This category lists the various heads of state of China (in its various forms) who appear in the works of Harry Turtledove, whether set in an alternate timeline or in OTL. They do not necessarily appear in their capacity of head of state.
For millennia, China's political system was based on hereditary monarchies, known as dynasties, beginning with the semi-mythological Xia of the Yellow River basin (c. 2000 BCE). In 221 BCE, king of the Qin Dynasty conquered several states to form a Chinese empire, and came to be regarded as China's first emperor. This was by no means the final unification of China, as there were periods of splintering and rival empires and emperors. The emperors usually served as head of state, although their powers could vary depending on the time period.
The Xinhai Revolution overthrew the Qing dynasty in 1911 and established a presidential republic. Despite a brief abortive attempt by warlord Yuan Shikai to proclaim himself emperor in 1915-1916, the republic was permanently re-established in 1916. Another attempt to restore the Qing dynasty in 1917 lasted for about twelve days before failing.
Over the next decade, the Kuomintang set about establishing a unified China. From 1916 to 1928, the head of state was the president. With China firmly a single party state under the KMT, the title changed to chairman of the nationalist government. The KMT ruled the Chinese mainland until 1949. After the defeat of the Empire of Japan in World War II, Mao Tse-Tung's Chinese Communist Party defeated the KMT in mainland China and established the People's Republic of China in Beijing on 1 October 1949, while Chiang Kai-Shek's Kuomintang relocated the ROC government to its present capital of Taipei, on the island of Taiwan. The latter government is sometimes called "ROC (Taiwan)" in English, or, more commonly, simply "Taiwan", with a president as head of state, an arrangement which continues today.
In the PRC, the initial office of the head of state was the Chairman of the People's Republic of China, which was the title used until 1975. From 1975 to 1982, the head of state was the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. In 1983, the head of state became the president. As is often the case in communist states, the true power in the PRC usually rests with the communist party leader, rather than the head of state or government. Presidents who've held office since 1989 have also doubled as the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, and so have managed to be more than simple figureheads. While the president has been limited to two consecutive five-year terms, the Party began the process of removing those terms limits in 2018, opening up the possibility of the presidency becoming a life-time position.
Chinese heads of state in Turtledove's work[]
Most Turtledove timelines where China plays a large role, place their points of divergence during the Republic of China under Chiang Kai-Shek. A few place the POD's during the People's Republic of China under Mao Tse-Tung and/or his successors, however the PRC appears more frequently in stories set in the future of OTL.
ROC (Taiwan)[]
The only Turtledove works to reference ROC leadership on Taiwan after the POD are Joe Steele and The Hot War, which both end with Chiang Kai-Shek still in office. In other timelines with a POD between 1911 and 1949, the ROC is not located on Taiwan.
Imperial China[]
In most timelines with a POD before 1911, China's monarchy was never overthrown, though it is rarely the focal point of any story. Curious Notions has a stated POD of 1914, but there is an Emperor of China, suggesting that the ROC died in its infancy and the monarchy was quickly restored.
Only two historical Chinese monarchs are referenced in Turtledove's work. Kublai Khan is referenced as the incumbent monarch in "Curse of the Three Demons," a fantasy set in OTL. Puyi, Xuantong Emperor is referenced in numerous stories which have him in his later OTL role as Emperor of Manchukuo.
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