Zhuang official who served as late-Qing Viceroy of Liangguang and headed the Guangzhou military government directorate
Born a Zhuang in Xilin, Guangxi, in 1861, the son of a Viceroy of Yunnan and Guizhou, he won the favour of Empress Dowager Cixi in 1900 by protecting the court in its flight to Xi'an. As Viceroy of Guangdong and Guangxi from 1903 he impeached corrupt officials and urged a constitutional monarchy and the abolition of the imperial examinations, becoming a leader of the constitutional movement, until he lost a struggle with Prince Qing and Yuan Shikai and was dismissed in 1907. In 1916 he founded the National Protection Military Government at Zhaoqing with Liang Qichao and Lu Rongting and, as its commander-in-chief, opposed Yuan's imperial bid. When the Guangzhou military government became a seven-man directorate in 1918 he was made its chairman, but he resigned when it collapsed in 1920 and lived in retirement in Shanghai until his death in 1933.
Also known as: Tsen Chun-hsuan
Activities and affiliations
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1903–1907
Qing dynasty state institutionsViceroy of Liangguang
Government and administration -
1918–1920
Republic of China state institutionsChairman of the DirectorateHeads of state, government and party of ChinaMain
Political and party leadership
Career Timeline
- 1898Provincial administration commissioner of Guangdong
- 1900Escorted Cixi's flight to Xi'an; promoted to provincial governor
- 1902Acting Viceroy of Sichuan
- 1903–1907Viceroy of Guangdong and Guangxi
- 1907Minister of Posts and Communications, then dismissed
- 1913.07.17Named grand marshal by the revolutionaries in the Second Revolution
- 1916.04.19Founded the National Protection Military Government at Zhaoqing; commander-in-chief of the National Protection Army
- 1918.07.05–1920.10.24Chairman of the Directorate of the Constitutional Protection Military Government