Historical Figure
Sun Yat-sen
1866–1925
Chinese revolutionary and statesman (1866–1925)
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Biography
Sun Yat-sen, a.k.a. Sun Zhongshan, Sun Wen, was a Chinese physician, revolutionary, statesman, and political philosopher who founded the Republic of China (ROC) and its first political party, the Kuomintang (KMT). As the paramount leader of the 1911 Revolution, Sun is credited with overthrowing the Qing dynasty and served as the first president of the Provisional Government of the Republic of China (1912) and as the inaugural premier of the Kuomintang.
In Their Own Words (5)
I am the one who will crush the Qing utterly. With the power of sun and moon I will smash through the boundaries of Helanshan pass. With fire and fury I shall come to the city of the Nanluo kings, and the might of the Yanhuang will rise again.
Legacy of the Hegemon (1902) , 1902
The Chinese people have only family and clan solidarity; they do not have national spirit...they are just a heap of loose sand...Other men are the carving knife and serving dish; we are the fish and the meat.
China as a Heap of Loose Sand (1924) , 1924
China is now suffering from poverty, not from unequal distribution of wealth. Where there are inequalities of wealth, the methods of Marx can, of course, be used; a class war can be advocated to destroy the inequalities. But in China, where industry is not yet developed, Marx's class war and dictatorship of the proletariat are impracticable.
Capital and the State (1924) , 1924
To understand is difficult; to act is easy.
As quoted in Great Britain and the East, Vol. 61, Issues 1727-1742 (1944), p. 19 , 1944
In the construction of a country, it is not the practical workers but the idealists and planners that are difficult to find.
Chung-shan Ch'üan-shu (Zhongshan Quanshu), vol. II (1936) , 1936
Timeline
The story of Sun Yat-sen, told in moments.
Founds the Revive China Society in Honolulu, dedicated to overthrowing the Qing dynasty. He's a trained physician who never really practices medicine. Revolution is his profession. He'll spend the next 17 years in exile, fundraising from overseas Chinese communities.
Kidnapped by the Chinese legation in London and held for 12 days. Staff plan to smuggle him back to China for execution. His former professor at Hong Kong medical school, James Cantlie, alerts the press and the Foreign Office. The international scandal makes Sun famous.
Founds the Tongmenghui (United League) in Tokyo, uniting several revolutionary factions. Its platform: overthrow the Qing, establish a republic, equalize land rights. Membership reaches 10,000 across 17 provinces.
Inaugurated as provisional President of the Republic of China in Nanjing. He steps down six weeks later in favor of Yuan Shikai, who controls the army. Sun trades the presidency for Yuan's promise to support the republic. Yuan betrays him.
Dies of liver cancer in Beijing at 58. His unfinished revolution splits into two factions. The Nationalists under Chiang Kai-shek and the Communists under Mao Zedong both claim him as their founding father. Both sides of the Taiwan Strait still honor him.
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