List of leaders of the Republic of China

Military Governments

Wuchang Uprising

The Wuchang Uprising began with the dissatisfaction of the handling of a railway crisis. The crisis then escalated to an uprising where the revolutionaries went up against Qing government officials. The uprising was then assisted by the New Army in a coup against their own authorities in the city...

on October 11, 1911 and in the following two months, provincial military governments declared their independence from the Qing Empire

Qing Dynasty

The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....

under the name "Republic of China." On November 30, 1911, the "Central Military Government of the Republic of China" was established under the leadership of Li Yuanhong

Li Yuanhong

Li Yuanhong was a Chinese general and political figure during the Qing dynasty and the republican era. He was twice president of the Republic of China.- Early history :...

Provisional Government of the Republic of China (Nanjing, 1912; Beijing, 1912-1913)

Provisional President of the Republic of China (臨時大總統):

Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese doctor, revolutionary and political leader. As the foremost pioneer of Nationalist China, Sun is frequently referred to as the "Father of the Nation" , a view agreed upon by both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China...

(January 1, 1912 - March 10, 1912)
Yuan Shikai
Yuan Shikai
Yuan Shikai was an important Chinese general and politician famous for his influence during the late Qing Dynasty, his role in the events leading up to the abdication of the last Qing Emperor of China, his autocratic rule as the second President of the Republic of China , and his short-lived...

(March 10, 1912 - October 10, 1913)

The "Republic of China" was formally proclaimed on January 1, 1912 and Sun Yat-sen took office in Nanking (now Nanjing

Nanjing

' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...

) as the first provisional president. Sun resigned on March 10 and was succeeded by Qing Empire Prime Minister Yuan Shikai. This moved the government to Beijing

Beijing

Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

Government of the Republic of China (Beijing, 1913-1928)

Yuan Shikai enacted a new Constitution to greatly expand his powers as president and abolish the National Assembly. Sun Yat-sen and his supporters responded with the failed Second Revolution and were subsequently exiled. The later ROC governments under the KMT (and the current People's Republic of China

People's Republic of China

China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

government) considers the Beiyang Government after this point to be illegitimate.

Yuan Shikai
Yuan Shikai
Yuan Shikai was an important Chinese general and politician famous for his influence during the late Qing Dynasty, his role in the events leading up to the abdication of the last Qing Emperor of China, his autocratic rule as the second President of the Republic of China , and his short-lived...

(October 10, 1913 - December 22, 1915)

Yuan Shikai declared himself Emperor on December 22, 1915. Popular opposition led Yuan to retract his declaration on March 22, 1916.

Yuan Shikai
Yuan Shikai
Yuan Shikai was an important Chinese general and politician famous for his influence during the late Qing Dynasty, his role in the events leading up to the abdication of the last Qing Emperor of China, his autocratic rule as the second President of the Republic of China , and his short-lived...

(March 22, 1916 - June 6, 1916)
Li Yuanhong
Li Yuanhong
Li Yuanhong was a Chinese general and political figure during the Qing dynasty and the republican era. He was twice president of the Republic of China.- Early history :...

(June 7, 1916 - July 1, 1917)

Yuan died in 1916 and was succeeded by Vice President Li Yuan-hung. Warlord Zhang Xun

Zhang Xun (Republic of China)

Zhang Xun was a Qing-loyalist general who attempted to restore the abdicated emperor Puyi in 1917. He supported Yuan Shikai during his time as president....

restored Puyi

Puyi

Puyi , of the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan, was the last Emperor of China, and the twelfth and final ruler of the Qing Dynasty. He ruled as the Xuantong Emperor from 1908 until his abdication on 12 February 1912. From 1 to 12 July 1917 he was briefly restored to the throne as a nominal emperor by the...

to the throne for twelve days from July 1 to July 12, 1917. The Republican government was soon restored, but local warlords forced Li from office.

Li Yuanhong
Li Yuanhong
Li Yuanhong was a Chinese general and political figure during the Qing dynasty and the republican era. He was twice president of the Republic of China.- Early history :...

(July 12, 1917 - July 17, 1917)
Feng Guozhang
Feng Guozhang
Féng Guózhāng, was a key Beiyang Army general and politician in early republican China. He held the office of Vice-President and then President of the Republic of China...

(July 17, 1917 - October 10, 1918)
Xu Shichang (October 10, 1918 - June 2, 1922)
Zhou Ziqi
Zhou Ziqi
Zhōu Zìqí 周自齊 , was a Chinese politician in the late Qing dynasty and early republican period. He was a member of the Communications Clique.-Biography:...

(2 Jun 1922 - 11 Jun 1922) (acting)
Li Yuanhong
Li Yuanhong
Li Yuanhong was a Chinese general and political figure during the Qing dynasty and the republican era. He was twice president of the Republic of China.- Early history :...

(June 11, 1922 - June 13, 1923)
Zhang Shaozeng
Zhang Shaozeng
Zhang Shaozeng was a Beiyang Army general in charge of the 20th Division.-Biography:...

(13 Jun 1923 - 9 Sep 1923) (acting)
Gao Lingwei
Gao Lingwei
Gāo Língwèi was a Chinese politician during the late Qing dynasty and the Republic of China.A Tianjin native, he was appointed to Hubei where he held many offices relating to finance and education including a stint as superintendent of the provincial military academy...

(9 Sep 1923 - 10 Oct 1923) (acting)
Cao Kun
Cao Kun
|-...

(October 10, 1923 - November 2, 1924)
Huang Fu
Huang Fu
Huáng Fú was a general and politician in early republican China. He was born in Hangzhou.-Biography:Huang studied at Zhejiang Military College and Qiushi Academy , later went to Japan. Huang came in contact with the Revolutionary Alliance while studying in a military academy in the Empire of Japan...

(2 Nov 1924 - 24 Nov 1924) (acting)
Duan Qirui
Duan Qirui
Duan Qirui was a Chinese warlord and politician, commander in the Beiyang Army, and the Provisional Chief Executive of Republic of China from November 24, 1924 to April 20, 1926. He was arguably the most powerful man in China from 1916 to 1920.- Early life :Born in Hefei as Duan Qirui , his...

(November 24, 1924 - April 20, 1926)
Hu Weide
Hu Weide
rightHú Wéidé , , was a Chinese politician and diplomat during the Qing dynasty and the Republic of China.-Biography:...

(20 Apr 1926 - 13 May 1926) (acting)
Yan Huiqing
Yan Huiqing
Yan Huiqing Yan Huiqing Yan Huiqing (Wade-Giles: Yen Hui-Ching, (also known as W.W. Yen) 顏惠慶 (1877-1950) was a Chinese writer, politician, and diplomat from Shanghai.-Biography:...

(13 May 1926 - 22 Jun 1926) (acting)
Du Xigui
Du Xigui
Du Xigui was a Chinese admiral during the warlord era.-Biography:Born in Fuzhou, he graduated from Nanjing's naval college in 1902. In 1922, he was made chief of the navy and helped the Zhili clique defeat Zhang Zuolin. In the spring of 1923, Shanghai's fleet rebelled and Du took responsibility...

(22 Jun 1926 - 1 Oct 1926) (acting)
Wellington Koo
Wellington Koo
Koo Vi Kyuin or Ku Wei-chün , often known by the Western name V.K. Wellington Koo, was a prominent diplomat under the Republic of China, representative to the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, Ambassador to France, Great Britain, and the United States; participant in founding the League of Nations...

(1 Oct 1926 - 18 Jun 1927) (acting)
Zhang Zuolin
Zhang Zuolin
Zhang Zuolin was the warlord of Manchuria from 1916 to 1928 . He successfully invaded China proper in October 1924 in the Second Zhili-Fengtian War. He gained control of Peking, including China's internationally recognized government, in April 1926...

(June 18, 1927 - June 2, 1928)

The Beiyang Government was extinguished by the Northern Expedition led by the Kuomintang

Kuomintang

The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...

Military Government (Guangzhou, 1917-1925)

The Chinese Revolutionary Party

Chinese Revolutionary Party

The Chinese Revolutionary Party was the short lived renaming of the Kuomintang between 1914 and 1919....

established a rival government in Guangzhou

Guangzhou

Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...

and declared legitimacy over the "warlord" government in Beijing (which they renamed Beiping since jing means "capital").

Generalissimo of the Military Government (海陸軍大元帥):

Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese doctor, revolutionary and political leader. As the foremost pioneer of Nationalist China, Sun is frequently referred to as the "Father of the Nation" , a view agreed upon by both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China...

(September 10, 1917 - July 5, 1918)

The Military Government was headed collectively by the Governing Committee of the Military Government (July 5, 1918]] - August 21, 1918), viz.,

Sun Yat-sen
Tang Shaoyi
Tang Shaoyi
Táng Shàoyí , was a Chinese diplomat, politician. He was the father-in-law of Wellington Koo and Lee Seng Gee.-Career:...
Wu Tingfang
Wu Tingfang
Wu Tingfang was a Chinese diplomat and politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and briefly as Acting Premier during the early years of the Republic of China. He is also known under his Cantonese name Ng Choy -Biography:...
Cen Chunxuan
Cen Chunxuan
Cen Chunxuan was the governor of Shanxi , governor-general of Sichuan , Liangguang , Yungui , and Tibet and chairman of the Governing Committee of the Military Government of China .-Biography:He was under the protection of General Lu Rongting's Old...
Lu Rongting
Lu Rongting
Lu Rongting was born in Wuming, Guangxi, China. Originating as a common bandit, Lu became a military commander in Guangxi in the Qing dynasty and suppressed the revolutionary uprising at Zhennan Pass on the Sino-Vietnam border in Pingxiang, Guangxi led by Sun Yat-sen and Huang Xing.However, when...
Tang Jiyao
Tang Jiyao
Tang Jiyao was a Chinese general and warlord of Yunnan during the Warlord Era of Republican China. Tang Jiyao was military governor of Yunnan from 1913-1927.-Life:...
Lin Baoyi

In 1918, Sun Yat-sen and his government was forced out of Guangdong by warlords. The Military Government was consolidated by Chairman of the Governing Committee (主席總裁):

Cen Chunxuan
Cen Chunxuan
Cen Chunxuan was the governor of Shanxi , governor-general of Sichuan , Liangguang , Yungui , and Tibet and chairman of the Governing Committee of the Military Government of China .-Biography:He was under the protection of General Lu Rongting's Old...

(August 21, 1918 - October 24, 1920)

Sun Yat-sen and his supporters were restored in Guangzhou with the help of local warlord Chen Jiongming

Chen Jiongming

Chen Jiongming was a revolutionary figure in the early periods of the Republic of China. Chen Jiongming was born in 1878 at Haifeng, Guangdong, China....

in 1920. On October 24, 1920 to May 4, 1921, figurehead duties were again given collectively to the Governing Committee of the Military Government, viz.,

Sun Yat-sen
Tang Shaoyi
Wu Tingfang
Tang Jiyao.

Sun Yat-sen was elected "President" by remnants of the 1912 National Assembly, but since this parliament lacked the quorum established by the 1912 Constitution, he took the title of Extraordinary President (非常大總統):

Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese doctor, revolutionary and political leader. As the foremost pioneer of Nationalist China, Sun is frequently referred to as the "Father of the Nation" , a view agreed upon by both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China...

(May 5, 1921 - June 29, 1922)

In 1922, Sun was expelled from Guangdong by Chen Jiongming.

Sun Yat-sen was restored in Guangdong in 1923 and established the National Government with the help of the Comitern.

Generalissimo of the Military Government (海陸軍大元帥):

Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese doctor, revolutionary and political leader. As the foremost pioneer of Nationalist China, Sun is frequently referred to as the "Father of the Nation" , a view agreed upon by both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China...

(March 2, 1923 - March 12, 1925)

Sun died in 1925 and was succeeded as acting Generalissimo of the National Government by Hu Hanmin.

Hu Hanmin
Hu Hanmin
Hu Hanmin was one of the early leaders of Kuomintang , and a very important right-winger in Kuomintang.-Biography:Hu Hanmin was qualified as juren at 21 years of age. He studied in Japan since 1902, and joined Tongmenghui as an editor of 《Minbao》 in 1905. From 1907-1910, he participated in...

(12 March 1925 - 1 July 1925) (acting)

National Government (Guangzhou, 1925-1927)

Chairmen of the National Government (國民政府主席):

Wang Jingwei
Wang Jingwei
Wang Jingwei , alternate name Wang Zhaoming, was a Chinese politician. He was initially known as a member of the left wing of the Kuomintang , but later became increasingly anti-Communist after his efforts to collaborate with the CCP ended in political failure...

(July 1, 1925 - April 15, 1926)

Wang Ching-wei was forced out of office over the attempted kidnapping of Chiang Kai-shek in the Zhongshan Gunboat Incident.

Tan Yankai
Tan Yankai
Tan Yankai was a Chinese politician from Hunan.-Biography:A member of Liang Qichao's Constitutionalist Party, he campaigned for a parliament and restrained monarchy...

(April 16, 1926 - March 29, 1927)

In 1927, the Kuomintang

Kuomintang

embarked on the Northern Expedition and left its base in Guangzhou for Wuhan, Nanjing, and Shanghai in three separate divisions.

National Government (Wuhan, 1927)

During the Northern Expedition, Wang Ching-wei declared Wuhan

Wuhan

Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers...

to be the capital of the Republic of China after the city's capture by National Revolutionary Army forces loyal to the KMT left-wing.

Chairmen of the Standing Committee of the National Government:

Wang Jingwei
Wang Jingwei
Wang Jingwei , alternate name Wang Zhaoming, was a Chinese politician. He was initially known as a member of the left wing of the Kuomintang , but later became increasingly anti-Communist after his efforts to collaborate with the CCP ended in political failure...

(March 20, 1927 - September 13, 1927)

National Government (Nanjing, 1927-1937; Chongqing, 1937-1945; Nanjing, 1945-1948)

Chiang Kai-shek declared the capital of the Republic of China to be in Nanjing

Nanjing

' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...

after the city's capture by National Revolutionary Army forces loyal to the KMT right-wing during the Northern Expedition.

Chairmen of the Standing Committee of the National Government:

Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....

(April 18, 1927 - August 15, 1927)
Tan Yankai
Tan Yankai
Tan Yankai was a Chinese politician from Hunan.-Biography:A member of Liang Qichao's Constitutionalist Party, he campaigned for a parliament and restrained monarchy...

(August 15, 1927 - October 10, 1928)

The leftist government in Wuhan was overwhelmed by local warlords and agreed to join the Nationalist Government in Nanjing in September 1928.

Chairmen of the National Government (國民政府主席):

Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....

(October 10, 1928 - December 15, 1931)
Lin Sen
Lin Sen
Lin Sen , courtesy name Zichao , sobriquet Changren , was President of the National Government of the Republic of China from 1931 until his death.-Early life:...

(December 15, 1931 - August 1, 1943)

The National Government relocated to Chongqing

Chongqing

Chongqing is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities of China. Administratively, it is one of the PRC's four direct-controlled municipalities , and the only such municipality in inland China.The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the...

from 1937 to 1945 due to the Japanese invasion.

Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....

(August 1, 1943 - May 20, 1948)

Provisional National Government (Beijing, 1937-1940)

The Provisional National Government was established as a Japanese collaborationist government established under occupation.
Acting Chairman of the Provisional National Government:

Wang Kemin
Wang Kemin
Wang Kemin was a leading official in the Chinese republican movement and early Beiyang government, later noted for his role as in the collaborationist Provisional Government of the Republic of China and Nanjing Nationalist Government during World War II....

(December 14, 1937 - March 30, 1940)

Reformed National Government (Nanjing, 1938-1940)

The Reformed National Government was established as a Japanese collaborationist government established under occupation.
Acting Chairman of the Reformed National Government:

Liang Hongzhi
Liang Hongzhi
Liang Hongzhi; was a leading official in the Anhui clique of the Beiyang Government, later noted for his role as in the collaborationist Reformed Government of the Republic of China during World War II.-Biography:...

(March 28, 1938 - March 30, 1940)

National Government (Nanjing, 1940-1945)

A National Government, as a challenge to the legitimacy of Chiang Kai-shek's National Government in Chongqing, was established as a Japanese collaborationist government established under occupation. As evidence of its claims to legitimacy, the government in Nanjing established the same set of institutions as the one in Chongqing and flew an almost-identical flag. This replaced the Provisional and Reformed National Governments.
Chairmen of the National Government (國民政府主席):

Wang Jingwei
Wang Jingwei
Wang Jingwei , alternate name Wang Zhaoming, was a Chinese politician. He was initially known as a member of the left wing of the Kuomintang , but later became increasingly anti-Communist after his efforts to collaborate with the CCP ended in political failure...

(March 30, 1940 - November 10, 1944)
Chen Gongbo (20 Nov 1944 - Aug 1945) (acting)

Government of the Republic of China (Nanjing, 1948-1949; Taipei, 1949-present)

A new constitution

Constitution of the Republic of China

The Constitution of the Republic of China is the fundamental law of the Republic of China . Drafted by the Kuomintang as part of its third stage of national development , it established a centralized Republic with five branches of government...

was promulgated on December 25, 1947 and Chiang Kai-shek was subsequently elected President by the National Assembly

National Assembly of the Republic of China

The National Assembly of the Republic of China refers to several parliamentary bodies that existed in the Republic of China. The National Assembly was originally founded in 1913 as the first legislature in Chinese history, but was disbanded less than a year later as President Yuan Shikai assumed...

.

President of the Republic of China (中華民國總統):

Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....

(May 20, 1948 - January 21, 1949)
Li Zongren
Li Zongren
Li Zongren or Li Tsung-jen , courtesy name Delin , was a prominent Guangxi warlord and Kuomintang military commander during the Northern Expedition, Second Sino-Japanese War and Chinese Civil War...

(January 21, 1949 - March 1, 1950) (acting)

Chiang Kai-shek resigned amid losses in the Chinese Civil War

Chinese Civil War

The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...

. The government moved from Nanjing to Taipei

Taipei

Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...

on December 8, 1949. Li Tsung-jen had left for the United States in November 1949 and Chiang officially resumed his powers in March 1950.

Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....

(March 1, 1950 - April 5, 1975) (first to fifth terms)
Yen Chia-kan
Yen Chia-kan
Yen Chia-kan , or Yen Chia-jin , better known as C. K. Yen, succeeded Chiang Kai-shek as President of the Republic of China upon Chiang's death on April 5, 1975. He served out the remainder of Chiang's term until May 20, 1978.-Biography:C. K...

(April 6, 1975 - May 20, 1978) (fifth term)
Chiang Ching-kuo
Chiang Ching-kuo
Chiang Ching-kuo , Kuomintang politician and leader, was the son of President Chiang Kai-shek and held numerous posts in the government of the Republic of China...

(May 20, 1978 - January 13, 1988) (sixth and seventh terms)
Lee Teng-hui
Lee Teng-hui
Lee Teng-hui is a politician of the Republic of China . He was the 7th, 8th, and 9th-term President of the Republic of China and Chairman of the Kuomintang from 1988 to 2000. He presided over major advancements in democratic reforms including his own re-election which marked the first direct...

(January 13, 1988 - May 20, 2000) (seventh to ninth terms)

Starting from the ninth term the president is elected by popular vote among citizens of the Republic of China in the "Free Area of the Republic of China

Free Area of the Republic of China

The Free area of the Republic of China is a legal and political description referring to the territories under the control of the government of Republic of China , consisting of the island groups of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and some minor islands...

" (area it administered), instead of by the National Assembly.

Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian is a former Taiwanese politician who was the 10th and 11th-term President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008. Chen, whose Democratic Progressive Party has traditionally been supportive of Taiwan independence, ended more than fifty years of Kuomintang rule in Taiwan...

(May 20, 2000 - May 19, 2008) (10th and 11th terms)
Ma Ying-Jeou
Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou is the 12th term and current President of the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, and the Chairman of the Kuomintang Party, also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party. He formerly served as Justice Minister from 1993 to 1996, Mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006, and Chairman...

(May 20, 2008–present) (12th term)