Uploaded March 2011 | Updated September 2026, 17 hours ago
The Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution (Chinese: 辛亥革命; pinyin: Xīnhài Gémìng), also known as the Revolution of 1911 or the Chinese Revolution, began with the Wuchang Uprising on October 10, 1911 and ended with the abdication of Emperor Puyi on February 12, 1912. The primary parties to the conflict were the Imperial forces of the Qing Dynasty (1644--1912) and the revolutionary forces of the Chinese Revolutionary Alliance (Tongmenghui). The revolution is named after in the sexagenary cycle of the Chinese calendar; the Xinhai Year.
The revolution was motivated by anger at corruption in the Qing government, frustration with the government's inability to restrain the interventions of foreign powers, and the majority Han Chinese's resentment toward a government dominated by an ethnic minority; the Manchus.
The revolution did not immediately result in a republican government; instead, it set up a weak provisional central government over a politically fragmented country. Reactionaries briefly and abortively restored the monarchy twice, leading to a period of military rule. Though the revolution concluded on February 12, 1912, when the Republic of China formally replaced the Qing Dynasty, internal conflict persisted. The nation endured a failed Second Revolution, a Warlord Era and the Chinese Civil War before the Communists took control on October 1, 1949.
The Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution (Chinese: 辛亥革命; pinyin: Xīnhài Gémìng), also known as the Revolution of 1911 or the Chinese Revolution, began with the Wuchang Uprising on October 10, 1911 and ended with the abdication of Emperor Puyi on February 12, 1912. The primary parties to the conflict were the Imperial forces of the Qing Dynasty (1644--1912) and the revolutionary forces of the Chinese Revolutionary Alliance (Tongmenghui). The revolution is named after in the sexagenary cycle of the Chinese calendar; the Xinhai Year.
The revolution was motivated by anger at corruption in the Qing government, frustration with the government's inability to restrain the interventions of foreign powers, and the majority Han Chinese's resentment toward a government dominated by an ethnic minority; the Manchus.
The revolution did not immediately result in a republican government; instead, it set up a weak provisional central government over a politically fragmented country. Reactionaries briefly and abortively restored the monarchy twice, leading to a period of military rule. Though the revolution concluded on February 12, 1912, when the Republic of China formally replaced the Qing Dynasty, internal conflict persisted. The nation endured a failed Second Revolution, a Warlord Era and the Chinese Civil War before the Communists took control on October 1, 1949.
