Huang Xing

Huang was a descendant of Huang Tingjian, a Chinese artist, scholar, government official, and poet of the Song dynasty.[1] Huang Xing began his studies at the prestigious South Changsha Academy in 1893, and received his Jinshi degree when he was only 22 years old. In 1898 Huang was selected to complete further study at Wuchang Lianghu College, from which Huang graduated in 1901. In 1902 Huang was selected by Zhang Zhidong to study abroad in Japan, and was enrolled in the Tokyo Hongwen University.

While in Japan, Huang developed an appreciation for the study of military affairs, and studied modern warfare under a Japanese officer in his leisure time. While living in Japan Huang practiced horsemanship and shooting every morning. Huang's military training in Japan prepared him for his later role as a Chinese revolutionary.

In 1903, Huang organized the Anti-Russia Volunteer Army (Chinese: 拒俄義勇隊; pinyin: Jù-É Yìyǒngduì) of over two hundred fellow students in Japan. The Army, quickly shut down by authorities in Japan, was intended to protest Russia's growing hegemony over Outer Mongolia and its occupation of northeast China after the Boxer Uprising. Later in 1903 Huang returned to China and organized a meeting with Chen Tianhua, Song Jiaoren, and more than 20 other people. The group founded the Huaxinghui, a secret revolutionary party dedicated to the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty. Huang Xing was elected president.

The Huaxinghui cooperated with other revolutionary parties, and in 1905 scheduled an armed uprising in Changsha during the Empress Dowager's seventieth birthday celebration. The Huaxinghui's plan was discovered, and its members (including Huang) were forced to escape to Japan. In Japan, Huang met Sun Yat-sen and helped Sun found the Tongmenghui, another revolutionary party dedicated to the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty. Huang held the post of General Affairs Officer, and became the Tongmenghui's second most important leader, after Sun. Following the founding of the Tongmenghui, Huang devoted his time and energy to the revolution.

In 1907 Huang secretly returned to China and traveled to Hanoi in French Indochina in order to participate in numerous revolts, including the Qinzhou Uprising, Fangcheng Uprising, and Zhen Nanguan Uprising. All of the revolts that Huang actively took part in failed due to lack of sufficient resources. In the autumn of 1909, Huang was commissioned by Sun Yat-sen to establish the South Branch of the Tongmenghui, and to prepare the Party for a planned military uprising from Guangzhou. In the spring of 1909, Huang led another uprising, but this revolt also failed. In October 1909, Huang presided over an assembly with Sun Yat-sen in the British colony of Penang (now part of Malaysia). The assembly decided to concentrate human and financial resources to stage further uprisings in Guangzhou.

In the spring of 1911, Huang established the Department of the Guangzhou Uprising in Hong Kong, and became the Department's minister. On April 27, Huang launched the Huanghuagang Uprising in Guangzhou, and led hundreds of people in an attempt to capture the viceroy of Guangdong and Guangxi. Huang and his followers failed to capture the viceroy, who climbed over a wall in order to escape them. During the skirmish, Huang sustained serious injuries and sustained a gunshot wound to his hand, resulting in losing two of his fingers.[2] The Huanghuagang Uprising turned out to be the last unsuccessful revolt before the Wuchang Uprising, that ultimately succeeded in overthrowing the Qing Dynasty by the end of 1911.

Following the Wuchang Uprising in October 1911, Huang Xing traveled from Shanghai to Wuchang and commanded the revolutionary forces in the Battle of Yangxia against Qing loyalist forces of Yuan Shikai.

On January 1, 1912, the Nanjing Interim Government was established, and Huang was selected to be one of its leaders. In August 1912, Huang became the director of the KMT. In March 1912, the provisional president of the newly formed Republic of China, Yuan Shikai, successfully assassinated the chairman of the KMT, Song Jiaoren, whose party had won China's first elections and who had shown indications of a desire to limit Yuan's powers within the new government.

In 1913, Yuan Shikai expelled KMT members from all government offices and moved the government to Beijing. Huang stayed in Nanjing and attempted to reorganize the South Army in order to oppose Yuan. Because of a shortage of money, Huang's army later mutinied, and Huang had to abandon Nanjing and retreat to the foreign concession areas of Shanghai. Sun Yat-sen again fled to Japan in November 1913.[3]

In July 1913, Sun organized armed forces to suppress Yuan, and the Second Revolution broke out. On July 14, Huang went to Nanjing from Shanghai, convinced the military governor of Jiangsu to declare independence from Yuan, and pushed to be the military commander in charge suppressing Yuan's forces in Jiangsu. After Huang's rebellion in Jiangsu failed, Huang fled back to Japan.

Huang went into exile in the United States in 1914, and Yuan Shikai proclaimed himself emperor in 1915. While abroad, Huang raised funds in order to raise a Yunnan National Protection Army to suppress Yuan. After the death of Yuan, in June 1916, Huang returned to China. In October 1916, Huang died in Shanghai at the age of 42 because of cirrhosis. On April 15, 1917, Huang was given a state funeral, and was buried in Changsha on Yuelu Mountain.

Huang Xing is portrayed by Jackie Chan in the film 1911, released in 2011 on the 100th anniversary of the Wuchang Uprising.