Wuchang Uprising
Wuchang, Wuhan, Hubei, China
What happened
Revolutionary soldiers of the Qing New Army, inspired by the Tongmenghui and organised by the Literary Society and the Gongjinhui, rose against the Qing government; officer Li Yuanhong became their leader. On 9 October 1911 a bomb being made by revolutionaries went off by accident in Hankou, and the police began arresting the plotters. To avoid capture, the next day soldiers in Wuchang rose up, seized the governor's headquarters and took the city. Revolutionaries soon held the nearby cities of Hankou and Hanyang too.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It started the 1911 Revolution, which ended nearly three centuries of Qing rule in China. The Republic of China was founded on 1 January 1912.
What came next
The Qing government sent Yuan Shikai's army, which retook Hankou and Hanyang, then negotiated with the revolutionaries. 10 October is still celebrated in Taiwan as National Day, 'Double Ten Day'.
Did you know?
Sun Yat-sen, the revolution's leader, was in the United States when the uprising began and learned about it from a newspaper the next morning.
Timeline
- 9 October 1911A bomb explodes by accident in Hankou.
- 10 October 1911Soldiers in Wuchang rise up.
- November 1911Qing forces retake Hankou and Hanyang; talks begin.
- 1 January 1912The Republic of China is founded.