Page 109 - A Re-examination of Late Qing Dynasty Porcelain, 1850-1920 THESIS

of the new republic, Yuan never lost his personal beliefs, which were strongly connected

to traditional Chinese values. It seems possible that these core principles contributed to

Yuan’s attempt to establish a new monarchy.

When Yuan became the new emperor, he established his reign as Hongxian 洪憲,

meaning “the great constitutional era.” 125 During his time as emperor, Yuan attempted to

reinstate many of the traditions associated with imperial power. He ordered imperial

porcelain to be created at the imperial kilns of Jingdezhen bearing his reign mark, which

is expanded upon in later sections. Along with this, Yuan performed prayer ceremonies

at the Temple of Heaven. Prayer rituals at this imperial site connected the emperor

directly to heaven, which was thought to be the source of all imperial powers. 126 Many of

the rites honored Confucius, indicating Yuan’s desire to resurrect Confucian ideologies

and connect more strongly to former traditions. 127 He also took up residence within the

Forbidden City, which had historically served as China’s imperial palace. Despite these

efforts to emulate the successes of previous Qing emperors, Yuan began to slowly lose

supporters. Major aspects of Yuan’s fall from power include the historic events

occurring around China. During his brief reign, Yuan lost the support of his main

supporters, namely the military and conservatives. The mounting opposition to Yuan was

backed by Japan, and the Western supporters Yuan once had were now actively involved

in World War I. The decline in both his political support and his health eventually led to

125 Rose Kerr, Chinese Ceramics Porcelain of the Qing Dynasty 1644-1911 (London: The
Victoria & Albert Museum, 1998), 127.
126 The Temple of Heaven is most widely known for being a site utilized by the rulers of the Ming
and Qing dynasties.
127 Gunhild Avitabile, From the Dragon’s Treasure: Chinese Porcelain from the Nineteenth and
Twentieth Centuries in the Weishaupt Collection (London: Bamboo Publishing, 1987), 121.

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