Democracy, Nationalism and Revolution: The Relationships between Revolutionists and the Powers during China’s National Protection War (1915‒1916)
Mandarin presentation
The twentieth century is a century of revolution for China. The main purpose of these revolutions was to save the country from the internal counterrevolutionaries and invasion by western Powers. This study reveals that the revolutionists were occasionally forced to seek aid from the camp of the ‘invaders’ to advance their cause against the overwhelming power of the counterrevolutionaries. Focusing on the relationships between the revolutionists and the Powers during the National Protection War which swore to protect the newly installed republic system against the monarchists, this study sheds light on our understanding of China’s search for modernity and democracy and the dire reality that pushed the revolutionaries to seek help from the Powers, whose motives were far from being totally altruistic.

Honglei Cheng, an Academic Visitor at the University of Oxford China Centre, is an Associate Professor at the Central China Normal University.
Date: 2 February 2024, 13:00 (Friday, 3rd week, Hilary 2024)
Venue: Dickson Poon Building, Canterbury Road OX2 6LU
Venue Details: Ho Tim Seminar Room (first floor)
Speaker: Professor Honglei Cheng (Central China Normal University)
Organising department: Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
Organiser: Dr Annie Hongping Nie
Organiser contact email address: information@chinese.ox.ac.uk
Part of: Mandarin Forum
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Public
Editor: Clare Orchard