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 (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. 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.
                                                    
                            Aliases
                            
                                                                                                            - For the Sake of the Republic
- Zou Xiang Gong He
- The End of the Manchurian Empire
 
                                    
                        剧情背景为自清朝慈禧太后归政光绪皇帝,至民初袁世凯称帝失败约20年间的中国历史,包括洋务运动、日清甲午战争、戊戌变法、庚子拳乱、庚子后新政、辛亥革命、二次革命、张勋复辟等史事。叙事主要围绕以下5位主角发展:慈禧太后、李鸿章、光绪皇帝、袁世凯、孙中山。这些历史人物形象将观众带入历史之中,去体会被列强瓜分时的辱国之痛,去感叹唤起民众觉醒、走向共和的艰辛。