List of presidents of China

This is a list of the heads of state of the Republic of China (ROC) since 1912 and the state representatives of the People's Republic of China (PRC) since 1949.

List of presidents of the Republic (since 1912)
This is a list of the presidents of the Republic of China (ROC) (1912–present). The Republic of China president is called 總統 (Zǒngtǒng, "President"), and from 1912–1928, 大總統 (Dàzǒngtǒng, "Grand President").

Since 1949, the de facto territory of the ROC is reduced to Taiwan and its surrounding islands, the former previously ruled by Japan from 1895 to 1945, no longer governing mainland China. It continued to represent China in the United Nations until it was expelled on 25 October 1971 and diplomatically by the United States government until 1 January 1979. The President of the ROC is also known as the President of Taiwan due to the territory it governs.

All the names on this list follow the Oriental convention with the family name first and given name second. Provisional Government:

Beiyang Government:

Nationalist to Constitutional Government:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center"
 * colspan=9 |

Presidents of the Provisional Government
! No. ! Portrait ! width=18% |Name (Birth–Death) ! colspan=2 |Term of office ! Political party ! colspan=2 |Vice President ! Assembly (elected) ! style="background:#031096; color:white;"|1 孫中山 (1866–1925) (Nonpartisan) ! style="background:#CD853F; color:white;"|2 袁世凱 (1859–1916) (Nonpartisan)
 * 孫中山先生 (cropped).jpg
 * align=center| Sun Yat-sen
 * 1 January 1912 || 10 March 1912
 * Tongmenghui
 * bgcolor="" |
 * Li Yuanhong
 * align="center"| Provisional (1911)
 * YuanShikaiPresidente1915.jpg
 * align=center| Yuan Shikai
 * 10 March 1912 || 10 October 1913
 * Beiyang clique
 * bgcolor="" |
 * Li Yuanhong
 * align="center"| Provisional (1912)
 * colspan=9 |
 * colspan=9 |

Presidents of the Beiyang Government
! No. ! Portrait ! width=18% |Name (Birth–Death) ! colspan=2 |Term of office ! Political party ! colspan=2 |Vice President ! Assembly (elected) ! style="background:#CD853F; color:white;" | 1 袁世凱 (1859–1916) (Progressive) ! style="background:#008000; color:white;" | 2 黎元洪 (1864–1928) (Zhili clique) ! style="background:#CD853F; color:white;"| — 馮國璋 (1859–1919) (acting) ! style="background:#CD853F; color:white;"| 3 徐世昌 (1855–1939) ! style="background:#013C78; color:white;"| — 周自齊 (1871–1923) (acting) ! style="background:#008000; color:white;"| (2) 黎元洪 (1864–1928) ! style="background:#CD853F; color:white;" | — 高凌霨 (1868–1939) (acting) ! style="background:#CD853F; color:white;" |4 曹錕 (1862–1938) ! style="background:; color:black;"| — 黃郛 (1883–1936) (acting) ! rowspan=2 style="background:#CD853F; color:white;" | 5 段祺瑞 (1865–1936)
 * YuanShikaiPresidente1915.jpg
 * align=center| Yuan Shikai
 * 10 October 1913 || 6 June 1916
 * Beiyang clique
 * bgcolor=#008000 |
 * Li Yuanhong
 * rowspan=3| 1st (1913)
 * Li Yuanhong, bordered.jpg
 * align=center| Li Yuanhong
 * 7 June 1916 || 17 July 1917
 * Progressive Party
 * bgcolor=#CD853F|
 * Feng Guozhang
 * Feng Kuo Chang.jpg
 * align=center| Feng Guozhang
 * 17 July 1917 || 10 October 1918
 * Zhili clique
 * colspan=2| Vacant
 * Xu Shichang.jpg
 * align=center| Xu Shichang
 * 10 October 1918 || 2 June 1922
 * Anhui clique
 * colspan=2| Vacant
 * rowspan=4| 2nd (1918)
 * Zhou Zi qi.jpg
 * align=center| Zhou Ziqi
 * 2 June 1922 || 11 June 1922
 * Communications Clique
 * colspan=2| Vacant
 * Li Yuanhong 01.jpg
 * align=center| Li Yuanhong
 * 11 June 1922 || 13 June 1923
 * Research Clique
 * colspan=2| Vacant
 * 高凌霨.jpg
 * align=center| Gao Lingwei
 * 14 June 1923 || 10 October 1923
 * Zhili clique
 * colspan=2| Vacant
 * Cao Kun.jpg
 * align=center| Cao Kun
 * 10 October 1923 || 2 November 1924
 * Zhili clique
 * colspan=2| Vacant
 * rowspan=3| (1923)
 * Huang Fu 03 (cropped).JPG
 * align=center| Huang Fu
 * 2 November 1924 || 24 November 1924
 * Nonpartisan
 * colspan=2| Vacant
 * rowspan=2| DuanQirui.jpg
 * rowspan=2 align=center| Duan Qirui

! style="background:#CD853F; color:white;"| — 胡惟德 (1863–1933) (acting) ! style="background:; color:black;"| — (W.W. Yan)]]''' 顏惠慶 (1877–1950) (acting) ! style="background:#CD853F; color:white;"| — 杜錫珪 (1875–1933) (acting) ! style="background:; color:black;"| — 顧維鈞 (1888–1985) (acting) ! style="background:#CD853F; color:white;"| 6 張作霖 (1875–1928)
 * rowspan=2| 24 November 1924 || rowspan=2| 20 April 1926
 * rowspan=2| Anhui clique
 * rowspan=2 colspan=2| Vacant
 * rowspan=6| Vacant
 * rowspan=6| Vacant
 * Hu Weide.jpg
 * Hu Weide
 * 20 April 1926 || 13 May 1926
 * Zhili clique
 * colspan=2| Vacant
 * Yan Huiqing.jpg
 * '''[[Yan Huiqing|Yan Huiqing
 * 13 May 1926 || 22 June 1926
 * Nonpartisan
 * colspan=2| Vacant
 * Du Xigui.jpg
 * Du Xigui
 * 22 June 1926 || 1 October 1926
 * Zhili clique
 * colspan=2| Vacant
 * Gu Weijun.JPG
 * V.K. Wellington Koo
 * 1 October 1926 || 17 June 1927
 * Nonpartisan
 * colspan=2| Vacant
 * Zhang Zuolin3.jpg
 * align=center| Zhang Zuolin
 * 18 June 1927 || 4 June 1928
 * Fengtian clique
 * colspan=2| Vacant
 * colspan=9 |
 * colspan=9 |

Chairmen of the Nationalist Government
! No. ! Portrait ! width=18% |Name (Birth–Death) ! colspan=2 |Term of office ! Political party ! colspan=3 |Assembly (elected) ! style="background:; color:white;"| — 譚延闓 (1880–1930) (4th plenum) ! style="background:; color:white;" | — 蔣中正 (1887–1975) (5th plenum) ! style="background:; color:white;"| — 林森 (1868–1943) ! style="background:; color:white;"| — (1st plenum) ! style="background:; color:white;"| — 蔣中正 (1887–1975) ! style="background:; color:white;"| — (11th plenum)
 * Tan Yankai.jpg
 * align=center| Tan Yankai
 * 7 February 1928 || 10 October 1928
 * Kuomintang
 * bgcolor="" |
 * colspan=2| 2nd National Congress of Kuomintang
 * Chiang 1.jpg
 * align=center| Chiang Kai-shek
 * 10 October 1928 || 15 December 1931
 * Kuomintang
 * rowspan=2 bgcolor="" |
 * colspan=2 rowspan=2| 2nd National Congress of Kuomintang
 * rowspan=2| Lin Sen.jpg
 * rowspan=2 align=center| Lin Sen
 * rowspan=2| 15 December 1931 || rowspan=2| 1 August 1943
 * rowspan=2| Kuomintang
 * rowspan=2 bgcolor="" |
 * rowspan=2 colspan=2| 4th National Congress of Kuomintang
 * rowspan=2| Chiang Kai-shek enhanced.jpg
 * rowspan=2 align=center| Chiang Kai-shek
 * rowspan=2| 1 August 1943 || rowspan=2| 20 May 1948
 * rowspan=2| Kuomintang
 * bgcolor="" |
 * colspan=2| 5th National Congress of Kuomintang
 * colspan=9|
 * colspan=9|

Presidents after the 1947 Constitution
! No. ! Portrait ! width=18% |Name (Birth–Death) ! colspan=2 |Term of office ! Political party ! colspan=2 |Vice President ! Term (elected) ! style="background:; color:white;" |1 蔣中正 (1887–1975) (Kuomintang) ! style="background:; color:white;"| — 李宗仁 (1890–1969) (acting) ! style="background:; color:white;" rowspan=7|(1) 蔣中正 (1887–1975) (Kuomintang) (Kuomintang) (Kuomintang) ! style="background:; color:white;"| 2 (C. K. Yen) 嚴家淦 (1905–1993) ! style="background:; color:white;" rowspan=2| 3 蔣經國 (1910–1988) (Kuomintang) (Kuomintang) ! style="background:; color:white;" rowspan=3| 4 李登輝 (1923–2020) (Kuomintang) (KMT) ! style="background:; color:white;" rowspan=2| 5 陳水扁 (born 1950) (DPP) ! style="background:; color:white;" rowspan=2| 6 馬英九 (born 1950) (KMT) (KMT) ! rowspan=2 style="background:; color:white;" | 7 蔡英文 (born 1956) (Independent) (DPP) ! rowspan=1 style="background:; color:white;" | Presidency of Lai Ching-te 賴清德 (born 1959) (DPP)
 * 蔣中正總統玉照.png
 * Chiang Kai-shek
 * 20 May 1948 || 21 January 1949
 * Kuomintang
 * bgcolor="" |
 * Li Zongren
 * rowspan=4| 1 (1948)
 * 李宗仁戎裝照(cropped).jpg
 * Li Zongren
 * 21 January 1949 || 1 March 1950
 * Kuomintang
 * colspan=2| Vacant
 * rowspan=7|蔣中正總統玉照.png
 * rowspan=7 align=center| Chiang Kai-shek
 * rowspan=7 | 1 March 1950 || rowspan=7 | 5 April 1975
 * rowspan=7| Kuomintang
 * bgcolor="" |
 * Li Zongren
 * colspan=2| Vacant
 * rowspan=2 bgcolor="" |
 * rowspan=2| Chen Cheng
 * rowspan=2 bgcolor="" |
 * rowspan=2| Chen Cheng
 * 2 (1954)
 * rowspan=2| 3 (1960)
 * colspan=2| Vacant
 * rowspan=2 bgcolor="" |
 * rowspan=2| Yen Chia-kan
 * rowspan=2 bgcolor="" |
 * rowspan=2| Yen Chia-kan
 * rowspan=2| Yen Chia-kan
 * 4 (1966)
 * rowspan=2| 5 (1972)
 * rowspan=2| 5 (1972)
 * President03-large.png
 * Yen Chia-kan
 * 5 April 1975 || 20 May 1978
 * Kuomintang
 * colspan=2| Vacant
 * rowspan=2|第7任總統蔣經國先生玉照.jpg
 * rowspan=2 align=center| Chiang Ching-kuo
 * rowspan=2| 20 May 1978 || rowspan=2| 13 January 1988
 * rowspan=2| Kuomintang
 * bgcolor="" |
 * Hsieh Tung-min
 * 6 (1978)
 * bgcolor="" |
 * Lee Teng-hui
 * Lee Teng-hui
 * rowspan=2| 7 (1984)
 * rowspan=3| Lee Teng-hui (president 5 cropped).jpg
 * rowspan=3 align=center| Lee Teng-hui
 * rowspan=3| 13 January 1988 || rowspan=3| 20 May 2000
 * rowspan=3| Kuomintang
 * colspan=2| Vacant
 * bgcolor="" |
 * Lee Yuan-tsu
 * Lee Yuan-tsu
 * 8 (1990)
 * bgcolor="" |
 * Lien Chan
 * Lien Chan
 * 9 (1996)
 * rowspan=2|總統陳水扁先生玉照 (國民大會實錄).jpg
 * rowspan=2 align=center| Chen Shui-bian
 * rowspan=2| 20 May 2000 || rowspan=2| 20 May 2008
 * rowspan=2|Democratic Progressive
 * rowspan=2 bgcolor="" |
 * rowspan=2|Annette Lu
 * 10 (2000)
 * 11 (2004)
 * 11 (2004)
 * rowspan=2|中華民國第12、13任總統馬英九先生官方肖像照.jpg
 * rowspan=2 align=center| Ma Ying-jeou
 * rowspan=2| 20 May 2008 || rowspan=2| 20 May 2016
 * rowspan=2|Kuomintang
 * bgcolor="" |
 * Vincent Siew
 * 12 (2008)
 * bgcolor="" |
 * Wu Den-yih
 * Wu Den-yih
 * 13 (2012)
 * rowspan=2| 蔡英文官方元首肖像照 (cropped).png
 * rowspan=2| Tsai Ing-wen
 * rowspan=2| 20 May 2016 || rowspan=2| 20 May 2024
 * rowspan=2| Democratic Progressive
 * bgcolor="" |
 * Chen Chien-jen
 * 14 (2016)
 * bgcolor="" |
 * William Lai
 * William Lai
 * 15 (2020)
 * rowspan=1| 賴清德總統 (cropped).jpg
 * rowspan=1| Lai Ching-te
 * rowspan=1| 20 May 2024 || rowspan=1| Incumbent
 * rowspan=1| Democratic Progressive
 * bgcolor="" |
 * Hsiao Bi-khim
 * 16 (2024)
 * }

List of presidents of the People's Republic (since 1949)
This is a list of all the chairmen of the People's Republic of China (1954–1975) and the presidents of the People's Republic of China (1982–present). The President of the PRC is called 主席 (zhǔxí), formerly translated as Chairman.

To avoid confusion, all the names on this list follow the Oriental convention (family name first, given name second) for consistency.


 * Generations of leadership:

=== Central People's Government under the Common Program (1949–1954) ===
 * Chairman of the Central People's Government
 * Mao Zedong (1 October 1949 – 27 September 1954)

The 1st Constitution (1954–1975)

 * Chairman/Chairwoman of the People's Republic China

The 2nd Constitution (1975–1978)

 * Chairman/Chairwoman of the Standing Committee of the 4th National People's Congress
 * 1) Zhu De (17 January 1975 – 6 July 1976) died in office
 * 2) Soong Ching-ling (6 July 1976 – 5 March 1978) acting
 * 3) Ye Jianying (5 March 1978 – 5 March 1978)

The 3rd Constitution (1978–1982)

 * Chairman of the Standing Committee of the 5th National People's Congress
 * Ye Jianying (5 March 1978 – 18 June 1983)


 * Honorary President of the People's Republic of China

The 4th Constitution (1982–present)

 * President of the People's Republic China