Editing Yuan Shikai (section)

=== Revival of hereditary monarchy ===
{{Infobox monarchy
|native_name= {{nobold|{{lang|zh|中華帝國皇帝}}}}
|residence=[[Forbidden City]], [[Beijing]]
|border=imperial
|began=12 December 1915
|caption=The President dressed in the traditional ''chaofu'' attire, before his subsequent coronation. 1915.
|image=袁世凱祭天.jpg
|coatofarms=Twelve Symbols national emblem of China.svg
|coatofarmscaption='''Imperial Emblem'''
|coatofarmssize=120px
|ended=22 March 1916
|first_monarch=Hongxian
|last_monarch=
|royal_title=Emperor
|realm=China
|style=[[Imperial Majesty (style)|His Imperial Majesty]]|Era=}}

To build up his own authority, Yuan began to re-institute elements of state [[Confucianism]]. As the main proponent of reviving Qing state religious observances, Yuan effectively participated as emperor in rituals held at the Qing [[Temple of Heaven]]. In late 1915, rumours were floated of a popular consensus that the hereditary monarchy should be revived. With his power secure, many of Yuan's supporters, notably monarchist [[Yang Du]], advocated for a revival of the hereditary monarchy, asking Yuan to take on the title of Emperor. Yang reasoned that the Chinese masses had long been used to monarchic rule, the Republic had been effective only as a transitional phase to end Manchu rule, and China's political situation demanded the stability that only a dynastic monarchy could ensure. The American political scientist [[Frank Johnson Goodnow]] suggested a similar idea. Negotiators representing Japan had also offered to support Yuan's ambitions as one of the rewards for Yuan's support of the Twenty-One Demands.<ref>Barnouin, Barbara and Yu Changgen. ''Zhou Enlai: A Political Life''. Hong Kong: Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2006. [https://books.google.com/books?id=NztlWQeXf2IC&pg=PA14 p. 14] retrieved 12 March 2011.</ref>

On 20 November 1915, Yuan held a specially convened "Representative Assembly" which voted unanimously to offer Yuan the throne. On 12 December 1915, Yuan "accepted" the invitation and proclaimed himself Emperor of the Chinese Empire ({{zh|s=中华帝国大皇帝|t=中華帝國大皇帝|p=Zhōnghuá Dìguó Dà Huángdì}}) under the [[Chinese era name|era name]] of Hongxian ({{zh|s=洪宪|t=洪憲|p=Hóngxiàn}}; i.e. ''Constitutional Abundance''). The new [[Empire of China (1915–16)|Empire of China]] was to formally begin on 1 January 1916, when Yuan intended to conduct the accession rites. Soon after becoming emperor, the Yuan placed an order with the former imperial potters for a 40,000-piece porcelain set costing 1.4 million yuan, a large jade seal, and two imperial robes costing 400,000 yuan each.<ref name="Spence, Jonathan D. 1999 p. 274" /><ref name="Zhengyuan" />