RAPHAËL RÉAU : un consul français au cœur de la révolution de 1911.

The article focuses on the attitude and personality of French consul Raphaël Réau who held office in Hankou, China, during the Chinese Revolution, which began in September 1911 and ended in February 1912. A distinction between central and local diplomacy is made. The author discusses Réau's understanding of and sympathy for the Chinese revolutionary movement, his difficult communication with his hierarchy in Paris, France, and his voluntary limitation of French military presence in the region. The role of the Qing dynasty and Réau's relations with the Imperial Army and the Chinese revolutionaries are also talked about.