On This Day : October 10 Marks the Start of the 1911 Chinese Revolution

The Chinese Revolution, or the Xinhai Revolution, commenced with the Wuchang Uprising on October 10, 1911. This one incident sparked the end of the Qing dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China in 1912. This was the beginning of modern China due to the end of more than two thousand years of imperial rule.

China Under the Qing Dynasty

By the early 1900s, the Qing dynasty was in weakened condition, struggling and rule was losing due to foreign powers gaining dominion over large areas of China. People were losing faith in the imperial dynasty due to rampant corruption and a weakened economy. Weakness was sharply visible in the apathetic masses of the territory and it was emboldening revolutionaries to rise, and the students, soldiers, and reformers.

The Wuchang Uprising Sparks Change

Sun Yat-sen’s ideas had motivated revolutionary groups for years. On October 10, 1911, a bomb went off at a revolutionaries’ secret base in Wuchang. The revolutionaries’ plans were exposed, but the local soldiers chose not to back down. They worked together to take control of the city and the Xinhai Revolution began.

The Fall of the Qing Dynasty

The uprising’s momentum became unstoppable. The Qing Empire’s attempts at quelling the uprising were woefully insufficient. In early 1912, the empire’s last emperor, Puyi, was forced to abdicate. Sun Yat-sen was now the provisional president, symbolising the country’s new beginning.

Legacy of Double Ten Day

October 10 became Double Ten Day, in commemoration of the 1911 revolution and to celebrate the future of a new and revitalised China. The revolution led to greater social and political change, but it took the country a vision to leap into the unknown.

Revolution, however, was only the start. The Wuchang Uprising, the fall of the Qing dynasty, and the rise of the Republic of China are deeply interconnected events that signal the beginning of modern Chinese history.