[2nd lecture] In this conference, I will present two of what I consider the most innovative points I make in my recent book The Republic of China, 1912 to 1949 (Cambridge: Polity, 2023). First, I reconsider the role of warlords in connection with the process of state building. I argue that state-building efforts by central authorities were not the only ones significant and worthy of attention. Contrary to the usual depiction of warlords as only concerned with their personal wealth and power, I argue that many had a strong concern for state-building. Warlords’ achievements were impressive, for example, in the realms of transport infrastructure, economic development and education. Second, in terms of cultural circulations, it is a widely shared view that China was under massive Western influence during the Republic. But considerably overlooked is the fact that, at the same period, China exerted a much deeper cultural influence than previously in South-east Asia. I explore the ways overseas Chinese contributed to greatly expand the cultural influence of China. Their dissemination of ways of life and popular culture should lead us to revise our vision of China’s cultural interaction with the rest of the world.