:
Sun Yat-sen (
November 12,
1866 –
March 12,
1925) was a
Chinese revolutionary and
political leader often referred to as the "father of modern China." Sun played an instrumental role in the eventual overthrow of the
Qing Dynasty in 1911. He was the first provisional
president when the
Republic of China was founded in 1912. He later co-founded the
Kuomintang (KMT) where he served as its first leader. Sun was a uniting figure in post-imperial China, and remains unique among 20th century
Chinese politicians for being widely revered in both
mainland China and in
Taiwan.
Although Sun is considered one of the greatest leaders of modern
China, his political life was one of constant struggle and frequent
exile. After the success of the revolution, he quickly fell out of power in the newly-founded Republic of China, and led successive revolutionary governments as a challenge to the
warlords who controlled much of the nation. Sun did not live to see his party bring about consolidation of power over the country. His party, which formed a fragile alliance with the communists, split into two factions after his death. Sun's chief legacy resides in his developing a
political philosophy known as the
Three Principles of the People (
nationalism,
democracy, and the people's livelihood/welfare), which still influence
Chinese government today.
Early years
On
November 12,
1866, Sun Yat-sen (孫中山) was born to a peasant family in the village of Cuiheng (翠亨村), Xiangshan county (香山縣),
Guangzhou prefecture (廣州市),
Guangdong province(廣東省) (26 km or 16 miles north of
Macau) and spoke the Zhongshan dialect of Cantonese. When Sun Yat-sen died in 1925, the name of Xiangshan was changed to Zhongshan(中山縣) in his honor. After receiving a few years of local school, at age thirteen, Sun went to live with his elder brother, Sun Mei, in
Honolulu. Sun Mei, who was twelve years Sun Yat-sen's senior, had emigrated to
Hawaii as a laborer and had become a prosperous merchant. Though Sun Mei was not always supportive of Sun's later revolutionary activities, he supported his brother financially, allowing Sun to give up his professional career. Sun Yat-sen studied at the prestigious Iolani School where he learned English, mathematics and science. Originally unable to speak the English language, Sun Yat-sen picked up the language so quickly that he received a prize for outstanding achievement in English from King David Kalakaua. Sun then enrolled in Oahu College, now
Punahou School, for further studies but he was soon sent home to China as his brother was becoming afraid that Sun Yat-sen was about to embrace
Christianity. While at Iolani, he befriended Tong Phong, who later founded the First Chinese-American Bank.