Originally Yuan Shikai

Author: Zhang Yan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: Experts review historical figures, authoritatively interpreting mysteries. Historian Lucien Febvre of France once said: "Our task is to create history, because in a turbulent world, only history can help us face life without fear." This is even more true in today's fast-paced era, where more people hope to understand our past to better focus on our future. The purpose of the "Great History Lecture" series is precisely this—to present the past to readers in a concise way, incorporating history into rational thinking and humanistic reflection. Thus, history is no longer just about the past; it also helps us pay attention to the future. He admired Western civilization but had ten concubines; he advocated educational reform but believed in the moral power of Confucianism in controlling the people; he actively promoted constitutionalism but betrayed the Hundred Days' Reform; he held the power of the President but was obsessed with the throne of the emperor; he signed the "Twenty-One Demands" but promoted domestic goods and implemented "nationalism"; he betrayed the Republic but pushed forward the capitalist industrial and commercial system and the education system.
Yuan Shikai's life epitomizes the dramatic changes and conflicts of modern Chinese history—East and West, new and old, strong and weak, conservative and progressive, feudal and democratic, right and wrong. This book presents Yuan Shikai's true historical image with detailed and substantial historical materials, dividing him into two aspects with a calm and objective perspective, unraveling the truth and separating the wheat from the chaff.
Yuan Shikai, a strange genius of his time, rose again by aligning with public opinion but ultimately perished by fabricating public opinion. —Li Daqing
Regarding political figures, it is better to focus on their orientation and actions in system-building rather than their moral character, as that is what truly has a profound impact. —Historian Yuan Weishi
This book presents Yuan Shikai's true historical image with detailed and substantial historical materials, dividing him into two aspects.