China’s traditional empire ended on February 12, 1912—marking what many felt was the fulfillment of the Chinese Republican Revolution of 1911 or the Xinhai Revolution. On that day the last Qing emperor abdicated, marking the day on which, as Immanuel Hsü said, "the last of China's twenty-five dynasties came to an end." Sun Yat-sen was the provisional president of the new Republic, but had to step down  the very next day, giving way to Yuan Shikai and what quickly became some two decades of militarist rule. Was the Chinese Republican Revolution a success? A failure? Or a phase in China’s modernization? A distinguished panel of UBC professors will gather to reflect on the local and global significance of China’s Republican Revolution at this 100 year anniversary.  Free and open to the public

The speakers will open the forum with brief comments on the following themes on the historical significance of the Chinese Republican Revolution:

Timothy Brook, “In World History”

Alexander Woodside, “An Ambiguous Modernity”

Diana Lary, “The Military Revolution”

Josephine Chiu-Duke, “For Taiwan”

Tsering Shakya, “For the Tibet and Mongolia”

Carla Nappi, “Revolutions and Revolutions”

For more information, contact:

Dr. Timothy Cheek
Director, Centre for Chinese Research
Institute of Asian Research
University of British Columbia
(604) 822-6206
t.cheek@ubc.ca