Lin Baoyi (; 1864–1930) was a Chinese

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

during late

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

and the

warlord era The Warlord Era was the period in the history of the Republic of China between 1916 and 1928, when control of the country was divided between rival Warlord, military cliques of the Beiyang Army and other regional factions. It began after the de ...

. Born in

Fuzhou Fuzhou is the capital of Fujian, China. The city lies between the Min River (Fujian), Min River estuary to the south and the city of Ningde to the north. Together, Fuzhou and Ningde make up the Eastern Min, Mindong linguistic and cultural regi ...

, he was educated at the local naval academy and was sent to Britain for further studies. Lin rose to become an admiral in the

Beiyang fleet The Beiyang Fleet (Pei-yang Fleet; , alternatively Northern Seas Fleet) was one of the Imperial Chinese Navy#Fleets, four modernized Chinese navies in the late Qing dynasty. Among the four, the Beiyang Fleet was particularly sponsored by Li Hong ...

during the

and continued to serve in the

Republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

. In 1917, reacting against

Duan Qirui Duan Qirui (, pronounced ) (March 6, 1865 – November 2, 1936) was a Chinese warlord, politician and commander of the Beiyang Army who ruled as the effective dictator of northern China in the late 1910s. He was the Premier of the Republic of C ...

's dominance over the

Beiyang government The Beiyang government was the internationally recognized government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China between 1912 and 1928, based in Beijing. It was dominated by the generals of the Beiyang Army, giving it its name. B ...

, he defected with his ships to

Sun Yat-sen Sun Yat-senUsually known as Sun Zhongshan () in Chinese; also known by Names of Sun Yat-sen, several other names. (; 12 November 186612 March 1925) was a Chinese physician, revolutionary, statesman, and political philosopher who founded the Republ ...

's rival Constitutional Protection government in South China. For his actions, he was made a member of the governing committee and navy minister. Soon a split emerged within the committee with him siding with the Old Guangxi clique against Sun. Sun's forces, led by

Chen Jiongming Chen Jiongming ( zh, t=陳炯明, p=Chén Jiǒngmíng, w=Ch'en Chiung-ming; 18 January 187822 September 1933) was a Chinese statesman, military leader, revolutionary, and a key figure in the Federalism in China, federalist movement during the W ...

, defeated him and his Guangxi allies in 1920.

References

* Linda Pomerantz-Zhang, ''Wu Tingfang (1842-1922): Reform and Modernization in Modern Chinese History'',

Hong Kong University Press Hong Kong University Press (abbreviated as HKU Press) is the university press of the University of Hong Kong. It was established in 1956 and publishes more than 50 titles per year in both Chinese and English. Most works in English are on cultura ...

, Pages 254, 260 & 262 Republic of China warlords from Fujian Qing dynasty admirals 1864 births 1927 deaths Generals from Fujian Politicians from Fuzhou Beiyang Fleet personnel {{navy-stub