On the 10th of October, in the year 1913, Yuan Shikai was installed as the first president of China. It was done against the wishes of Sun Yat Sen, who is considered by many to be the father of modern China, but with his political maneuvering was able to make it so with the coerced endorsement of the child emperor PuYi who would then step down. While his presidency was short and followed by a failed attempt at having himself become emperor, he was indeed the first president of China.
He was born into a military family and quickly cultivated a reputation as something of a braggart. The family was fortunate enough to have enough income to afford him a good traditional confucian education though he prefered a more sporting life.
Once deemed time to pursue a profession he attempted on more than one occasion to pass the lowest classical exams.He failed every time. This didn’t thwart his ambition though. He went on to purchase a position in the military that would be his initial enabler to allow him to climb in stature and power.
His rise was not one without great turbulence though. At one point he was about to receive a large loan from overseas which was needed due to the empty coffers of the government. The KMT blocked him from doing so. Yuan reacted by murdering the chairman of the party. He managed to hold power for a short time trying to push to make himself the newest emperor of China which finally came to an end in 1916 when we was forced to abolish the title. A few months after this instance he died. .
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