The "Interim Communiqué" And The Study Of Yuan Shikai's Political Image Construction

The Provisional Gazette was the official publication during Yuan Shikai's preparation for the Beijing interim government.It recorded two alternations and the transfer process from south to north of the regime during the early republic of China.Yuan utilized the Provisional Gazette to shape his personal image,expand his power and helm the public opinion.A transfer of his personal political identity has been accomplished from the Yuan-Grab-it-all to the Grand President.The first chapter stated the social and political environment in which the Provisional Gazette was started and in suspension.The publication was started with the success of the 1911 Revolution when the Revolutionary Party established the Nanjing interim government.The Qing Dynasty was forced to abdicate,authorizing Yuan with full control to organize the temporary republic government.The northern journalism has thrived by the driving force of political struggle.When the publication was suspended,Yuan had already assumed the office of the interim Grand President in Beijing,and the temporary senate had moved to Beijing.The second chapter systematically researched the layout and section settings,along with the main content of the Provisional Gazette.Typesetting of covers and catalogs,along with type and number of sections,was introduced.The publication's main content was demonstrated in eight aspects,including politics,military,economy,education,journalism,law,social advertisement and patriotic bonds.The third chapter analyzed how the key report content constructing Yuan's political image,focusing on five subjects which were the argument of determining a southern or northern capital,the Beijing Mutiny,Five-race republic,personnel appointment and promoting education.The political image reflected by each subject was analyzed in detail.The forth chapter mined the relationship between Yuan and the Provisional Gazette from three perspectives which were the purpose of establishing,the reason of suspension,and the content of the publication.The publication was created to meet Yuan's demand of establishing authority and mastering the right to speak.And the Provisional Gazette was suspended for reason that Yuan had accomplished the transfer from Yuan-grab-it-all to the Grand President Yuan,and that the Nanjing interim government had been unified to the Beijing government.The content of this newspaper shaped a positive image of Yuan from several aspects,focusing on the identity of the Grand President.The last chapter makes an evaluation of the Provisional Gazette from four aspects:nature,content,function and status.In essence,it is an official publication that records important events in the process of the transfer of the regime from the south to the north.It played a key role in guiding public opinions,and preserved the political life materials of that special period.