Cen Chunxuan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cen Chunxuan
President of Constitutional Protection Junta
In office 21 August 1918 – 23 October 1920
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Sun Yat-sen
Minister of Posts and Communications
In office 3 May 1907 – 28 May 1907
Monarch	Guangxu
Preceded by	Lin Zhaonian
Succeeded by	Chen Bi
Viceroy of Liangguang
In office 18 April 1903 – 11 September 1906
Preceded by	Tao Mo
Succeeded by	Zhou Fu
Provincial Governor of Guangdong
In office 23 July 1905 – 11 September 1906
Preceded by	Zhang Renjun
Succeeded by	Zhou Fu
In office 3 July 1902 – 5 August 1902
Preceded by	De Shou
Succeeded by	Li Qingrui
Other political offices Viceroy of Sichuan In office 23 October 1911 – 29 October 1911 Preceded by Zhao Erfeng Succeeded by Duanfang In office 5 August 1902 – 18 April 1903 Preceded by Guizun Succeeded by Xilang Viceroy of Liangguang (not assumed office, Hu Shanglin acting) In office 28 May 1907 – 12 August 1907 Preceded by Zhou Fu Succeeded by Zhang Renjun Viceroy of Yun-Gui In office 11 September 1906 – 3 March 1907 Preceded by Ding Zhenduo Succeeded by Xilang Provincial Governor of Guizhou In office 9 October 1905 – 3 September 1906 Preceded by Lin Zhaonian Succeeded by Peng Xiongshu Provincial Governor of Shanxi In office 11 March 1901 – 3 July 1902 Preceded by Xilang Succeeded by Ding Zhenduo Provincial Governor of Shaanxi In office 26 September 1900 – 11 March 1901 Preceded by Duanfang (Acting) Succeeded by Duanfang (Acting)
Personal details
Born	1861 Xilin, Guangxi, Qing Empire
Died	27 April 1933 (aged 72–73) Shanghai, China
Nationality	Chinese
Political party	Kuomintang (KMT)
Children	Cen Deguang
Occupation	Politician
Military service
Allegiance	Empire of China Kuomintang National Revolutionary Army Republic of China

Cen Chunxuan (1861 – 27 April 1933) was an important Chinese politician. He lived during the late Qing dynasty and the early Republic of China. His courtesy name was Yunjie.

Early Life and Career

Cen Chunxuan was born in 1861 in Xilin, Guangxi. This was during the time of the Qing dynasty, China's last imperial family. His father, Cen Yuying, was a high-ranking official. He served as the Viceroy of Yunnan and Guizhou.

When he was young, Cen Chunxuan was known for being a bit wild. He was even called one of the "Three Notorious Youngsters in the Capital." In 1879, he started working for the government. He passed important exams and moved up in his career. In 1889, after his father passed away, the government recognized his father's service. They gave Cen Chunxuan a good position as a fourth-grade official.

In 1898, the Guangxu Emperor met Cen Chunxuan. The emperor was very impressed with him. He promoted Cen Chunxuan to a second-grade official position in Guangdong. While there, Cen had disagreements with his boss. So, he was moved to Gansu.

Protecting the Emperor

In 1900, a group of foreign armies called the Eight-Nation Alliance attacked Beijing. They wanted to stop the Boxer Rebellion. The Guangxu Emperor and Empress Dowager Cixi had to leave the capital. They went to Xi'an for safety.

Cen Chunxuan led his soldiers from Gansu to protect them. The Empress Dowager was very pleased with him. She gave him a special yellow jacket, a great honor. He was promoted to be the governor of Shaanxi. Later, he became the governor of Shanxi. In Shanxi, he helped start what would become Shanxi University.

In 1902, he was sent to Sichuan. There, he became the acting-Viceroy. He was known for being very strict. He created a police force and accused many officials of corruption. People even called him the "Butcher of Officials." This was because he was so tough on corrupt people.

Leading Guangdong and Guangxi

In 1903, Cen Chunxuan became the Viceroy of Guangdong and Guangxi. This was a very powerful position. He believed China needed to change. He asked the emperor to create a constitutional monarchy. This meant the emperor would still be in charge, but there would also be a constitution and a parliament. He also wanted to get rid of the old imperial examination system.

In 1906, he supported a group that wanted China to become a constitutional monarchy. He sent his assistant, Zheng Xiaoxu, to lead this group. Cen Chunxuan became an important leader in this movement.

Because he had strong support from Empress Dowager Cixi, he was not afraid to challenge corrupt officials. He even reported them to the imperial court. This made some powerful people angry, like Prince Qing. Cen Chunxuan became involved in political fights against Prince Qing and another powerful official, Yuan Shikai.

The Xinhai Revolution

By 1911, China was changing fast. On 15 September 1911, Cen Chunxuan received an urgent order. He was told to help stop rebellions against the Qing government. But Cen Chunxuan had a different idea. He suggested the Qing government should take responsibility for its problems. He thought they should become a constitutional monarchy to keep peace. The imperial court was very angry with his suggestion.

When he arrived in Wuchang, he saw that the Qing Empire was not going in the direction he wanted. He decided to resign from his position. The imperial court accepted his resignation.

On the night of 9 October, the Wuchang Uprising began. This was a major rebellion that led to the end of the Qing dynasty. The rebels did not bother Cen Chunxuan. The next morning, he left Wuchang. He soon learned that the Xinhai Revolution had succeeded.

Life in the Republic of China

After the Qing dynasty fell, China became the Republic of China. In 1913, another conflict called the Second Revolution started. Cen Chunxuan tried to get Yuan Shikai, the new leader, to make peace with Sun Yat-sen and the revolutionaries. But Yuan Shikai ignored him.

The revolutionaries then named Cen Chunxuan as their leader. They even said he was the President of the Republic of China. But the Second Revolution failed. Yuan Shikai put a price on Cen Chunxuan's head, so he had to flee China. He went to Southeast Asia to hide.

National Protection War

In 1915, Yuan Shikai tried to make himself emperor. This started the National Protection War. Cen Chunxuan was invited back to China to fight against Yuan Shikai. On 4 January 1916, he returned to Shanghai. He met with other leaders to plan how to deal with Yuan Shikai.

He wrote to his former allies, Lu Rongting and Long Jiguang. They controlled Guangxi and Guangdong. He asked them to declare independence from Yuan Shikai's rule. On 19 April 1916, Cen Chunxuan and other leaders formed a new military government in Zhaoqing, Guangdong.

Cen Chunxuan was chosen to be the commander-in-chief of the National Protection Army. He declared war on Yuan Shikai. He famously said, "If Yuan Shikai lives, I die; if Yuan Shikai dies, I live!"

In 1918, Cen Chunxuan became the leader of a military government in Guangzhou. Two years later, this government was replaced by Sun Yat-sen's government. Cen Chunxuan announced his resignation. He spent the rest of his life retired in Shanghai. He passed away on 27 April 1933.