Page 107 - A Re-examination of Late Qing Dynasty Porcelain, 1850-1920 THESIS

holding the position for more than 10 years. 117 Upon returning to China, Yuan was

tasked with training the Chinese army following the military defeat in the Sino-Japanese

War (1894-1895). He trained the army using Western military styles, showing preference

for training methods found in Germany. This reveals a distinct inclination for

Westernization and modernization prior to Yuan even holding political power within

imperial China.

It is during this time in his life that Yuan interacted the most with the previously

explored patron Empress Dowager Cixi. Yuan aided Cixi during the aftermath following

the Hundred Days Reform in 1898, resulting in the empress dowager rewarding him.

Cixi held Yuan in high esteem for the remainder of her life, ensuring that he remained a

senior government official. 118 The relationship between Yuan and Cixi is difficult to

trace. They did interact beyond 1898, since there is evidence that Yuan celebrated the

th
empress dowager’s 66 birthday by presenting her with a car in 1901. 119 After her death

in 1908, Yuan retired from political life. Many scholars believe this retirement was

directly tied to his aiding the empress dowager in the Hundred Days Reform and was

most likely forced by those in power. In 1911, the Wuchang Uprising marked the onset

of revolutionary activities. The Republic of China was founded on October 10, 1911 led

117 H.A. Van Oort, The Porcelain of Hung-Hsien: A Study of the Socio-Cultural Background and
Some Characteristics of the Porcelain Produced at Chingtechen During the Imperial Reign of
Yüan Shih-Kʻai (Netherlands: Uitgeversmaatschappij de Tijdstroom, 1970), 46.
118 MacKinnon, Power and Politics in Late Imperial China: Yuan Shi-Kai in Beijing and Tianjin,
1901-1908, 21.
119 “Empress Dowager Cixi: Selections from the Summer Palace,” exhibition November 12,
2017-March 11, 2018, Bowers Museum, Santa Ana, California. The exhibition displayed the car
that was supposedly presented to the Empress Dowager by Yuan, along with a variety of other
presents given in celebration of her birthday.

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