''Towards the Republic'', also known as ''For the Sake of the Republic'' and ''Zou Xiang Gong He'' (), is a Chinese historical television series first broadcast on

CCTV Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly t ...

in China from April to May 2003. The series is based on events which occurred in China in the late 19th century and early 20th century, and led to the collapse of the Qing dynasty and the founding of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

. Because the series portrayed historical issues to which the current Chinese government remains politically sensitive, the series has been subjected to censorship in mainland China.

Plot

The series concentrates on various important events of the late Qing dynasty and Republican era in the late 19th century and early 20th century in China, including the First Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895), the Hundred Days' Reform (1898), the

Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, the Boxer Insurrection, or the Yihetuan Movement, was an anti-foreign, anti-colonial, and anti-Christian uprising in China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by ...

(1900), and the Xinhai Revolution (1911). The series narrates historical events and portrays the private lives of key political figures such as Li Hongzhang, the Guangxu Emperor, Yuan Shikai and

Sun Yat-sen Sun Yat-sen (; also known by several other names; 12 November 1866 – 12 March 1925)Singtao daily. Saturday edition. 23 October 2010. section A18. Sun Yat-sen Xinhai revolution 100th anniversary edition . was a Chinese politician who serve ...

. There are monarchists, reformers and revolutionaries who provide different answers to addressing the deteriorating situation of the Qing dynasty but all these answers point towards a common goal – to restore China as a sovereign, international and independent power.

Cast

Lead roles

* Wang Bing as Li Hongzhang * Lü Zhong as Empress Dowager Cixi *

Ma Shaohua Ma Shaohua (born 23 September 1955) is a Chinese actor best known for portraying historical figures such as Sun Yat-sen and Deng Xiaoping in several films and television series. He became widely known to audiences with ''Towards the Republic'', ' ...

* J. René Godin as Alfred von Waldersee * Sun Chun as Yuan Shikai * Li Guangjie as Guangxu Emperor

Supporting roles

* Xu Min as

Yikuang Yikuang (Manchu: ''I-kuwang''; 16 November 1838 – 28 January 1917), formally known as Prince Qing (or Prince Ch'ing), was a Manchu noble and politician of the Qing dynasty. He served as the first Prime Minister of the Imperial Cabinet, a ...

(Prince Qing) * Jiang Nan as Empress Dowager Longyu * Zheng Tianyong as Prince Gong * Hao Zi as

Zaizhen Zaizhen (31 March 1876 – 31 December 1947), courtesy name Yuzhou, was a Manchu prince and politician of the late Qing dynasty. Romanised forms of his name include Tsai-chen, Tsai-Chen, Tsai-Cheng. Life and service under the Qing dynasty ...

* Hao Bojie as

Zaize Zaize (17 March 1868 – June 1929), born Zaijiao, courtesy name Yinping, was a Manchu noble of the Qing dynasty. He is best known for supporting reforms and advocating the adoption of a constitutional monarchy system in the final years of t ...

* Asiru as

Consort Zhen Imperial Noble Consort Keshun (27 February 1876 – 15 August 1900), of the Manchu Bordered Red Banner Tatara clan, was a consort of the Guangxu Emperor. She was five years his junior. She was known to foreigners as the Pearl Concubine. Legend h ...

* Ge Zhijun as Ronglu * Zhang Ju as Weng Tonghe * Liao Bingyan as Zhang Zhidong * Jia Yiping as Tieliang * Wen Haibo as Sheng Xuanhuai * Liu Weiming as

Zhang Jian Zhang Jian may refer to: Name * Zhang Jian (fencer) (born 1962), Chinese fencer * Zhang Jian (football) (born 1965/66), Chinese football administrator * Zhang Jian (businessman) (1853–1926), courtesy name Jizhi, Chinese entrepreneur, politician ...

* Tian Xiaojie as

Gu Hongming Gu Hongming in his time known as Ku Hung-ming (; Wade-Giles: Ku Hung-ming; Pinyin: Gū Hóngmíng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Ko͘ Hông-bêng; courtesy name: Hongming; ordinary name: 湯生 in Chinese or Tomson in English) (18 July 185730 April 1928) was a ...

* Han Yingqun as Ma Sanjun * Su Mao as Deng Shichang * Li Yonggui as Li Lianying * Ma Xiaoning as Xiaodezhang * Zheng Tianyong as Qu Hongji * Sun Ning as Kang Youwei * Zhang Han as Liang Qichao * Li Chuanying as Huang Xing * Qiao Lisheng as Song Jiaoren * Zheng Yu as Xu Shichang * Cai Wei as Li Yuanhong * Ma Lun as Duan Qirui * Yang Junyong as Ying Guixin * Li Yi as

Zhao Bingjun Zhao Bingjun () (1859 – February 26, 1914) was the third premier of the Republic of China from 25 September 1912 to 1 May 1913. Zhao was previously a public security official during the Qing dynasty and became minister of the interior during t ...

* Yao Gang as Feng Guozhang *

Han Zaifen Han Zaifen (; born 20 March 1968) is a Chinese performer of Huangmei opera who is widely regarded as a Huangmei opera superstar. She is the only Huangmei opera artist to have won the prestigious Plum Blossom Award twice. She performed on CCTV Spr ...

as Shen Yuying * Yano Koji as

Emperor Meiji , also called or , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. Reigning from 13 February 1867 to his death, he was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan and presided over the Meiji era. He was the figur ...

* Hirata Yasuyuki as Itō Hirobumi * Nakamura Bunpei as Itō Sukeyuki * Kuwana Waku as

Mutsu Munemitsu Count was a Japanese statesman and diplomat in Meiji period Japan. Early life Mutsu Munemitsu was born in Wakayama domain, Kii Province as the sixth son of Date Munehiro, a ''samurai'' retainer of the Kii Tokugawa clan. His father was activ ...

* Kamitani as Komura Jutarō * Hoshino Akiraka as Saigō Tsugumichi

Censorship

The politically sensitive issues which likely triggered the heavy censorship of the series included issues such as the more sympathetic and complex portrayal of Empress Dowager Cixi, Yuan Shikai and Li Hongzhang, who are usually portrayed in a negative light in official

Chinese historiography Chinese historiography is the study of the techniques and sources used by historians to develop the recorded history of China. Overview of Chinese history The recording of events in Chinese history dates back to the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 ...

. Historically accurate but politically inconvenient quotes, such as

's speech on inequality and the suppression of democracy, were cut from the series. The censorship has significantly reduced the length of some episodes. The final episode was cut to nearly half of its original duration of 50 minutes, and the series was reorganised from scripted 60 to aired 59 episodes. The censors also blocked plans for a rerun. The censorship, however, did not prevent the international distribution of the series on VCD and DVD (these versions also suffered less from censorship than the version aired on CCTV).

Reception

The series has been very popular in China.Representations of History in Chinese Film and Television
The debate caused by the series, as well as its censorship and issues for discussion, have been compared to a similar event in 1988 involving another documentary television series ''

River Elegy ''River Elegy'' () is an influential six-part documentary by Wang Luxiang, and co-written by Su Xiaokang, shown on China Central Television on June 16, 1988, which portrays the decline of traditional Chinese culture. Synopsis The film asserts ...

''. ''River Elegy'' drew criticism for presenting a controversial view on Chinese culture, and is seen as a factor that influenced the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Issues raised in discussions include questions on the extent to which artists are permitted to reinterpret history, and the degree to which certain portrayal of historical figures and events is dictated by politics rather than science. As a consequence of the controversy caused by this series, the

Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China In marketing, publicity is the public visibility or awareness for any product, service, person or organization (company, charity, etc.). It may also refer to the movement of information from its source to the general public, often (but not always) ...

began an analysis of "the accuracy with which historical figures are represented in television dramas".

References

External links

*

on Representations of History in Chinese Film and Television *

on

Sina.com Sina Corporation (, "new wave") is a Chinese technology company. Sina operates four major business lines: Sina Weibo, Sina Mobile, Sina Online, and Sinanet. Sina has over 100 million registered users worldwide. Sina was recognized by '' South ...

*
''Towards the Republic'' official page
on

website *
有感于《走向共和》遭到封杀
- a reader's opinion on ''Towards the Republic'' being banned from the forums of Singapore's Chinese-language newspaper '' Lianhe Zaobao'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Towards the Republic China Central Television Chinese documentary television series Chinese period television series Television series set in the Qing dynasty 2003 Chinese television series debuts 2003 Chinese television series endings Mandarin-language television shows Cultural depictions of Sun Yat-sen Cultural depictions of Empress Dowager Cixi Television censorship in China Censored television series Works about the 1911 Revolution