Editing Yuan Shikai (section)

== Early life ==
On 16 September 1859, Yuan Shikai was born in the village of Zhangying ({{lang|zh-hant|張營村}}) to the [[Yuan (surname)|Yuan Clan]] which later moved 16 kilometres southeast of [[Xiangcheng City|Xiangcheng]] to a hilly area that was easier to defend against bandits. There, the Yuan family had built the fortified village of Yuanzhaicun ({{zhi|c=袁寨村}}).<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.scribd.com/document/321659858/Yuan-Shikai |title = Yuan Shikai {{!}} Qing Dynasty {{!}} International Politics |via=Scribd|language=en |access-date=23 May 2018 }}</ref> He was the fourth of six sons, and in 1866 was adopted by his father's younger brother, until he died in 1873. From that point Yuan was raised by several other uncles, before returning to Xiangcheng in 1878. During those years he had lived in the province of [[Shandong]], and then in [[Nanjing]] and Beijing.{{sfn|Boorman|Howard|1971|page=79}} Yuan's family was affluent enough to provide Yuan with a traditional Confucian education.<ref>Bonavia 34</ref> As a young man he enjoyed riding, hunting with dogs, boxing, and entertainment with friends. Though hoping to pursue a career in the civil service, he failed the imperial examinations twice, in 1876 and 1879, leading him to decide on an entry into politics through the [[Huai Army]], where many of his relatives served. His career began with the purchase of a minor official title in 1880, which was a common method of official promotion in the late Qing.<ref name="Spence, Jonathan D. 1999 p. 274">[[Jonathan Spence|Spence, Jonathan D.]] (1999) ''[[The Search for Modern China]]'', [[W.W. Norton and Company]]. p.&nbsp;274. {{ISBN|0-393-97351-4}}.</ref>{{sfn|Boorman|Howard|1971|page=79}}

Between 1877 and 1878, Yuan accompanied one of his uncles who was sent to assist relief efforts after a drought in the province of [[Henan]], and Yuan was praised by officials there for his role in helping manage the response, including in punishing those who embezzled relief funds. It during that time he began learning about leadership and politics, and made connections with senior government officials. After seeing the conditions in Henan as a result of the natural disaster there, Yuan wrote that he wanted to dedicate himself to "serving the country."{{sfn|Shan|2018|pages=28–29}} Using his father's connections, Yuan traveled to [[Tengzhou]], Shandong, and received a post on the military staff of the commander of the province's coastal defenses, Wu Changching,{{sfn|Boorman|Howard|1971|page=79}} in 1881.{{sfn|Shan|2018|page=20}} Wu had owed a debt to Yuan's foster father, and also provided Yuan with tutors to help him study for another attempt at the imperial examination. Yuan planned to retake it, but this never happened because his deployment to Korea in 1882. Around this time he expressed his willingness to fight to defend China from foreign powers.{{sfn|Shan|2018|pages=29–30}} Yuan's interest in military history and martials arts made him want to join the army, though he was disillusioned when he saw how poorly the soldiers were paid.{{sfn|Shan|2018|page=31}} Yuan's first marriage was in 1876 to a woman of the Yu family who bore him a first son, [[Yuan Keding|Keding]], in 1878. Yuan Shikai married nine more [[concubines]] throughout the course of his life.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://history.news.163.com/08/0606/09/4DODJOQB00011KUQ.html | script-title = zh:袁世凯：一妻九妾 | website = 163.com | date = 6 June 2008 | access-date = 2 May 2011 | language = zh | archive-date = 21 October 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181021014541/http://history.news.163.com/08/0606/09/4DODJOQB00011KUQ.html | url-status = dead }}</ref>