Yuan Shikai (September 16, 1859 – June 6, 1916) was a prominent political and military figure in modern Chinese history, as well as the leader of the Beiyang warlord faction. His courtesy name was Weiting (also spelled Weiting), and he went by the sobriquets Rong'an and Master of Xixin Pavilion. A member of the Han ethnicity, he hailed from Xiangcheng, Henan Province, which is why he was commonly known as "Yuan Xiangcheng."

Yuan Shikai rose to prominence early in his career on the Korean Peninsula and, upon returning to China, established a training ground for the New Army in Tianjin's Xiaozhan area. During the late Qing reforms, he actively pushed for modernization initiatives. During the Xinhai Revolution, he pressured the Qing emperor, Aisin-Gioro Puyi, into abdicating, subsequently becoming the provisional president of the Republic of China. In 1913, he suppressed the Second Revolution and was later elected as the first president of the Republic of China that same year. In 1914, he promulgated the "Constitution of the Republic of China," and in December 1915, he declared himself emperor, renaming the country the "Chinese Empire" and adopting the reign title "Hongxian." This move, known historically as the "Hongxian Imperial System," was originally scheduled to culminate in an elaborate coronation ceremony on January 1, 1916. However, facing widespread opposition from all quarters—including growing resistance led by prominent figures like Sun Yat-sen—the movement quickly escalated into the National Protection Movement. Ultimately, on March 22, Yuan Shikai was forced to announce the abolition of the imperial system after reigning as emperor for just 83 days. Tragically, he passed away on June 6, 1916, due to uremia, and was later buried in Anyang, Henan Province.

Yuan Shikai’s achievements and controversies have sparked widely differing opinions: some call him a "tyrant and national traitor," even a "great thief who usurped the country," while others praise him as a pioneer of modernization in China, hailing him as "the foremost figure among reformers." In short, Yuan Shikai remains one of the most polarizing figures in modern Chinese history.