Xu Shichang - Biography

Biography

Xu's ancestral hometown was Yinxian County (current Yinzhou District), Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. Born in Weihui, Henan, he was Yuan Shikai's closest friend. He was at one time the Viceroy of Manchuria and at the end of the Qing dynasty he was made chief of the general staff despite being a civilian. He resigned as secretary of state (premier) in protest to Yuan's imperial ambition in late 1915. He resumed his post after Yuan abandoned monarchism.

His election as president was largely engineered by Duan Qirui and his Anhui clique. He was chosen because he was a civilian yet had close ties to the Beiyang Army and was neutral to both its Zhili and Anhui cliques. Lacking any military power of his own, he had to play Duan, Zhili leader Cao Kun, and Fengtian leader Zhang Zuolin against each other to stay in power.

He held a massive celebration in Beijing for China's victory in World War I on 18 November 1918, however he brought troops into the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War. A ceasefire with Sun Yatsen's rival Constitutional Protection government was declared and intellectuals were given greater freedom. This lasted until news from France showed how Duan Qirui promised German territory in Shandong to Japan. Large student protests (May Fourth Movement) led to Xu cracking down with mass arrests. The delegation was ordered home and China refused to sign or ratify the Versailles treaty. Consequently, the shaky alliance between the Zhili and Anhui cliques collapsed with Duan decisively defeated. This led to the era of high warlordism. Conflict with the south flared again in 1920 and he also failed to retake Mongolia. Cao Kun, who never liked Xu, pressured him out of office and restored Li Yuanhong.

His presidency lasted the longest during the warlord era. He was also the only non-acting president of the Beiyang government to be a civilian.

Political offices
Preceded by
Sun Baoqi
Premier of the Republic of China (Secretary of State)
1914–1915
Succeeded by
Lu Zhengxiang
Preceded by
Lu Zhengxiang
Premier of the Republic of China (Secretary of State)
1916
Succeeded by
Duan Qirui
Preceded by
Feng Guozhang
President of the Republic of China
1918–1922
Succeeded by
Zhou Ziqi
Heads of government of the Republic of China
Premiers of Cabinet
  • Tang Shaoyi
  • Lou Tseng-Tsiang
  • Zhao Bingjun
  • Duan Qirui*
  • Xiong Xiling
  • Sun Baoqi*


Secretaries of State
  • Xu Shichang
  • Lou Tseng-Tsiang*
Premiers of State Council
  • Duan Qirui
  • Wu Tingfang*
  • Li Jingxi
Prime Minister of Restored
Qing Imperial Government
  • Zhang Xun
Premiers of State Council
  • Duan Qirui
  • Wang Daxie*
  • Wang Shizhen*
  • Qian Nengxun*
  • Gong Xinzhan*
  • Jin Yunpeng
  • Sa Zhenbing
  • Yan Huiqing*
  • Liang Shiyi
  • Zhou Ziqi*
  • Wang Chonghui*
  • Wang Zhengting*
  • Zhang Shaozeng
  • Gao Lingwei
  • Sun Baoqi
  • Wellington Koo Vi-kyuin*
  • Huang Fu*
  • Xu Shiying
  • Jia Deyao*
  • Hu Weide*
  • Du Xigui*
  • Pan Fu
Presidents of Executive Yuan
  • Tan Yankai
  • T. V. Soong Tse-ven
  • Chiang Kai-shek
  • Chen Mingshu
  • Sun Fo
  • Wang Jingwei
  • H. H. Kung Hsiang-hsi
  • Chang Ch'ün
  • Weng Wenhao
  • Sun Fo
  • He Yingqin
  • Yan Xishan
  • Chen Cheng
  • Yu Hung-Chun
  • Yen Chia-kan
  • Chiang Ching-kuo
  • Sun Yun-suan
  • Yu Kuo-hwa
  • Lee Huan
  • Hau Pei-tsun
  • Lien Chan
  • Vincent Siew Wan-chang
  • Tang Fei
  • Chang Chun-hsiung
  • Yu Shyi-kun
  • Frank Hsieh Chang-ting
  • Su Tseng-chang
  • Liu Chao-shiuan
  • Wu Den-yih
  • Sean Chen Chun
Warlord era in early Republic of China (1916–1930)
Main events (1916–1920) Main events (1920–1930) Northern Factions Southern Factions

Empire of China (1915–1916)
National Protection War (1915–1916)
Death of Yuan Shikai (1916)
Manchu Restoration (1917)
Constitutional Protection Movement (1917–1922)
Siberian Intervention (1918–1920)
Paris Peace Conference (1919)
May Fourth Movement (1919)
Occupation of Mongolia (1919–1921)

Zhili–Anhui War (1920)
Guangdong–Guangxi War (1920–1921)
First Zhili–Fengtian War (1922)
Second Zhili–Fengtian War (1924)
Beijing coup (1924)
Yunnan–Guangxi War (1925)
May 30 Movement (1925)
Anti–Fengtian War (1925–1926)
Northern Expedition (1926–1928)
Jinan Incident (1928) Huánggūtun Incident (1928)
Flag Replacement of the Northeast (1928)
Sino-Soviet conflict (1929) Central Plains War (1930)

Beiyang Army:
Yuan Shikai
Anhui clique
Zhili clique
Regional:
Fengtian clique
Shanxi clique
Guominjun
Ma clique
Xinjiang clique

Yunnan clique
Old Guangxi clique
New Guangxi clique
Guangdong clique
Kuomintang (KMT)
Communist Party of China (CPC)
Sichuan clique

Presidents of the Republic of China
Provisional Government
  • Sun Yat-sen
  • Yuan Shikai


Beiyang Government
  • Yuan Shikai
  • Li Yuanhong
  • Feng Guozhang
  • Xu Shichang
  • Zhou Ziqi
  • Li Yuanhong
  • Gao Lingwei
  • Cao Kun
  • Huang Fu
  • Hu Weide
  • Yan Huiqing
  • Du Xigui
  • Gu Weijun
Nationalist Government
  • Chiang Kai-shek
  • Lin Sen
  • Chiang Kai-shek
Constitutional Government
  • Chiang Kai-shek
  • Li Zongren
  • Chiang Kai-shek
  • Yen Chia-kan
  • Chiang Ching-kuo
  • Lee Teng-hui
  • Chen Shui-bian
  • Ma Ying-jeou
Italics indicates acting President
Persondata
Name Xu, Shichang
Alternative names
Short description President of the Republic of China
Date of birth 20 October 1855
Place of birth Weihui, Henan, China
Date of death 5 June 1939
Place of death China

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