Wuchang Uprising The Wuchang Uprising was the Chinese uprising that served as the catalyst to the Xinhai Revolution , ending the Qing Dynasty — and two millennia of imperial rule — and ushering in the Republic of China ( ROC ) . It began with the dissatisfaction of the handling of a railway crisis . The crisis then escalated to an uprising where the revolutionaries went up against Qing government officials . The uprising was then assisted by the New Army in a coup against their own authorities in the city of Wuchang , Hubei province on October 10 , 1911 . The Battle of Yangxia led by Huang Xing would be the major engagement in the uprising . Canton and Sichuan railway crisis . After the Boxer Rebellion , many Western countries saw China as a good target for railway building and investment . Having carved out their individual spheres of influence , countries such as the United Kingdom and France built numerous railways over the Qing government ' s protests . Germany began building lines in Shandong , the British in Yangtze Valley , French in Kunming , Russians in Heilongjiang and the Japan ese had the Southern Manchuria Railway company . By 1905 , however , the Canton - Hankou Railway and the Sichuan - Hankou railway ( 川漢鐵路 ) were being locally managed in Guangdong , Hunan , Hubei and Sichuan . The railways were meant to link up with the rest of China . In May 1911 the Qing government ordered the nationalization of railway lines , previously paid for by local private investors , in order to pay for the indemnities imposed by the Boxer Protocol . The announcement to nationalize the railways and pay back debts to the antagonistic victors of the Boxer Rebellion — mainly Great Britain , Germany , France and the US — was met with much opposition . Protests were held in Changsha and people in Guangdong boycotted government banknotes . By July the Qing government compensated the investors , but the amount offered to Sichuan was much lower than all other provinces . By August 11 there were massive strikes and rallies at Chengdu . Gov . Zhao Erfeng , in a panic , ordered the arrest of the nobles . New Army units in Wuhan were stationed in Wuchang , Hankou and Hanyang at the time . The Uprising . Revolutionary groups and a bombing incident . The uprising itself broke out by accident . At the time there were two local revolutionary groups in Wuhan , the Literary Society ( 文學社 ) and the Progressive Association ( 共進會 ) . The two groups worked together , led by Jiang Yiwu ( 蔣翊武 ) and Sun Wu ( 孫武 ) . In September 1911 they began collaborating with the Tongmenghui ( 同盟會 ) . The original uprising date was set for October 6 on Mid - Autumn festival . However , some people were not ready on that date , and so it was postponed . On October 9 Sun Wu was at the Russian concession of Hankou where bombs were being built . A bomb accidentally exploded , causing Sun Wu serious injuries . When he was sent to the hospital , the staff discovered the group were revolutionaries and alerted the Qing government . New Army mutiny . Facing arrest and certain execution with their identities now revealed , the revolutionaries had no choice but to stage a coup . Qing Viceroy of Huguang Duan Zheng ( 瑞澂 ) tried to track down the revolutionaries . Jiang Yiwu of the Literary Society decided to launch an attack that night , but the plot was discovered by Qing agents . Several members were arrested and executed . Xiong Bingkun ( 熊秉坤 ) then decided to revolt on the evening of October 10 at 7pm . The modernized New Army in Wuchang staged a mutiny . While the New Army belonged to the Qing government , it had already been infiltrated by the then exiled Sun Yat - sen ' s anti - Qing allegiance . The revolutionaries took over the government house office of Duan Zheng , who managed to avoid capture by escaping through a tunnel . After fierce fighting , the army captured strategic points in the city . More revolutionaries joined the insurrectionists and the government troops were defeated . Sacrificial ceremony . Just one week after the start of the Wuchang uprising , Li Yuanhong ( 黎元洪 ) made a sacrifice to Heaven , Earth and the Yellow Emperor . A wide earthen platform was constructed on a military parade ground near the government offices . Five sacrificial offerings were made on an altar for incense , wine and an ox , according to tradition . Li and the officers kowtow ed four times , while a prayer was read that told of the persecution of the Han by the Manchus and called the Yellow Emperor to assist in the establishment of the Republic . At the end , the soldiers raised their guns and shouted " " Ten thousand years ! " " three times . Establishment of Hubei military government . On October 11 the New Army established a military government in Hubei and Li Yuanhong was forced to become the new governor . It took some persuading to get him to " accept " the post , as one report said that he was hiding under a bed to avoid the position . Once the army had taken the city it went to the Yellow Crane Tower to raise the " Iron Blood 18 - star flag " . This new military government called for other provinces to support the revolution and declared the founding of the Republic of China . This temporary government was referred to as the " Military Government of Hubei of the Republic of China " ( 湖北軍政府 ) . By October 12 Hankou and Hanyang also fell into the hands of the revolutionaries . Battle of Yangxia . The Qing government responded in October by ordering commander - in - chief Yuan Shikai ( 袁世凱 ) and the Beiyang Army to suppress the uprising in Wuchang . Huang Xing ( 黃興 ) would arrive in Wuhan in early November to take command of the revolutionary army . The revolutionaries and the loyalists fought a protracted battle in Hankou and Hanyang known as the Battle of Yangxia that would last until December 1 . Although the loyalists eventually captured both towns , Yuan Shikai halted the advance of the Beiyang Army and agreed to a ceasefire . Negotiations began on December 1 . Aftermath . Sun Yat - sen himself played no direct part in the uprising in Wuchang . He was traveling in the United States , trying to drum up financial support from overseas Chinese . At the time he was in Denver at the foot of the Rocky Mountains . He received a telegram from Huang Xing that was one week old , but he couldn ' t decipher it because he didn ' t have the secret key with him . The next morning he read in the newspaper that the city of Wuchang was occupied by the revolutionaries . After the Wuchang Uprising , the revolutionaries telegraphed the other provinces asking them to declare their independence , and 15 provinces in Southern China and Central China did so . Representatives from the seceding provinces met and declared the founding of the Republic of China on January 1 , 1912 . Sun Yat - sen would return to China in December 1911 to be elected provisional president of the Republic of China . He eventually agreed to cede his provisional presidency to Yuan Shikai , in exchange for Yuan ' s help in pressuring the Last Emperor to abdicate . On February 12 , 1912 , Puyi , the Last Emperor , stepped down from the throne . The Qing dynasty could no longer govern itself , as it seemed to have forfeited the mandate of heaven . This brought an end to the imperial era . Culture . The date of the uprising , October 10 , widely known as Double Ten Day ( ) , is celebrated as the National Day ( ) of the Republic of China . It is one of the most important national holidays in Taiwan . October 10 is not the National Day of the People ' s Republic of China , but there may also be memorial activities in mainland China , usually referring to the day as the " Anniversary for the Wuchang Uprising " ( ) . The equivalent celebration is usually done on October 1 on the National Day of the People ' s Republic of China .