The Great War helped China emerge from humiliation and obscurity and
take its first tentative steps as a full member of the global community.
In 1912 the Qing Dynasty had ended. President Yuan Shikai, who seized
power in 1914, offered the British 50,000 troops to recover the German
colony in Shandong but this was refused. In 1916 China sent a vast army
of laborers to Europe. In 1917 she declared war on Germany despite this
effectively making the real enemy Japan an ally.
The betrayal came when Japan was awarded the former German colony. This
inspired the rise of Chinese nationalism and communism, enflamed by
Russia. The scene was set for Japan's incursions into China and thirty
years of bloodshed.
One hundred years on, the time is right for this accessible and
authoritative account of China's role in The Great War and assessment of
its national and international significance