In October 1911, a virus erupted in Wuhan, China. Revolutionaries opposed to foreign control of China’s railways stormed a military garrison, easily defeating imperial forces and revealing the weakness of the ruling Qing dynasty. Known as the Wuchang Uprising, the political virus quickly spread. Three months later the Chinese Revolution toppled the Manchu rulers and ushered in the Republic of China. Today, Wuhan is at the center of the coronavirus outbreak, and the effect on the People’s Republic of China may prove to be just as revolutionary.

The...