experience and Lessons of Chinese History, 1911: The End of the Monarchy, Institutions and Human Relations, and Grand Governance: A History of Chinese Political Institutions (Pre-Qin to Sui-Tang). His subjects fall mainly under history and politics, written for general readers while retaining a scholarly grounding. Public information about his dates of birth and death is limited.