Who's Who in China (3rd edition)/Li Yuan-hung

General Li Yuan-hung

黎元洪字宋卿

General Li Yuan-hung was born at Huang-pi Hsien, Hupei Province, in October 1864. He studied at the Peiyang Naval College, Tientsin, where he graduated in 1888 after having undergone a course of six years. Subsequently General Li served on a crusier during the Sino-Japanese War, 1894-95, and the late Admiral Chen Pi-kuang was his chief at that time. After the War he was engaged in service at Nanking by Viceroy Chang Chih-tung. During his stay at Nanking he was in charge of the reconstruction of the Nanking Fort and Commander of the Nanking Fortification. Upon the transfer of Chang Chih-tung to Wuchang to become the Viceroy of Hu-Kuang Provinces, General Li accompanied him thither. There he in co-operation with many German military officers assisted in the organization and training of the modern troops called Tzu Chiang Chun. In 1897 General Li was sent to Japan to study he military organization and educational conditions of that country. This trip lasted about a year. In 1899 he went to Japan again and served in the Imperial Metropolitan Troop Divisions. Upon his return to China in 1898, General Li became a major in the cavalry and subsequently held several commands, including that of the 21st Brigade. In 1902 General Li was sent to Japan to witness the Imperial Manoeuvers. In 1903 he was appointed Commander of the Four Infantry Regiments for the protection of the Provincial Capital of Hupei. In 1904 he became Commander of the Second Imperial Army Division stationed at Hupei Province. Concurrently General Li then held several other positions such as Commander of the Yangtze Fleet, co-director of the Hupei Military College, director of the Hupei Arsenals and director of Wu Chung College. In the autumn of 1906 he was appointed Commanding Officer of the 8th Imperial Army Division which part cipated in the Changteh Manoeuvres. Upon the outbreak of the First Revolution on October 10, 1911, General Li was forced to accept the comnyand of the revolutionary forces thus becoming the Tutu of Hupei. He directed their operations against the imperial army. In January 1912 a Provisional government was formed in Nanking. Dr. Sun Yat-sen and General Li Yuan-hunng were elected President and Vice-President of the Republic respectively. General Li was mainly instrumental in arranging for the Shanghai Peace Conference which resulted in the abdication of the Manchus and the establishment of the Republic of China. On February 15, 1912 Yuan Shih-kai was elected Provisional President to succeed Dr. Sun Yat-sen. General Li remained as Vice-President. He was appointed to be concurrently Chief of the General Staff and Military Governor of Hupei, with his headquarters at Wuchang. General Li was made a Full General in September 1912. In June 1913 he was appointed to hold concurrently the post of Tutu or Military Governor of Kiangsi upon the dismissal of General Li Lieh-chun, a Kuomingtang member from the Tutuship in connection with the Second Revolution. General Li resigned from the Tutuship of Kiangsi in September 1913. In October 1913 the First Parliament elected Yuan Shih-kai and Li Yuan-hung the First President and the First Vice-President of the Republic respectively. In December 1913 General Li was relieved from the Tutuship of Hupei. He went to Peking in the same month to assume the office of Chief of the General Staffs. In January 1914 Yuan Shih-kai dissolved the First Parliament. In May 1914 the National Advisory Council was organized with Li Yuan-hung as its President. In January 1916 Yuan Shih-kai declared himself Emperor of China. He made General Li Yuan-hung a Prince with the special title in two words "Wu I”. As an expression of his unwillingness to serve Yuan as a monarch, General Li confined himself to his private residence in Peking until the death of Yuan, which occurred in June 1916. Upon the death of Yuan Shih-kai, General Li became President of China according to the constitutions. Feng Kuo-chang became Vice-President. The Old Parliament was reconvoked. The Advisory Council was dissolved. Tuan Chi-jui became Prime Minister. Then the conflict between the President's Office and the Cabinet started. On the May 23, President Li issued a Mandate dismissing Tuan Chi-jui as Prime Minister and appointing Dr. Wu Ting-fang Acting. Premier; Chang Shih-yu, Acting Minister of War; and General Wang Shih-chen, Commander of the Precautionary Forces in Peking and Tientsin. Marshal Tuan went to Tientsin. On May 29, 1917, Li Ching-hsi was appointed Premier. General Ni Tzu-chung, then Civil Gorernor of Anhui who was a strong supporter of Tuan Chi-jui, declared independence and detained the cars on the Tientsin-Pukow Railway mobolizing his troops. On the 30th Chang Tso-lin, then Tuchun of Fengtien, declared independence which was immediately responded to by Shantung, Fukien, Chekiang. Honan, Shansi, Chihli, Shensi, Heilungkiang, and Shanghai. On the 31st May Tong Hua-lung, Speaker of the House, resigned. On June 1st 1917, General Chang Hsun. then Tuchun of Anhui sent out a circular telegram advocating the restoration of monarch and the retirement of the President. On the 2nd he sent to President Li another telegram volunteering his own service to mediate between the President and the Military Leaders and suggesting the dissolution of the Parliament as the condition for the withdrawal of troops by the military leaders. On June 5, the Tuchuns' Group established their headquarters at Tientsin with the object to put up a provisional government there. On the 6th Wang Chia-hsiang, President of the Senate tendered his resignation. On the 7th General Chang Hsun mobilized his troops northward and demanded the immediate dissolution of Parliament. Dr. Wu Ting-fang, the Acting Premier, declined to counter-sign the Mandate ordering the demanded dissolution of the Parliament and resigned. General Chiang Chiao-chung, then Commander of the Gendamerie was appointed to act as Premier and he countersigned the mandate which was issued on June 13. On June 14 Chang Hsun's troops entered Peking. On July 1, Chang Hsun restored the Manchu Emperor to the throne. General Chang's coup d'etat did not last long and he was driven into the Dutch Legation for refuge. The Republic was re-established by Marshal Tuan. But General Li refused to resume his office as President of China, and he was succeeded by General Feng Kuo-chang. After the restoration of the Republic, he stayed for a time in Peking, but later went to Tientsin to live. During his retirement in Tientsin, General Li took great interest in industrial and mining enterprises in the country. His name has been found among the list of important shareholders of the various big industrial and mining corporations. In June 1922 General Li was prevailed upon to re-assume the Presidency: after the flight of Hsu Shih-chang, President elected by the so called Tuchun's Parliament. On the eve of leaving Tientsin for the Capital, he issued a flaming denunciation of the Tuchun System and his consent to resume the Presidency was only secured after he had received the assurances from the Northern military leaders, particularly General Wu Pei-fu, that they would support him in the policies of destroying the Tuchunate, bringing about the disbandment of superfluous troops and restoring the rule of law. Immediately after his assuming office, General Li convoked the Old Parliament and dissolved the Tuchuns' Parliament. He remained in his office just about one year during which time he was not able to exercise his power nor to carry out his wishes. The pledges of the military leaders to support his policies did not forthcome. In June 1923, a campaign was waged in Peking to oust President Li who finally abandoned what was obviously a hopeless struggle and left for Tientsin. Shortly afterwards, he proceeded to Shanghai and then went to Japan. He remained in that country until May 1924 when he returned to Tientsin again.