As everyone knows, China, after having an Emperor for forty centuries, decided, eleven years ago, to become a modern democratic republic.  Many causes led up to this result.  Passing over the first 3,700 years of Chinese history, we arrive at the Manchu conquest in 1644, when a warlike invader from the north succeeded in establishing himself upon the Dragon Throne.  He set to work to induce Chinese men to wear pigtails and Chinese women to have big feet.  After a time a statesmanlike compromise was arranged:  pigtails were adopted but big feet were rejected; the new absurdity was accepted and the old one retained.  This characteristic compromise shows how much England and China have in common.

The Manchu Emperors soon became almost completely Chinese, but differences of dress and manners kept the Manchus distinct from the more civilized people whom they had conquered, and the Chinese remained inwardly hostile to them.  From 1840 to 1900, a series of disastrous foreign wars, culminating in the humiliation of the Boxer time, destroyed the prestige of the Imperial Family and showed all thoughtful people the need of learning from Europeans.  The Taiping rebellion, which lasted for 15 years (1849-64), is thought by Putnam Weale to have diminished the population by 150 millions,[31] and was almost as terrible a business as the Great War.  For a long time it seemed doubtful whether the Manchus could suppress it, and when at last they succeeded (by the help of Gordon) their energy was exhausted.  The defeat of China by Japan (1894-5) and the vengeance of the Powers after the Boxer rising (1900) finally opened the eyes of all thoughtful Chinese to the need for a better and more modern government than that of the Imperial Family.  But things move slowly in China, and it was not till eleven years after the Boxer movement that the revolution broke out.

The revolution of 1911, in China, was a moderate one, similar in spirit to ours of 1688.  Its chief promoter, Sun Yat Sen, now at the head of the Canton Government, was supported by the Republicans, and was elected provisional President.  But the Nothern Army remained faithful to the dynasty, and could probably have defeated the revolutionaries.  Its Commander-in-Chief, Yuan Shih-k’ai, however, hit upon a better scheme.  He made peace with the revolutionaries and acknowledged the Republic, on condition that he should be the first President instead of Sun Yat Sen.  Yuan Shih-k’ai was, of course, supported by the Legations, being what is called a “strong man,” i.e. a believer in blood and iron, not likely to be led astray by talk about democracy or freedom.  In China, the North has always been more military and less liberal than the South, and Yuan Shih-k’ai had created out of Northern troops whatever China possessed in the way of a modern army.  As he was also ambitious and treacherous, he had every quality needed for inspiring confidence in the diplomatic corps.  In view of the chaos which has existed since his death, it must be admitted, however, that there was something to be said in favour of his policy and methods.