Martyr Ni Ying-tien (1884-1910) was born to an intelligentsia family in Hofei of Anhwei Province. He was influenced early in life by his family's reading of the times. Even before he was admitted to the Anhwei Military Academy at age nineteen, he was determined to become a revolutionary to overthrow the Ching court, aliens who had ruled China since 1644. After an unsuccessful revolt in Anhwei, he joined Huang Hsing and other revolutionaries in Kwangtung Province to plan an uprising. They enlisted help from the New Force stationed there, a new branch of the Ching Army which employed Western weaponry and trained along Western lines. The plan worked, and military action was set for January 1910. But developments became out of control and the military action was forced to be launched in haste. Ni and his forces were unfortunately defeated by the Ching Army. Though he fought bravely to the end, Martyr Ni was shot, captured, and soon honorably gave his life for the cause of the Revolution.